Home Style Tofu

Ingredients

• 1 block regular tofu
• 2 tablespoons cooking oil
• 1 cup carrots, chopped
• 1 green chili pepper, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, chopped
• 2 ginger slices
• 1 scallion, white part only, chopped into rounds
• 1 tablespoon light soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon cooking wine
• ½ tablespoon soy sauce
• ½ tablespoon sugar
• 2 teaspoons doubanjiang

Instructions

1. Prep the tofu — Drain the block of tofu and cut into thick strips about 10 cm long and 3 cm wide.
2. Pan-fry the tofu — Heat oil in a pan and add the tofu. Cook until one side is golden, then flip to brown the other side. Remove from the pan and set aside.
3. Bloom the doubanjiang — Add oil and doubanjiang to the pan over low heat and fry until the oil turns red. Add the garlic, ginger, and scallion white and cook until aromatic.
4. Build the stir-fry — Add the carrots and green chili and fry for 2 minutes. Stir in the sugar, light soy sauce, and cooking wine. Return the fried tofu to the pan.
5. Finish — Give everything a gentle stir to coat the tofu evenly and serve immediately.

Notes

• Tofu type — Use regular (firm) tofu. Soft tofu breaks apart too easily during pan-frying.
• Why pan-fry first — Frying roughens tofu's smooth surface so it absorbs the doubanjiang and soy flavors better. Freezing-then-thawing or deep-frying works similarly.
• No doubanjiang? — Available at most Asian grocers or online. In a pinch, substitute another chili bean paste for the spicy-savory note; skipping it entirely will leave the dish fairly plain.
• Add protein — Ground pork or beef can be stir-fried with the aromatics for a non-vegan version.
• Chili pepper choice — Elaine uses shishito peppers. Serrano reportedly works; adjust quantity to your heat tolerance.
• Great pairing — Add wood ear mushrooms along with the carrots if you have them on hand.

Nutrition (per serving)

Tags: #recipe #tofu #chinese #sichuan #stirfry #vegetarian #vegan #weeknight