Get Cooking_ 150 Simple Recipes to Get You Started in the Kitchen - Mollie Katzen [57]
vegetable-tofu stir-fry with orange-ginger glaze
Makes 4 servings
Stir-fry is about very high heat and cooking things quickly in a specific order so that every component ends up at just the right degree of doneness at the same time. There are two keys to this. First, have all of your ingredients prepped and close at hand. Second, read the recipe carefully and get a thorough sense of it before you start. The idea is that once you start cooking, it’s continuous—you should never have to stop to search for something or read about what to do next. This beautiful, colorful, and gratifying dish was designed to give you the hang of stir-fry, and it will make you feel like an accomplished cook. There’s a fair amount of preparation—mostly cutting vegetables, which is fun and quick if your knife is good and sharp. But you can do this prep a good hour ahead of time, and you can make the glaze up to several days in advance (store it in a tightly lidded jar in the refrigerator). Once all that’s done, the actual cooking time is just a matter of minutes.
A nice large wok and a metal wok spatula (the kind that looks like a shovel) are best for stir-frying, but a large deep skillet and a serving spoon will work well, too. The first step of this recipe, simmering the tofu for 10 minutes, is optional. I always do it because I like how it firms up the tofu, making it sturdier for stir-frying and a bit more satisfying to bite into. If you like softer tofu and/or want to save a step, just cut it into cubes, skip the simmering, and add it in as directed. Start some rice (see Chapter 7: Sides) before you begin, so it will be ready to eat when the stir-fry is done.
the glaze
This recipe is vegan.
½ cup orange juice (from 1 medium orange)
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon light brown sugar or honey
1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
2 teaspoons minced garlic (2 good-sized cloves)
1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 tablespoon cornstarch
the stir-fry
1 pound firm tofu, cut into ¾-inch cubes
2 tablespoons canola, soy, or peanut oil
1 medium red or yellow onion, cut into large (1½-inch) square pieces
¾ teaspoon salt
2 medium carrots, sliced ¼-inch thick on the diagonal
3 heaping cups cauliflower florets
3 heaping cups chopped broccoli
About 15 mushrooms, stems trimmed if necessary, quartered
2 small zucchini (preferably 1 yellow, 1 green), chopped or diced
1 medium red bell pepper, cut into 1-inch squares
1. Combine all the glaze ingredients except the cornstarch in a liquid measuring cup with a spout, and whisk until blended. Place the cornstarch in a small bowl and drizzle in about ¼ cup of the glaze, whisking constantly until the cornstarch is dissolved. (The mixture will be cloudy.) Pour this solution back into the measuring cup, whisking it in. Set aside, leaving the whisk in the cup.
2. Put a large pot of cold water to boil over high heat, and place a colander in the sink. When the water boils, add the tofu and reduce the heat to medium-low. Simmer the tofu for 10 minutes, then gently pour it into the colander and let it drain. Set aside.
3. Have all the cut-up vegetables and the simmered tofu in bowls or containers near the stove. Place a wok or a large, deep skillet over medium heat. After about a minute, add 1 tablespoon of the oil and swirl to coat the pan (or just push the oil around with a wok spatula or serving spoon). Turn the heat to high, add the onion and ¼ teaspoon of the salt, and stir-fry for 1 minute. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon oil, the carrots, cauliflower, and broccoli, and another ¼ teaspoon of the salt. Keeping the heat high and the vegetables moving, stir-fry for approximately