Pan-Fried Mystery

It may not look horribly appetizing, but all things considered, it wasn't bad!

Like many meat-eating american males in my age group (read: alive), my experience with tofu in the past has been somewhat limited. I've never really considered that a shame, but I've also never had the distaste towards the stuff that appears evident in those who are not vegetarians. However, while I don't despise the stuff, let's face it: meat tastes better. Thus, it should be noted that I used tofu in this dish simply to remain true to the recipe (and to experiment with an ingredient I rarely use); it could certainly be made with chicken or beef and probably have a bit more depth of both flavor and texture to it as a result.

When I first discovered this recipe, I earmarked it simply for the novelty. It seemed like a dish that would help ease my way into working with the gooey soy substance and, if it resulted in a failure, would still result in a mixture of beans, mushrooms, and sauce that would still be tasty. That said, the end product turned out fairly favorable; I'm not sure I'll be making it again (or at least not without some modifications), but it did help me develop some techniques that are fairly common in asian-style cuisines.

Tofu Stir-Fry with Snap Peas and Mushrooms

(Stolen entirely from The Kitchn)

Ingredients

For the sauce:

3/4c chicken or vegetable broth

3tbsp soy sauce

1tbsp rice wine vinegar

2tsp sugar

2tbsp corn starch

For the not-sauce:

5tbsp vegetable oil

1/3c corn starch

1 block (14oz) extra-firm tofu, cut into cubes

10oz small mushrooms, quartered

8oz snow peas

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 bunch green onions, chopped

Heat a standard wok or skillet to medium-high heat.

Procedure

Before starting work on any of the major ingredients, it's important to prepare the sauce. Mix the broth, soy sauce, vinegar, and sugar in a small bowl until the sugar has dissolved. Add the corn starch and whisk until it has incorporated. Set the mixture aside; it won't be used until near the end of the process.

Place the 1/3c corn starch into a small bowl and toss about half the tofu in the powder until well coated. Add about 1tbsp of the oil to the wok and let it heat up until just before the smoking point (if it starts smoking, just ease off the heat a bit). Place the tofu in the wok and let it sit for about a minute before attempting to move the pieces. Flip the pieces over completely to start cooking them on the other side, and let them fry for another minute. Remove them to a plate lined with a paper towel and repeat this entire process for the second half of the tofu chunks. Set the entire batch of tofu aside.

Add another tbsp of oil to the wok and let it heat back up. Add the mushrooms and fry, tossing or stirring frequently to prevent burning, until they have browned and shrunk to about 2/3 their size (they will be releasing moisture during this process; when no more steam is coming off, they are ready). Add the snow peas and garlic and continue tossing/stirring for another 10-15 seconds (longer won't hurt anything, but I prefer my vegetables nearly raw in most cases, so didn't see the need for a longer cook time).

Whisk the sauce mixture made at the start of all this to ensure that the starch re-distributes through the liquid and add it to the wok. Continue cooking, stirring periodically, to reduce the sauce to the consistency you desire (note, however, that the sauce will thicken as it cools as well, so err on the side of caution and don't overcook). Allow the sauce to come to just above room temperature before adding the onions and tofu; this will allow the sauce to continue to thicken, helping to reduce softening of the fried tofu. Additionally, green onions are better fresh, so we don't want the sauce to end up cooking them.

Serve alongside rice or by itself, according to your preference!

Lessons Learned

This was a fairly straightforward recipe; I must give credit to the folks at the Kitchn (or whoever they stole it from) for putting together a very good procedure to work with. That said, I found the tofu fairly bland; I might consider marinating it for a half hour or so in a flavorful broth of some sort to infuse a bit more into it. Also, the dish was very salty, and came across as imbalanced. I would've preferred a sweet note of some sort, perhaps adding some oyster or hoisin sauce to the mix to balance things out. A bit of heat might help as well, but I've never been a big fan of overly-spiced dishes either.

All things considered, I may give this recipe another shot with some meat instead of tofu, simply to see how things need to be changed in order to accomodate it.