Ginger Tofu Broccoli Stir-Fry

Christmas 2012 did its level best to dispose of me and my partner. We both caught the flu, with symptoms manifesting 3 hours into the 14-hour drive back home to Ohio. We spent the entire visit sick, which meant we didn't get to visit some of the folks back home we wanted to visit and ended up sleeping way more than we should have. And then, on the 14-hour drive back home to Massachusetts, we got caught in a blizzard somewhere in Maryland and had to stay the night in a motel that, to this day, haunts my nightmares.

One of the few good things that came out of Christmas 2012, that said, was the wok my father-in-law gave us. It's a big ol' thing, has a nice sturdy bamboo handle on it, and the stuff I cook in it is easily some of the best stuff I cook, hands-down.

This recipe came about from my partner's request that I learn to cook with tofu. I don't know what I did wrong on the first go 'round, but the tofu kind of fell apart. I think I need firmer tofu refrigerated instead of room temperature and cut into bigger cubes, but won't know for sure until I've tried again. Even at that, though, this meal is GOOD. Very flavorful, very pretty, and unsettlingly good for you, considering how nice it tastes. The original recipe called for chicken, but since tofu's the thing, I went with that instead.

Give it a go, even if you don't have a wok. Pretty sure it's just as good made in a skillet.



Ginger Tofu Broccoli Stir-Fry Ingredients 14 oz extra firm tofu, drained, pressed, and cut into 1" cubes 4-5 scallions, thin-sliced 1 tbsp minced garlic (or 3-ish cloves, I think?) 3" ginger, grated (don't bother peeling that nonsense, what a waste of time) 1 tbsp soy sauce 2 tbsp sugar 1 tsp cornstarch 1 1/4 tsp salt 1 tbsp sherry, or kirchwasser, or apple cider, or apple cider vinegar 1 tbsp sesame oil 5-6 cups broccoli, florets and stems cut and separated (this was like 4 good-size heads of broccoli for me) 1 tsp more minced garlic 1 tbsp hoisin sauce (if you don't have hoisin sauce, you can combine 1 tbsp bbq sauce, two good shakes ground ginger, a few hearty shakes black pepper, and 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce) 1/3 cup warm water 1 tbsp cornstarch 1 cup dry starch - rice, quinoa, cauliflower - cooked Instructions

Press the Tofu

- At least 1 hour before you intend to eat this nonsense, press your tofu.

--- To do this, you'll open the package and pat the tofu dry with a paper towel or clean cloth.

--- Set a paper towel on a flatish, slightly bowled surface (we used two dinner plates)

--- Put a paper towel on top, then a flat thing on top of that (we used plastic take-out lids)

--- Press with 8-15 lbs weight (we used our cast iron skillets, the big  one and the little one, plus 2 28-oz cans of tomatoes; we ain't playin' no games)

--- Leave like that for 15-25 minutes. You'll press a ton of water out of the tofu, so do this where spillage won't be the end of the world.

--- Pat the tofu dry and tell it that it did a good job. - Cube the tofu and mix it with the scallions, ginger, garlic, soy sauce, cornstarch, salt, sherry (or whatever) and sesame oil. - Let that marinate, refrigerated, for at least 15 minutes. I let mine marinate for 4 hours at room temperature. - Cook your rice, your quinoa, or fake rice, if that's your thing. - This is also a good time to cut up your broccoli. - Heat ~2 tbsp oil in a pan. - Add the broccoli stems and cook 2-3 minutes. - Add the garlic and the florets, cooking until they're bright green and crisp-cooked. - Empty the broccoli/garlic mix into a mixing bowl. - Get another tbsp oil heated in your wok/skillet. - Dump the tofu, with marinade, into the pan. - Cook a minute or two, until it's heated through. - Add the broccoli back in. Stir-fry maybe like 4-5 more minutes? Mostly just 'til the broccoli's done enough to suit you. - Serve it over hot rice/whatever. Enjoy!