Pan Seared Ginger Tofu

So I decided to try a variant of the standby stir-fry tonight. I wanted to use relatively few ingredients, and make tofu the star of the show, rather than burying it in a mixture of vegetables.

1-inch piece of ginger, peeled and minced
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup brown rice, steamed
1 block extra-firm tofu, cut into 1-inch cubes
1/2 red bell pepper, julienned
1/2 yellow bell pepper, julienned
1 medium yellow onion, julienned
4 oz. shitake mushrooms, cut into 1/2 inch thick slices
3 tbsp rice vinegar
1 tbsp tamari
1/2 tbsp chili paste
1 tbsp sesame oil, divided
1/2 cup alfalfa sprouts
1 tbsp olive oil

Mix rice vinegar, tamari, chili paste and 1/2 tbsp sesame oil in a bowl. Refrigerate.

Drain the tofu. Place it on a cutting board and put a heavy pan on top to press out excess liquid.

Steam brown rice according to package directions.

Sautee the garlic in ginger in olive oil for 1 minute over medium-high heat. Add tofu, stir fry for 3-5 minutes.

Add onion, red and yellow bell pepper, stir fry for 2-3 minutes.

Add shitake mushrooms, stir fry for 3 minutes.

Turn heat to low, add rice vinegar mixture. Let simmer for 5 minutes.

Cover brown rice with the tofu mixture. Sprinkle remaining sesame oil on top. Cover with sprouts and add chili paste if desired.


Results:


This dish seemed to go over well with the family. It was spicy, but not overwhelming, with a distinct sesame aroma. I had a couple of minor gripes, though:

• Next time, I'll hold out for radish sprouts instead of alfalfa sprouts. They just have a little more bite, and I think they would work better with this dish.
• I skipped marinating the tofu in the rice vinegar mixture. I think an overnight stay in the fridge soaked in the sauce would have done wonders for the tofu. Next time, I'll try that to see if it imparts a stronger flavor.

All in all, a pretty good dish. Not in my top 5, but I wouldn't hesitate to make it again.