I’m back! More than 2 years later, I haven’t stopped cooking or developing recipes but I’ve gotten into the habit of sharing them in Instagram or Facebook with a simple iPhone photo and an ingredient list. Because…active 2-year old and full-time job and it’s just easier. However, I’m going to attempt to blog occasionally again, so happy reading!
With a somewhat picky 2-year old, when I make something he eats all of (instead of picking out some parts or outright refusing in favor of yogurt or cereal), I consider that a win and make it again and again. This recipe is great because it is easy to choose any veggies you like, and you can even swap in chicken or beef instead of the tofu (or just make this a veggie stir fry). Veggies I’ve used in various combinations are: Carrots, celery, baby corn, mushrooms, green beans, snow peas, snap peas, broccoli, cauliflower, baby bok choy…you get the idea.
A very important element of this dish is the tofu preparation – instead of frying tofu which can take long time and make a mess, I bake it until it’s crispy so you get the same texture. It also helps to make sure that the tofu, which is pretty smooth raw, is nice and textured so the sauce sticks.
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour
Total Time: 1 hour
Ingredients
2 16-oz containers of firm tofu
1 tsp sesame oil
1 tsp olive oil
1 onion, chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
4 cups of fresh veggies of your choice, cut into bite-sized pieces (mushrooms, broccoli, green beans, carrots, etc.)
3 Tbsp rice vinegar (I like Nakano)
3 Tbsp gluten-free soy sauce or Tamari
1 tsp fish sauce (I use Red Boat)
1/2 tsp sriracha (optional)
2 Tbsp hot water
1 tsp corn starch
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees and grease an 12×16 baking sheet or jelly roll pan.
- Prepare tofu using this preparation.
- Meanwhile, heat sesame and olive oils in a wide pot. Add onion and saute over medium heat for 10 minutes until onions are soft. Add garlic and saute another 2-3 minutes, watching to make sure the garlic does not burn.
- Add your choice of veggies and cook another 10 minutes, stirring often. Add rice vinegar, soy sauce, fish sauce and sriracha (if using), bring to a boil, then cover and simmer for 5 minutes.
- Whisk corn starch into the hot water (don’t do it the other way around or it may seize up and be lumpy).
- Remove tofu from the oven and use a spatula to scoop it into your pot. Stir to incorporate. Bring to a boil and stream in cornstarch slurry, stirring constantly until sauce thickens. Remove from heat.
- Serve over steamed rice or rice noodles.