I would say I have pretty good memory. I remember names and faces of people I've met just once. I also remember random conversations with strangers. But when it comes to planning dinner ahead, I am that person who forgets that the chicken needs to start thawing much before you want to cook it. And don't say thaw it in the microwave.....it ends up getting half cooked! So anyway, I bought some beautiful green beans at the farmer's market to make an Asian stir fry with the beans and chicken. Aren't they nice??
Twenty minutes before starting dinner, I remembered that the chicken was in the freezer......fail! So in my search for a substitute, I thought of tofu.
Now I am not really a huge fan of tofu. I didn't like the way it was cooked when I ate it for the first time. And being a non-vegetarian, I didn't have a reason to force myself to like vegetarian protein sources. A while ago, I made myself try some tofu that a friend had cooked. Surprise, surprise........I liked it. Since then, I've wanted to try my hand at it and I finally picked up some cubed super firm tofu at the grocery store. Yes, I'm lazy and don't want to bother with cutting up tofu.
Anyway, I whipped a spicy tofu and green bean stir fry for dinner tonight. Don't let the spicy scare you......just leave the red pepper flakes out and that will take care of the spicy.
Spicy Tofu and Green Beans
For the tofu :
8 oz. package of extra-firm tofu
1/2 teaspoon five spice powder
1 teaspoon soy sauce
a dash of red chili sauce
For the beans/sauce :
green beans, as many as you like
2 large cloves of garlic, minced
1 inch piece of ginger, minced
3-4 button mushrooms, sliced
2-3 tablespoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon chili sauce
1.5 teaspoons light brown sugar
1/3 cup water, chicken stock or vegetable stock
1/2 teaspoon five spice powder
1 teaspoon cornstarch
1 teaspoon white vinegar
2 teaspoons oil
red pepper flakes, as much as you can take.....or none
If you're not using cubed tofu, chop the block up into small cubes and mix it with the other three ingredients listed above. It should look like this. Leave it aside for 20 minutes.
In the meanwhile, trim the ends of the beans and cut them into medium sized pieces. I ended up with a little over a cup of green beans.
Heat a teaspoon of oil in a skillet or saute pan. Add the tofu and cook for about 5-6 minutes or until it is lightly browned. Take the tofu out of the pan. This is what it should look like.
Now add the remaining teaspoon of oil to the skillet. Add the ginger and garlic in and cook it for a minute or two. Add the beans and saute for 4-5 minutes. Add some of the stock/water, cover the pan and let the beans cook, about 6-7 minutes. Mix the soy sauce, chili sauce, sugar, five spice powder, pepper flakes and remaining stock/water. Add the sauce mix to the pan when the beans look about done. Let it cook for 2 minutes. Add the tofu and mushrooms and cook until the mushrooms look done. Dissolve the cornstarch in a teaspoon of water and add it to the pan. Stir until the sauce starts thickening and then turn the heat off. Finally, stir in the vinegar.
Eat it with steamed rice, noodles or just by itself.
Notes :
1. With all those sauces and stocks, there's enough salt in there. Add more if you think you need it.
2. As always, customize the quantity of spices and sauces to whatever your palate can enjoy. If you follow it as is, you just might need a sweet side dish.
