Quick Vegetable Tofu Stir-fry

A Colorful Assortment of Vegetables for a Light Stir-fry

A quick stir-fry can be made with just a few well chosen vegetables.  Put together a colorful combination and always start with a hot wok. Heat a little oil almost to the smoking point. Add the ingredients one at a time starting in the order of the cooking time required.  The stir-frying should take around 6 minutes from beginning to end.  Vegetables should remain crisp.

Ingredients (Serves 2 as a side dish)

I red sweet pepper, cut into ¼-inch slices

1 yellow sweet pepper, cut into ¼-inch slices

¼ lb. snow peas, strings removed

1 head baby bok choy, cut into bite-sized pieces

2 pieces firm tofu, cut in half horizontally, then cut into ½-inch cubes

2 T peanut oil

1 T dry sherry

2 T soy sauce

½ t sugar

¼ cup chicken broth (or water)

Directions

1. Add oil to a hot wok.

2. Add both sweet pepper slices and stir fry for 1 minute.

3.  Add snow peas and stir fry for 30 seconds

4. Add bok choy pieces and stir fry another 30 seconds.

5. Add tofu and gently fold in.

6. Add the sherry, soy sauce and sugar one at a time.

7. When bubbling, add chicken broth and cover.  Turn heat to medium and cook for 3 to 4 minutes. Serve over rice.

Photographer Bill Brady

Selecting and Seasoning a Wok

Wok with black patina that develops with use
(photo by sweetpaprika)

Good news:  the best wok, the carbon steel, sometimes called a rolled steel,  also happens to be the least expensive.  Carbon steel will rust so you have to season it and take proper care of it.  However, it is light weight, will take on a black patina over time and nothing will stick to it.  Cast iron is too heavy to maneuver and will interact with acetic ingredients.  Stainless steel, also heavy, will be more expensive.  An electric wok is out of the question as you cannot take food quickly off the heat or manipulate the wok.

Carbon steel is the way to go.  A new wok may be covered with machine oil which must be washed off with detergent and a plastic scrubber or brush.  Never use steel wool on a wok.  Dry the wok and place it on a top burner until the entire surface is hot.  Douse a wad of a rolled up piece of paper towel with peanut (or vegetable) oil and using tongs, wipe the entire surface.  Heat for 10 minutes.  Let cool.  With clean paper towels, wipe out wok.  Repeat this process two more times.

The first couple of times you use a wok, there may be a slight metallic taste, but this will soon wear off. After each use, wash with hot water and detergent and dry thoroughly.  At the beginning, rub with oil again.  After a short while this will not be necessary and in time you will have a beautiful shiny black wok on which nothing will stick.

I prefer a metal spatula for stir frying.  Wooden spatulas quickly discolor and don’t slide cleanly under the food. Happy woking!

Tangy Tofu; Resplendent Rice

Spicy Szechuan Tofu

Sure, you might want to try this recipe because it’s good for you, but you would also be right on target to try it because it’s zesty and redolent with Asian tang.  Tofu is a highly versatile ingredient absorbing any flavors you want it to have, in this case, spicy chili paste, sesame oil, garlic and fresh ginger.

My Chinese mentors, the late Virginia Lee and Grace Chu inspired this recipe.  Both had tantalizing stir fried tofu in their repertoires.  Madame Chu lived to age 100.  She ate good food.

Ingredients

6 squares firm tofu

2 T peanut or vegetable oil

1 cup ground pork

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 t salt

2 t minced fresh ginger

1 T hot Szechuan chili paste

1 T dark soy sauce

½ t sugar

1 T rice wine

½ cup chicken stock

2 T cornstarch

1 t Szechuan peppercorns, ground*

1/3 cup diced scallions

1 T sesame oil

Procedure

1. Cut tofu into ½ inch cubes.

2. In a wok or skillet, bring peanut oil to a high heat.  Add ground pork and stir fry** until all pieces are separated and pork loses its pink color.

3. Add garlic and salt, stir frying just until the flavor is released.

4. Add ginger, chili paste and tofu, stir frying very gently.

5. Add soy sauce, sugar and wine, stir frying until mixed.

6. Pour in stock, mixing until it begins to boil and then add cornstarch mixed with 2 T water.

7. Stir fry gently until sauce thickens.

8. Sprinkle with peppercorn powder, scatter on scallions and drizzle with sesame oil to serve.

* You can grind them in a spice mill or just put them in a baggie and role a bottle or rolling pin over them.

