Spicy Stir-Fried Tofu

When it comes to tofu, many people frown and reject it, but, in fact, this is a very good source of protein for good health, especially for women in perimenopause or menopause. In other , words, tofu is a source of protein that can reduce diseases such as rheumatism, heart disease, breast cancer, etc. This is also an easy dish to prepare because tofu has no taste at all. Tofu can be seasoned according to the taste of each family or each country in the world. When traveling to a different country, the recipes to make tofu is always changing, such as the tofu burger, bread, sushi tofu, etc. So many recipes are available to make tofu that suits your taste whether you want to go to plant based diet or simply just want to eat a healthy meal. By trying different ways of cooking tofu will make the dish with tofu more attractive. Today, I will now introduce a one pot meal with tofu as the main ingredient. The add-ons to this dish is up to each cook.

Ingredients:

16 oz. firm tofu

2 tbs cornstarch

4 garlic cloves, minced

1 knob of fresh ginger

1/2 red onion, diced

3 green onions, sliced

4 dried red chillies

Sauce ingredients:

1/2 cup vegetable broth

2 tbs soy sauce

2 tbs vinegar 

1/2 tsp salt

2 tbs mirin 

1 tbs honey or sugar

1 tsp Korean chili powder

1 tbs sriracha hot chili sauce

1 tbs cornstarch

Other ingredients:

Vegetable oil for pan frying the tofu

1 tsp sesame oil 

1 tsp roasted sesame seeds

Serve with cooked rice or noodles

Directions:

Remove the container of tofu and place some heavy object on top of the firm tofu to remove some excess water.

Cut tofu into bite-size pieces. Sprinkle tofu with salt, pepper, and cornstarch. Mix well. Be careful not to break the tofu.

In a small bowl, combine all the sauce ingredients and mix well. You can adjust the spiciness for your taste.

Peel the ginger and mince.

In a wok, add enough oil to cover the bottom of the pan. Add tofu in one layer and make sure they are not touching each other. 

You might have to pan fry tofu in batches. Fry the tofu until they are golden brown. Remove from wok.

Remove most of the oil in the pan. Add red onion, ginger, and garlic. Stirfry until fragrant (about 2 minutes). Add dried red chilies. Cook further for several minutes.

Add the sauce and bring to boil. Cook the sauce for 1 minute or until the sauce starts thickening. 

Then return tofu back to the pan.  Coat the tofu with sauce. 

Add green onions. Turn off the heat. Then add sesame oil and sesame seeds. This dish is now ready to serve.

Tip: for this stir-fried tofu, the add-on should be mushrooms, red or green bell pepper, broccoli, or any vegetables that are available to you. If you decide to use vegetables for this dish, blanch the vegetables and add the vegetables before returning tofu to the pan. Let the vegetables to absorb the sauce.