A Delicious, Simple Stir Fry with Tofu!

Two nights ago I had a dud.  And not just any dud- but a big one.  I’d made a recipe from my “A Year In A Vegetarian Kitchen” which I have heard recommended over and over- a recipe for Potatoes and Swiss Chard in a Green Curry Sauce.  How could that be bad?  I love Swiss chard- and green curry?  I have yet to meet a curry I don’t like.   So I followed the directions to a tee, and it smelled heavenly while cooking.  I sat the kids at the table, gave them their alternate dinner and spooned up a nice hearty bowl of this luscious looking potatoes and chard.  The kids had no interest, but still watched me take a bite.  And watched me have to choke it down.  NO- this can’t be! So I tried another potato and a bit of greens.  There was no mistake, I didn’t like this dish.  Not even a little.  I pushed the bowl aside and concentrated on the rest of the meal, but my eagle-eyed son had noticed.  He was floored- “Mommy! You mean you don’t like some foods?”  I laughed a little bit and explained that I really didn’t like the sauce on my potatoes- but that I still liked potatoes, just not these ones.  I think he was a bit surprised to see that there was actually something that Mommy didn’t like.

After a few more tastings, I determined that the flavor I really didn’t care for was the coconut milk.  I just can’t get into it in a savory way.  I didn’t think it belonged with the potatoes at all- and since they were cooked in it, they just emanated coconut flavor.  Blech.  I think I’ll stick with my coconut in sweets, and I’ll have to figure out an alternative for all the curry recipes I have that call for coconut milk.  About a month ago I’d made a coconut rice that was pretty good the first night, but as it sat, that coconut flavor just got more pronounced, and I didn’t like it the next day- I’m certain it’s the coconut that’s repulsing me.  I’ll have to see if I can get away with using evaporated milk instead for certain dishes.

ANYWAY! After a dud one night, I really debated whether or not to try something new again last night.  The kids ended up requesting pizza, and since I didn’t want pizza, that answered my dilemma.  I’d make something new, and if it didn’t turn out, I’d have the pizza to fall back on.  So I flipped open my June issue of Vegetarian Times and a dish called “Golden Bowl” that I’d been eyeing up.  It was a tofu dish, and the picture looked tasty, and since the tofu is fried twice, I thought it had a good chance of being something that I would enjoy.

What was different about this one is that the tofu is fried until golden first, and then you add some soy sauce, which it immediately sucks up like little dehydrated sponges, and totally flavors the tofu in an unexpected way.  I could have stopped right there with the recipe and ate rice with tofu- it was that good!  But since I’d picked the first Ping Tung eggplant out of the garden to use instead of the yellow squash called for, I forged ahead and chopped up the vegetables called for.  When shopping this week, I’d decided to pick up some Shiitakes and portobellos as my mushrooms for this stir-fry, and I can’t agree more with the flavor they brought to the table- especially the shiitake.  For being so simple, this was a delicious stir-fry, and even better- I got to use an eggplant I grew!  The eggplant was sweet and wonderful- not a trace of bitterness, add that to the tofu, and I was a happy girl.

Instead of the saute pan called for, I pulled out my wok and was happy I did, it worked nicely.  I’m not sure why they called for already steamed broccoli here.  By the time the stir-fry was done, the broccoli was all mush.  Next time I’ll leave the broccoli uncooked to add it in and then give the whole thing an extra minute or two, I’m sure it will work fine.  I’ll apologize for the photo- it really doesn’t look like much, but for such a simple stir-fry, the flavor can’t be beat.

Golden Bowl

from Vegetarian Times June 2008

2 Tbs. vegetable oil, divided

15 oz. extra-firm tofu, drained and cut into 1/2 inch dice

2 tsp. low-sodium soy sauce, plus more to taste

2 cups steamed broccoli

8 ozs thinly sliced mushrooms

1 cup finely chopped onion

1 cup diced yellow bell pepper

1 cup sliced yellow squash

1/2 cup shredded cabbage

1/2 cup grated carrots

2 TBS nutritional yeast, or more to taste

2 cups cooked brown rice

1. Heat 1 Tbs oil in a large nonstick skillet over high heat (I used a wok).  Add tofu, and saute’ 10 to 15 minutes, tossing with a spatula, until light golden brown all over.  Sprinkle with soy sauce and saute 2 to 3 minutes more to further brown the tofu.  Transfer tofu to a paper-towel lined plate.  Drain and rinse the skillet, and wipe dry.

2. Heat the remaining TBS oil over high heat.  Add the tofu back and all the vegetables. Saute 5 to 7 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender and the tofu nicely browned, tossing constantly with a spatula.  Sprinkle with additional soy sauce to taste.  Sprinkle with nutritional yeast flakes, saute a few seconds more, and then remove from heat.  Serve over brown rice.