** “Stir frying” is a misnomer.  There is no stirring in stir frying.  The technique is to slide the spatula underneath the food at the center of the wok, lift it up and turn it over. Then repeat this procedure from a different angle. Thus, the top surface becomes the bottom surface and all gets cooked evenly. Always heat your wok first before adding the oil.  Get your wok as hot as possible without burning the oil.  Don’t use a nonstick pan.

Entice with Rice

by Victor Ribaudo

I’ll bet you’re thinking, “What does this Italian guy know about rice?”  Well, it’s true that pasta is the carbohydrate of choice is my neck of the boot (Southern Italy, that is.)  Nevertheless, we Italian Americans have a keen talent for spotting a good thing when we taste it.  Truth is, pasta runs a close second to rice in my household.  And really, anything I put on pasta can easily be placed on a dish of rice and taste just as good – even better in some instances.  (Nonna, forgive me!)

Rice plays such a major role in the culinary traditions of so many cultures around the world.  It’s the global favorite.  Think about it.  All of Asia is hooked on rice.  Always has been.  That’s a lot of rice!  Then there’s the Caribbean and South America, where rice is king as well.  In the U.S., Southern cuisine features rice in many of its dishes, especially in Creole and Cajun cooking.  So my affinity for rice puts me in very good company.

Growing up, rice made limited appearances on the dinner table.  Mom did have one good rice recipe up her sleeve, though.  She prepared the rice in chicken broth.  When it was done, she’d fluff it up and mix freshly chopped scallions into it.  So simple but really nice with her fried chicken cutlets.  My grandmother’s rice repertoire was mostly limited to mixing it with butter and parmiggiano cheese.  Every once in a rare while she incorporated Sunday’s left over sauce and chopped meatballs into freshly prepared rice.  It was garnished with grated cheese and served it as a side dish.  It was good.  Her Steak Pizzaiola or Chicken Cacciatore were also ladled over rice.  But that was about it.

When I started living on my own, rice quickly exceeded pasta and potatoes as the norm in my kitchen.  It was fairly inexpensive, nutritious, delicious and extremely versatile.  I became a master at fried rice featuring chicken, pork, beef, vegetables – you name it – and always with scrambled egg, please.  Rice replaced noodles in my soups.  I had a ball as I would gumbo and etouffee my way through the week with ease.  I believe I ate rice every day.  Then I hit my thirties – hard.  Metabolizing carbohydrates slowed down as my weight went up. I had to cut back a bit.

So now I balance the carbs with protein and fresh veggies.  It’s fine, really, because I still eat plenty of my beloved rice. Just not every day!  I will opt for brown rice at times.  Kind of nutty in flavor.  And they say it’s a better choice for those watching their weight.  Wild rice is also pretty tasty.  (It’s not technically rice, but who’s looking anyway.)  I like to mix chopped almonds in mine.  However, a good white rice – whether it’s basmati, jasmine or texmati – is still my preference.  I’ll go as far as leaving the potatoes out of my beef stew so I can enjoy it over rice.  If I’m going to carb, I’ll drop the potato like, well, a hot potato any day.

Have you ever tried a rice salad?  It’s really something special.  Prepare your rice as directed, and let it cool.  Be sure the kernels are separated.  It won’t work with sticky rice.  Then take some really ripe tomatoes and dice, saving all the luscious juice.  Do the same with celery, red onion, flat leaf parsley and fresh basil.  Mix your veggies into the rice, as well as a can of rinsed black beans.  Now you’re ready for a dressing.  I recommend red wine vinegar and olive oil here.  Simple, but classic.  Chill and serve.

I can extol the glories of rice for days and days.  Suffice it to say, since space here is limited, that rice can take center stage or play a supporting role at any fine meal.  In other words, look to entice with rice.  Recipes are limitless, but start with Phyllis’ above.  It’s a keeper.  That’s it for now.  I’ve got some rice pudding in the fridge with my name on it.

Recipe by Phyllis Kirigin

Photographer Bill Brady

Written by Victor Ribaudo

Blog syndicated at the datingsymbol.com

” I like rice.  Rice is great if you’re hungry and want 2000 of something.”  Mitch Hedberg

 

 

May 27, 2011 at 11:05 pm

vanillasugarblog says:  you know what?
i can’t wait to see what you do with ice cream. lately that’s all i’ve been eating since it’s very hot here in NE.
have a good holiday wknd!