This would have to be the most satisfying dish that I’ve cooked in a very long time. If you’re a stranger to using tofu – I strongly urge you to give this stir fry a go. I can’t get enough of it, it’s so tasty. Quick, easy and light, the firm tofu in the sticky, salty and sweet sauce is seriously more-ish, not to mention, good for you.
Paired with the crisp broccolini and lashings of fresh coriander to give that real sense of freshness, it’s a well rounded meal, perfect for a busy weeknight. Make extra brown rice to make fried rice the next day and don’t skimp on the chilli flakes if you like your food hot.
marinated tofu + broccolini stir fry
Serves 2
Make sure you use the right tofu here – you want the firm tofu and not the soft or silken kind.
450 gram block of firm tofu, cut into pieces (approximately 1.5 cm x 2.5 cm rectangles or thereabouts)
2 x bunches of broccolini, ends trimmed and discarded and roughly chopped into 2 pieces each
Marinade ingredients
2 x garlic cloves, crushed (or you can cheat and use minced garlic from a jar, I won’t tell anyone)
A small piece of fresh ginger, minced (or you can cheat and use minced ginger from a jar)
1/4 cup of light soy sauce
3 x tablespoons of rice wine vinegar (failing that, you could substitute for apple cider vinegar or even just plain old white vinegar)
2 x tablespoons of maple syrup
A couple of drops of sesame oil (don’t be too heavy handed here as this stuff is strong)
A shake of dried chilli flakes, to taste
A good shake of white pepper (or failing that, use black)
A dash of canola or vegetable oil, for stir frying
Cooked brown rice, to serve
A good handful of fresh coriander, to serve
- Add the marinade ingredients into a glass Tupperware dish and stir together with a fork before adding the tofu. Place in the fridge for at least an hour (but as with a lot of marinades – the longer the better). Also, stir occasionally so that the tofu gets coated in the sauce.
- Cook your brown rice according to packet instructions. I cook brown rice in my rice cooker (1 x cup of rice to 2 x cups of water). I always cook extra rice as I like having it in the fridge to make fried rice the next day.
- Get a wok or large non stick fry pan really, really hot and add a dash of oil. Add the broccolini and season with salt and pepper. Stir fry until just cooked, adding a dash of water here or there to get it going, (I don’t overcook the broccolini as I like it nice and crisp). Set aside.
- Adding another dash of oil to your hot wok, now throw in the tofu (but not all of the marinade – we’ll use that in a tic). Stir fry the tofu for a good couple of minutes or until nicely browned on all sides. It’s really important here to not overcrowd your wok and to make sure that you’re stir frying with a nice hot heat. If it’s too low, the tofu won’t brown nicely, it’ll stew. We don’t want that. Set aside.
- Now add the rest of the marinade (adding a dash of water to loosen it up a bit) to the hot wok and let it reduce, stirring with a wooden spoon for a minute or so until it’s nice and jammy and thick.
- Simply serve the tofu and broccolini in a shallow bowl with the brown rice, pouring some of that lovely marinade over the top and piling up high with some fresh coriander.
- Enjoy.
I’d love to hear your thoughts on this recipe. Feel free to comment below. xx
lo's kitchen 