Tofu with Broccoli

I love Chinese take-out, but it's expensive, greasy, and who knows what's in it. I've been trying to emulate take-out Chinese for a while, and this recipe gets you pretty close. To cut the fat in this recipe, fry the tofu in less oil, and do not flour it.

I use a Korean fermented bean paste in place of oyster sauce, it has a similar savory flavor, but it is vegan. You should be able to get it at any Asian market. If you can't get it, you can omit it with no consequence.

This recipe is very loosely developed from a beef broccoli recipe on Epicurious. I linked it at the bottom of the page.

Also, you'll want to serve this with some rice because it's saucy.

1/2 hour cook time

Sauce:

1 T soy sauce
1 T fermented soy bean paste
1/4 cup vegetable broth, sow sodium
2 t sugar
1 t sesame oil
1/4 cup white wine (or 2 t rice wine vinegar)
1/2 t red pepper flakes (or a pinch of ground Szechuan peppercorns if you got 'em)
1 t MSG (optional)


Tofu:

1 brick tofu, drained for at least 1/2 hour
1/4 cup corn starch
1/4 cup flour
1 t salt
1/2 cup peanut oil


Stir fry:

1 onion, julienned
1 sweet pepper, julienned
1 lb broccoli, trimmed
1 t minced garlic
1 t minced ginger
1 T corn starch


Prepare the sauce first. Mix all of the ingredients in a bowl. Microwave for about 20 seconds so everything dissolves.

For the tofu, mix the flour and corn starch in a shallow dish. Cube the tofu and dredge in the flour. Shake off the excess powder and fry in heated peanut oil (medium heat is fine) in batches. Remove from wok when brown and sprinkle with a little salt.

If your oil is still clear, you can use it to stir fry your vegetables, if not, pour it out and start with 2 T of fresh oil. Stir fry the onions and sweet peppers for about a minute over medium-high heat, then add the garlic, ginger, and broccoli. Turn the heat down to medium, add the sauce, and cover with a lid to allow the broccoli to steam. You should stop this process when the broccoli is almost done, since it will cook about a minute longer.

Use a ladle to get about 1/2 cup of the broth out and pour it into a bowl. Mix well with the tablespoon of cornstarch and pour back into the broccoli. After about a minute, it should thicken up.

Add the tofu right before serving and serve over rice.

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Stir-Fried-Beef-and-Broccoli-13212