I have tried cooking with tofu on a number of occasions, but have never managed to crack the “flavouring” or cooking process for this rubbery white stuff! Until now. Not one to give up, I researched and combined various on-line recipes and came up with my own idea.
Stirring soy sauce and a little cornflour (corn starch) over the cubed tofu ahead of cooking achieves a nice crispy coating.
So here is the resulting recipe – compiled it from several others I found on-line – I happened to have the Korean Hot pepper paste in my fridge waiting for me to find a use for it.
Korean tofu stir-fry – 250 calories
Preparation Time: 10 mins
Cooking Time: 20 mins
Serves: 3
Calories per serving: 250
Ingredients
Extra Virgin Olive Oil – 35ml
Spring (green) onions – 50g
Broccoli – 120g
Aubergine – 1 Med/375g
Red Pepper – 140g
Garlic Puree, with Ginger, Frozen, Taj – 1 Piece/20g
Cornflour – 1 Tsp/5g
Rice wine (Shaoxing) vinegar – 1 Tbsp/15ml
Dark Soy Sauce – 1½ Tbsps/22.5g
Mirin Rice Wine – 15ml
Spice Paste, Hot Pepper, Korean, Gochujang – 4g
Method:
Step 1
Stir-fries are all about cooking quickly and over high heat, so the key to success is prepping your ingredients beforehand so you’re ready to go. Cut the broccoli into small bite sized pieces. Trim the onions and cut into 3cm lengths. De-seed the red pepper and cut into bite sized chunks. Defrost the ginger/garlic cube. You can use fresh, I use these cubes for convenience – 1 clove of garlic, 1 thumb nail sized piece of fresh ginger , both peeled and chopped finely.
Step 2
Cut the aubergine into 2cm cubes. Toss in 1 tbsp of the oil, some salt and pepper. Place into a pre-heated, lined air fryer at 180 degrees for 8-10 minutes, turning the cubes frequently until golden brown and soft.
Step 3
Cut tofu into 2cm cubes. Place pieces on a paper-towel lined plate and press a paper towel over top of pieces to absorb excess water. Toss tofu, cornflour, a pinch of salt, and 1 tbsp soy sauce in a medium bowl.
Step 4
Stir 1 tbsp. rice wine vinegar, 1 tbsp mirin wine, Korean paste and remaining soy sauce in a small bowl (to form a slurry).
Step 5
Heat 1 Tbsp. oil in a large frying pan or wok, preferably nonstick, over medium-high. When oil is shimmering and slides quickly across surface of pan, add the broccoli, spring onions, red pepper and cook, tossing often, until vegetables are browned in spots and tender, 5 – 7 minutes. Add the garlic and ginger and cook for a further minute. Season lightly with salt and transfer to another medium bowl.
Step 6
Heat 1 Tbsp. oil in same pan over high. When oil is shimmering again, add tofu mixture and arrange in a single layer. Cook, undisturbed, until tofu is browned on first side, about 2 minutes. Add a touch more oil if pan is very dry or tofu is sticking, then turn pieces and continue to cook, undisturbed again, until second side is browned, about a minute or two longer. If your pan isn’t non-stick, you might need to loosen the tofu by scraping pan with a spatula.
Step 7
Add slurry mixture and vegetables back to pan. Cook, tossing briskly, until sauce is thickened and all ingredients are coated, about 30 seconds. You may wish to add a little water if the mixture is too dry.
Remove from heat. Taste and season with salt, if needed.
Step 8
Serve stir-fry over rice. Sprinkle with toasted cashews. NB. Cashews aren’t included in the ingredients above, but can be added and add a lovely crunch and flavour.
Calories (kcal) 250
Protein (g) 11.8
Carbohydrate (g) 13.6
Fat (g) 15.6
Fibre (g) 5.4
Fruit & Veg 2.8
Alcohol 1.4
