This is a more complicated recipe and it costs a little more than what I was expecting but it is really good and worth the money as long as you don't do it very often.
THAI STYLE CRISPY TOFU with VEGGIES over BROWN RICE PASTA!
(Serves about 6)
Ingredients:
1 (1 lb.) block “extra firm” tofu, cut into bite-sized cubes
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 teaspoons sesame oil
4 cloves garlic, pressed through garlic press, divided use
½ teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper, divided use
¼ cup flour
• Vegetable oil
½ cup sliced mushrooms
1 Roma tomato, chopped
1 small red bell pepper, cored and seeded, and sliced into strips
1 small yellow bell pepper, cored and seeded, and sliced into strips
1 small orange bell pepper, cored and seeded, and sliced into strips
½ onion, halved again and sliced thinly
• Sweet Chili-Hoisin Sauce (recipe below)
½ pound brown rice pasta (I used spaghetti-style), cooked according to package instructions, then rinsed well and drained (*see note)
¼ cup fresh basil leaves, julienned, divided use
¼ cup peanuts, minced
(*Brown rice pasta can be a bit more starchy than normal pasta, so use a big pot with a lot of water in it; when you put the pasta into the boiling water, use tongs to move the pasta around to keep it as separated as possible, stirring occasionally during the cooking process; cook until soft but with a slight bite.)
Preparation:
-Place the cubed tofu into a large bowl, add the soy sauce, sesame oil, 2 cloves of the pressed garlic, and ¼ teaspoon of the cracked black pepper, and toss to coat; allow the tofu to marinate while you prep/slice the rest of the ingredients.
-Once marinated, add the flour to the tofu cubes, and toss to coat them as evenly as possible; to crisp the tofu, place a large non-stick skillet or pan onto medium-high/high heat, add about 2-3 tablespoons of the vegetable oil, and allow it to become hot; once hot, add the flour-coated tofu cubes to the pan in an single layer (working in two batches, if necessary), not moving them to allow them to crisp up on that side for about 2 minutes; turn them over once they're golden on that first side, and don't touch them again for another 2 minutes to allow them crisp on that second side; next, shake the skillet/pan a bit to move the tofu around to crisp on all remaining sides, for about 1 more minute; turn the heat off once the tofu cubes are golden, and slide them into a bowl or onto a plate, setting them aside for a moment and keeping them warm.
-Next, saute the veggies by placing the same large non-stick skillet or pan over medium-high heat, and adding about 1-2 tablespoons of the vegetable oil to it; once the oil becomes hot, add in the sliced mushrooms and chopped Roma tomato, and saute them for a 2-3 minutes until the mushrooms become golden, and the tomato begins to soften and become juicy; slide them out of the pan and onto a plate, and set them aside for just a moment; next, drizzle just a touch more oil into the hot pan if necessary, and add in the sliced bell peppers and the sliced onions; leave them undisturbed for about 2 minutes, to create a nice char/caramelization on one side, and then toss them a bit and allow them to char a little more, again undisturbed, for another couple of minutes; next, add in the remaining 2 cloves of pressed garlic and stir, and then add the crisped tofu cubes back into the pan, along with the Sweet Chili-Hoisin Sauce, the brown rice noodles and about half of the julienned basil; turn off the heat, and toss everything together to evenly coat.
-To serve, spoon equal portions of the brown rice pasta and tofu/veggies into a bowl or plate, and garnish each portion with about 1 tablespoon of the minced peanuts.
1 (1 lb.) block “extra firm” tofu, cut into bite-sized cubes
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 teaspoons sesame oil
4 cloves garlic, pressed through garlic press, divided use
½ teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper, divided use
¼ cup flour
• Vegetable oil
½ cup sliced mushrooms
1 Roma tomato, chopped
1 small red bell pepper, cored and seeded, and sliced into strips
1 small yellow bell pepper, cored and seeded, and sliced into strips
1 small orange bell pepper, cored and seeded, and sliced into strips
½ onion, halved again and sliced thinly
• Sweet Chili-Hoisin Sauce (recipe below)
½ pound brown rice pasta (I used spaghetti-style), cooked according to package instructions, then rinsed well and drained (*see note)
¼ cup fresh basil leaves, julienned, divided use
¼ cup peanuts, minced
(*Brown rice pasta can be a bit more starchy than normal pasta, so use a big pot with a lot of water in it; when you put the pasta into the boiling water, use tongs to move the pasta around to keep it as separated as possible, stirring occasionally during the cooking process; cook until soft but with a slight bite.)
Preparation:
-Place the cubed tofu into a large bowl, add the soy sauce, sesame oil, 2 cloves of the pressed garlic, and ¼ teaspoon of the cracked black pepper, and toss to coat; allow the tofu to marinate while you prep/slice the rest of the ingredients.
-Once marinated, add the flour to the tofu cubes, and toss to coat them as evenly as possible; to crisp the tofu, place a large non-stick skillet or pan onto medium-high/high heat, add about 2-3 tablespoons of the vegetable oil, and allow it to become hot; once hot, add the flour-coated tofu cubes to the pan in an single layer (working in two batches, if necessary), not moving them to allow them to crisp up on that side for about 2 minutes; turn them over once they're golden on that first side, and don't touch them again for another 2 minutes to allow them crisp on that second side; next, shake the skillet/pan a bit to move the tofu around to crisp on all remaining sides, for about 1 more minute; turn the heat off once the tofu cubes are golden, and slide them into a bowl or onto a plate, setting them aside for a moment and keeping them warm.
-Next, saute the veggies by placing the same large non-stick skillet or pan over medium-high heat, and adding about 1-2 tablespoons of the vegetable oil to it; once the oil becomes hot, add in the sliced mushrooms and chopped Roma tomato, and saute them for a 2-3 minutes until the mushrooms become golden, and the tomato begins to soften and become juicy; slide them out of the pan and onto a plate, and set them aside for just a moment; next, drizzle just a touch more oil into the hot pan if necessary, and add in the sliced bell peppers and the sliced onions; leave them undisturbed for about 2 minutes, to create a nice char/caramelization on one side, and then toss them a bit and allow them to char a little more, again undisturbed, for another couple of minutes; next, add in the remaining 2 cloves of pressed garlic and stir, and then add the crisped tofu cubes back into the pan, along with the Sweet Chili-Hoisin Sauce, the brown rice noodles and about half of the julienned basil; turn off the heat, and toss everything together to evenly coat.
-To serve, spoon equal portions of the brown rice pasta and tofu/veggies into a bowl or plate, and garnish each portion with about 1 tablespoon of the minced peanuts.
*Sweet Chili-Hoisin Sauce ingredients:
½ cup Hoisin sauce
2 tablespoons sweet chili sauce
3 tablespoons rice vinegar
Preparation:
-Whisk all ingredients in a small bowl
½ cup Hoisin sauce
2 tablespoons sweet chili sauce
3 tablespoons rice vinegar
Preparation:
-Whisk all ingredients in a small bowl
No comments:
Post a Comment