Tuesday, October 13, 2009

Tofu with Peanut Ginger Sauce

We've been trying to work more meatless meals into rotation at the Wayward house and we've had this a few times now. I keep tweaking the recipe, but I think this is pretty close to our final keeper version.


Tofu with Peanut Ginger Sauce


Cooking time: 20 minutes
Prep time: 15 minutes

Ingredients
    5 Tbsps. water
    4 Tbsps. smooth, natural peanut butter
    1½ Tbsps. rice vinegar
    2 tsps. reduced-sodium soy sauce
    2 tsps. honey
    2 tsps. minced ginger
    2 cloves garlic, minced
    14 ounces extra-firm tofu
    2 tsps extra-virgin olive oil
    14-oz can baby corn, drained
    4 cups baby spinach
    1½ cups sliced mushrooms
    4 scallions, sliced

Directions
  1. Prepare the sauce by whisking together the water, peanut butter, rice vinegar, soy sauce, honey, ginger, and garlic in a bowl the set aside.
  2. Drain and rinse the tofu then pat dry. Slice the block. Slice the tofu into half-inch cubes.
  3. Heat he oil in a large skillet over high heat and add the tofu in a single layer. Cook for about 5–7 minutes without stirring or until the bottom of the tofu pieces are golden brown. Turn the pieces and repeat.
  4. Reduce heat to medium and add the baby corn, spinach, mushrooms, scallions, and the peanut sauce and cook while stirring until the spinach wilts.

The original recipe didn't have the baby corn, which I think adds a nice textural variation, color, and some additional fiber, and the original called for the tofu to be crumbled, which I didn't much care for; the end result didn't look at all palatable.

I also upped the rice vinegar quantity a bit to balance the sweetness of the honey and help the sauce from becoming too thick and dropped the stove temperature when adding the sauce; my first attempt scorched (and set off the smoke detector) because the pan was too hot at this step.

2 comments:

  1. I really like browning the tofu. Makes a huge difference to me. Unfortunately, no one else in my house will eat it. David breaks into a rash when I bring it into the house!

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  2. I love tofu when it is browned! I may have to try this recipe - when Troy is not home! He doesn't get a rash, like David, but he also does not keep his comments to himself. It would be better to not kill him....

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