Baked Tofu with Stir Fried Veggies
When I was in college, I constantly made stir fry. Sure, I might've known it was healthier than pizza, but really it was a way for me to feed a crowd. Using all the different types of ingredients seemed to mystify the group of twenty-year-olds that would watch me in the kitchen during a party. It also could've been the sight of a peer cooking from scratch instead of the good ol' classic mac and cheese from a box.
Most of the recipe is interchangeable with whatever you have in your fridge. The key is to pick vegetables, a protein, and make a sauce to your liking that doesn’t overpower the dish. Like overdressing a salad, you don’t want to over-shine the main stars of the show.
Baked Tofu with Stir Fried Veggies
Ingredients
About 4 servings with rice
Baked Tofu
1 (14 oz) Firm Tofu
1 Tablespoon vegetable oil
Pinch of salt and pepper
Stir Fry Vegetables
1 cup snow peas
1 spring onion
2 garlic cloves
2 cups broccoli
1 carrot, thinly sliced
1 TBSP vegetable oil
2 TBSP water
2 TBSP Hoisin sauce
1 TBSP doenjang
1 TBSP gochugaru
1 TBSP soy sauce
2 tsp sesame seed oil
2 tsp rice vinegar
Steps
1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Cut the tofu into thirds lengthwise, half again lengthwise, then into 1/2" cubes. In a large mixing bowl, coat the tofu cubes in vegetable oil, gently mixing them. Put the tofu on a baking sheet lined with foil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake for 35 minutes or desired firmness.
2. Cut all of the vegetables to bite sized pieces. Mince the garlic.
3. In a medium-high heat wok or large pan, start cooking the onions for about 3 minutes. Add garlic and cook an additional minute. Add in the broccoli, carrots and snow peas with 2 Tablespoons of water, and cook for about 8 minutes until the vegetables soften.
4. Turn down the heat to medium and push vegetables to the side and make a space in the pan. Put Hoisin sauce and doenjang in the space and cook for about a minute, until it softens.
5. Stir the sauce with the vegetables, and add gochugaru, soy sauce, sesame seed oil and rice vinegar. Cook about 3 more minutes. Turn heat off and mix in the baked tofu.