// March 11th, 2011 // 3 Comments » // Functional Foodie
This will seem like a rather complicated dish. It’s all about compromise.
As much as I love kitchen gadgets, it seems so wasteful to buy something that serves only one purpose. An exception would be a tofu press – I would LOVE to have one, but I’m waiting for a TV infomercial to sell me one for $9.99 because “it really really works.” In the meantime, I manually press the water out of my tofu, which is the key to it not tasting mushy and gross.
My tofu pressing recipe (patent pending):
1 block of tofu, sliced into strips
1 clean dish towel
several layers of paper towels
a paving brick
a heavy yard ornament (in this case, one from the periphery of my pond)
Isabel Bloom would be horrified.
Then when it’s all pressed so a good bit of the water is out, chop the strips into cubes.
Says Mr. Turtle, "My work is done here."
Now you’re ready to have this taste like chicken. The secret to tolerating tofu (because it has no taste, only texture) is to press all of the water out, then fix it in a dish with lots of flavor. The tofu cubes act like little sponges and soak it all up. I can even get Ron Burgundy to eat it.
First, start cooking your rice. I always use brown rice, so it takes about 45 minutes. That gives my tofu more time to press dry. Then make the sauce (recipe below) so it’s all ready to go.
I tossed the cubes in some seasoned flour and shook them in a strainer so they were barely coated. Heat a wok to high, add about a tablespoon of canola oil, and throw in the tofu cubes. Cook until they are nicely browned on all sides.
Set aside on a platter, throw in a bunch (as in a WHOLE bunch) of broccoli florets. Add a splash of water or chicken stock and steam for just a couple of minutes so they’re beautifully bright green and still have quite a bit of crunch.
Throw the tofu back in the wok, add the sauce, and cook until all thick and well coated. Serve over rice.
Orange Honey Tofu with Broccoli
1 block extra firm tofu, pressed well
1/2 c. AP flour (I used a gluten-free brown rice blend)
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 teaspoon fresh ground white pepper
1 large bunch broccoli, rinsed, cut into florets
Sauce:
2/3 cup orange juice
1 teaspoon orange zest
4 tablespoons dark soy sauce
1 teaspoon sesame oil
2 teaspoons honey
3/4 teaspoon chile garlic paste
1 clove garlic, minced
1 small knob ginger, minced
red pepper flakes to taste
2 tablespoons cornstarch
Cooked brown rice (extra boost of flavor if you cook it in chicken stock)
Mix flour, salt, and pepper in a small bowl. Toss the pressed, cubed tofu (or use chicken) in flour mixture, shaking off excess in a colander. Clean and prepare broccoli.
Mix all sauce ingredients in a small bowl, adding cornstarch last and whisking until no lumps remain.
Heat wok on high heat, add about a tablespoon of canola oil. When smokin’ hot, add floured tofu and brown on all sides until crisp. Remove to platter. Add broccoli, about 1/4 cup water or chicken stock and stir-fry for about 2 minutes until color brightens and broccoli has barely cooked. Add tofu back into wok.
Give the sauce one last stir, then add to wok, stirring quickly. Sauce will become thick. Be sure all broccoli and tofu are coated with sauce. Heat for about 1 minute, then serve on top of rice.
Tea today: Jasmine
This is a repost that I originally had over at Ginny’s Tasty Bites, but since things are busy in my head and my life, I’m copping out. Besides, I’ve only eaten leftovers this week and haven’t had time to photograph anything. If I had, it would be salad, because that’s about all I’ve eaten.
