Tofu with Brown Sauce

Recipe by Eggplant Wizard Uploaded by Drimble Wedge

This recipe is really basic and probably obvious, but it's delicious, easy, versatile, and accessible to newbies. I am always willing to accept suggestions to make it better though! Uh, and all measurements are approximate...

Ingredients:

• 1 block firm or extra firm tofu, pressed
• 1/4 to 1/2 cup cornstarch
• 1 tsp brown sugar
• Powdered ginger and/or garlic (optional)
• salt & pepper to taste
• 3ish tbsp neutral oil
• 1 tsp red pepper flakes (or more, but this is a safe amount)

Vegetables: either a half poundish of green beans, or broccoli, or 2 zucchini, or 10oz baby spinach, or whatever you have/feel like. Chop into bite or two-bite sized pieces. 1 medium onion, in wide slices (optional)

Sauce

• 1-2 tbsp microplaned or grated ginger (about 1"x.5" knob of ungrated, usually)
• 3-4 medium cloves of garlic, microplaned or grated
• 1 tbsp brown sugar
• 1/8 cup vinegar (Mirin is good, but white vinegar or any sweetish one works well too)
• 1/8 cup soy sauce
• 1 tbsp corn starch

Make the sauce first so it has a chance to hang around and get friendly with itself. Pour the liquids into a measuring cup, then grate in the ginger & garlic. Add sugar, whisk to combine, and add corn starch. Set aside.

Dry off your tofu block and cut it into whatever size you want. 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick strips work well; just be consistent whatever you do, and don't go too small.

Now, put a deep skillet over low-medium heat, with the oil and pepper flakes in it. The oil will be ready to use when a little sprinkled corn starch sizzles in it, and/or when it's gone a bit red from the pepper flakes.

Mix together the corn starch, sugar, powdered ginger/garlic and s&p. Dredge (= coat on all sides) each piece of tofu with the dry mixture. Fry the tofus until golden brown, flipping them after 3-4 minutes. If they get dark brown really quickly your oil is too hot; if they get sort of moist and don't do much, your oil is too cold. Don't turn it up above medium at any time.

When your tofu is done on both sides, add the onion if you're using it. Push it around with the tofu until it's slightly soft, then add the other vegetables (except spinach, see below). Green beans/broccoli/zucchini are ready when they're a bright, spring grass green- not when a farty dark swamp green. This may only be 1 or 2 minutes of stirring them around with the tofu.

For spinach, there's no waiting time. Shove it in the skillet, toss quickly with the tofu, then do the below.

Rewhisk the sauce real quick to get it combined again, then pour it in with your non-dominant hand while stirring with the other. It should coat all the contents of your skillet and coagulate a bit. Done! Serve with rice or noodles.

You can change up the recipe just by changing your sauce. I also like to do one that's lighter on soy sauce & garlic, but has a lot more ginger. Honey is an amusing thing to substitute for brown sugar in this case, but I haven't worked out the proper amounts yet. In that case, use white sugar in the dredging corn starch.