by Ethan Johnson
May 16, 2007

And now, the Holy Grail of Vegan cuisine: Tofu. Yes, tofu has finally graced our kitchen, and I'm here to tell you that speaking for myself, tofu is pretty darn boring. How anyone can claim that tofu is a 1:1 substitute for anything "carnivores" like is a stinking miserable lie. But, I have a site to run and content to push, and besides, you for sure have one life to live, so try new things, huh? Like a big steaming bowl of:

Spicy Tofu Stir-Fry

Recipe adapted from Wok Every Day by Barbara Grunes and Virginia Van Vynckt.

3 Tbsp pure olive oil
3 cloves garlic, crushed/minced
8 oz firm tofu, drained and cut into 1-inch cubes (half of a 1-lb package)
1 Tbsp red chilli-garlic paste
2 Tbsp soy sauce
3/4 cup vegetable broth
2 Tbsp corn starch mixed with 3 Tbsp cold water
2 green onions, white and light green parts, chopped
Kosher salt

(Serves 2-3.)

Note: Due to the extremely fast cooking time for this recipe, it is imperative that all ingredients are prepared ahead of time and ready to go in an instant. Failure to do so will result in burned and bitter garlic, or worse.

1. We begin by crushing and/or mincing the garlic. Set aside on its own.

   

2. Open the tofu container, and completely drain the water. Remove the desired amount of tofu and transfer to a cutting board. Dry each brick of tofu as thoroughly as possible (I don't have a sure-fire method for this, so worst case pat dry with clean towels) and return to cutting board. Score the top of each brick to make 3 sections (do not cut completely through yet). Turn the board and score the brick again to map out 9 equal pieces. Slice completely through the scoring to cut tofu into cubes. Set cubed tofu aside.







If using a partial package of tofu, cover the remaining tofu with fresh water and seal with cling wrap. Drain and replace water every 3-4 days if tofu is not used before then.



3. Open chilli-garlic paste jar and set aside with a small teaspoon, as close to stove as possible. (This paste may be found in the "asian" section of most grocery stores. Shop around.)

   

4. Measure out corn starch into a small bowl and add in the cold water. Stir with a fork and set aside - near the paste in the previous step.

   

   

5. Rinse and chop the green onions and set aside. These will be used at the end of the recipe, so be sure to keep them separated from the other ingredients.

   

   

6. Measure out the vegetable broth and set aside along with the kosher salt and soy sauce. Again, close to the stove.

   

7. Set a wok or large skillet over medium to medium-high heat. Add the olive oil and heat through.

   

8. Add the garlic to the oil and heat until fragrant. Really, in the time it takes you to grab the next ingredient the garlic will be more than ready.

   

9. Add the tofu and stir quickly to incorporate with the oil and garlic.

   

10. Add the vegetable broth and stir everything to incorporate. This will take the pressure off of the garlic and oil which can burn very quickly.

    

11. Add the soy sauce, salt, and chilli-garlic paste. Add a little more paste for a spicier dish.

    

12. Stir-fry the wok contents for about 2 minutes, then add the corn starch mixture and stir throughly to blend. DO NOT break apart the tofu cubes.

    

13. Stir fry wok contents until sauce begins to thicken.

14. The cookbook I adapted this recipe from said "serve" at this point, but that method creates a dish that screams out for something to reinforce it. I made this recipe a second time to use up the tofu I bought, and added 1 cup of cooked basmati rice at the very end and stirred everything together. The rice lends much-needed support. (The original recipe used pork for support, but that's hardly Vegan friendly.)

    

15. Ladle into bowls, and sprinkle with green onions. Serve hot.

16. Pretty stoney!

Enjoy! Let me know how it turns out. <EM>

(The full, ever-expanding In the Kitchen recipe list may be found here, if you take a notion.)