I’ve been experimenting more of late with tofu, a miracle substance that by itself is pretty bland, but takes on the flavor of whatever you add to it. A few nights back I cooked up a stir fry with tofu and veggies. What follows is more of a "method" than a recipe, and is a very simple version of the kind of stir fry I like to make. You can use any number of different vegetables to your taste, as well as other ingredients to spice it up more: fresh garlic, fresh ginger, fish sauce, chicken stock, black bean sauce, etc. And if you want the stir fry to be more saucy, simply make a corn starch/water slurry and stir this into the cooked vegetables, and then add the liquids and bring it back up to a boil.
Ingredients
1 package firm tofu
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoonginger powder
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon cayenne powder
1 teaspoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 bunch broccoli
1 bunch bok choy
1 red bell pepper
1 onion
2 oz. canola oil
1 teaspoon roasted sesame oil
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons cooking sherry
2 tablespoons oyster sauce
toasted pine (or other) nuts, for garnish
Method
First I sliced the tofu up and drained it between paper towels.
Next
I cut the tofu slices into strips, and tossed them with dry seasonings (the garlic powder, black pepper, dried ginger, cayenne powder, sugar, and
salt).
I then chopped up the broccoli, bok choy (keep the white part
separate from the green), red bell pepper, and onion. (I would have
used mushrooms too, but I didn’t have any on hand.)
The
next thing I did was ask Robin to make me a martini (okay, it was
really a "gibtini," since it had an onion as well as an olive). Ever
since those halcyon days when I used to frequent the Tea Cup restaurant in Santa Cruz and sit at the bar and order chop suey along with a Bombay
Sapphire martini, I’ve associated Chinese food with martinis, and like
to sip one as I wok up a stir fry. (Alas, the Tea Cup is no more; it was
a victim of the 1989 earthquake.)
Martini in hand, I commenced
frying: I poured the canola oil into the wok over a high
flame and let it get spitting hot, and then added the tofu, cooking it
(in two batches) until it was golden brown, and then set this aside to
drain on a paper towel. (Robin grabbed a few of these to nibble as she
sipped her Manhattan, and announced that I should make “tofu French
fries” more often, to have as an appetizer.)
Next
I added the roasted sesame oil to the remains of the canola oil in the
wok, and fried up the broccoli ’til it was half-cooked, and then added
the onion. When this was starting to brown on the edges I added the
bell pepper, and let it cook for a few minutes. I then dumped in the
white part of the bok choy--it doesn’t require much cooking; just long
enough to get hot.
I then poured in the soy sauce, sherry, and oyster sauce, and mixed it all together.
After
this all came back up to a simmer, I turned off the heat and added the
bok choy greens and the tofu fries, and stirred it all up.
Voilà! Plate (or bowl) it up on top of some steamed rice, sprinkle with some toasted pine nuts, and it’s ready to go.
🌱 🍆 🌿
The daughter of a law professor and a potter, Leslie Karst learned early, during family dinner conversations, the value of both careful analysis and the arts—ideal ingredients for a mystery story. Putting this early education to good use, she now writes the Lefty Award-nominated Sally Solari Mysteries, a culinary series set in Santa Cruz, California.
An ex-lawyer like her sleuth, Leslie also has degrees in English literature and the culinary arts. She and her wife and their Jack Russell mix split their time between Santa Cruz and Hilo, Hawai‘i.
Leslie’s website
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Look what's coming from Leslie this April!
(now available for pre-order here)
-Foreword Reviews (starred review)
"[This] book is a romp from cover to cover—and, just like a great meal, left me ready for more."
-Karen Shimizu, executive editor, Food & Wine
Praise for THE FRAGRANCE OF DEATH:
Lisa K's Book Reviews
"[An] enjoyable fifth outing for Santa Cruz, Calif., chef Sally Solari.... This well-done culinary cozy should win new fans for the ever enterprising Sally."
Publishers Weekly
All five Sally Solari Mysteries are available through Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and Bookshop.
