Never Not Hungry

Here’s a little something for my vegemetarian friends. Or for those who just like something hearty but are  frankly just a little sick of meat. And if you think tofu is yuck, you just haven’t had it the right way yet. Try it again.

I have this great vegetarian cookbook by this lady named Crescent Dragonwagon. Please, don’t even ask me. She’s wacky. But I do love her recipes! I will say though, most of her recipes take a little more time and effort than most are willing to put forth on a typical weekday.

But ohh, mmm, is this ever worth it.

A couple of things before I post the recipe. It’s called “Kung Pao Tofo with Honey-Roasted Peanuts and Asparagus”. As you can see, there are no honey-roasted peanuts nor asparagus to be seen. This is because I had neither on hand. So I went without the peanuts and substituted green beans for the asparagus. Just think of how amazing it will be when you do it right?? Honestly though, no one in this house but me likes asparagus, so I may always make it with the greenie beanies. And I’ll for sure top it with peanuts, although maybe just some regular roasted ones. I’m not so much with the fancy.

Alllllllllll of that being said…here is the recipe (Source: Passionate Vegetarian cookbook, by Crescent Dragonwagon):

Kung Pao Tofu with Asparagus and Honey-Roasted Peanuts.

For the tofu: 1-24 hours prior to making this dish, you will need to marinade your tofu. Here is the recipe made specifically for this dish, which will give you tofu that is crispy on the outside, and perfect on the inside:

3 cloves garlic, crushed
2 T mirin (Japanese rice wine–not to be confused with rice vinegar)
2 T cornstarch
1/2 t salt
Freshly ground pepper
16 oz firm tofu, drained if necessary (some tofu comes vacuum sealed without water), cut into fat strips–about 1/2″ thick.

In a bowl, combine everything but the tofu and mix well. Add tofu, making sure each piece gets coated. (I wouldn’t do this in a big baggie, because the tofu will likely fall apart.) If only marinading 1 hour, let stand at room temp. If longer, put into refrigerator.

The rest:

2/3 c vegetable stock
3 T tamari or soy sauce
2 T mirin or dry sherry
1 T +plus 1 t of sugar or honey
1 T plus 2 t cornstarch
1 T peanut oil (or veg oil)
4-6 dried red chiles (optional)
2 T plus 1 t peeled and finely chopped ginger
1 lb fresh asparagus (snap off woody ends) or green beans (snipped) cut into 1 inch pieces
1/2 c water or additonal stock
1 bunch scallions, white and green parts, sliced (green parts can be sliced in 3/4 inch lengths
1/3 c honey-roasted peanuts
Cooking spray
Hot brown rice (sure you can use white, but why would you?)

Preheat oven to 500F. Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray, or line with parchment. Lay out tofu strips in a single layer. Bake until browned and lightly crisped on the bottom, 10-15 mins, then flip and bake until golden brown, about another 5-10 mins.

While tofu is baking, combine the stock, tamari, mirin, sugar and cornstarch, mooshing the cornstarch into the liquid with your fingertips to make a smooth sauce.

Prepare a mise en place tray with the sauce, tofu (once it’s ready), and all remaining ingredients, each in it’s own little bowl. Set tray near the stove. Spray a wok or skillet that has a tightly fitting lid with nonstick spray.

Add oil to pan and turn on high heat. Let it get very, very  hot. If you are using chiles, add now and stir-fry for one minute until they darken. Quickly scoop them out with a slotted spoon, leaving as much oil in the pan as possible. Place back in their bowl on the “mise” tray.

You know, now that I am typing this out, I’m realizing that you could skip the chiles and just use the Mongolian Fire Oil you can find in the Asian aisle of most supermarkets. Either replace the oil with it entirely, or use half peanut-half fire oil, depending on your heat tolerance. Of course, if you want to use the chiles later in the final dish, you’ll want to do it the way the recipe states.

K so now you’ve got your hot chili-infused oil, right? Add your ginger and garlic to the pan and stir-fry until they color slightly, about 10-20 seconds. It will want to stick, but you just keep stirring and scraping. Add asparagus or green beans and stir-fry for 10 seconds, then add the water and immediately pop the cover onto the pan. Let steam over very high heat until the asparagus or beans is crisp-tender and water has almost evaporated, about 3-5 mins. Remove lid and let any remaining water boil off, which it will do quickly. As soon as the last bit of water is gone, toss in the scallions and stir-fry for 20 seconds. Give the sauce mixture a vigorous stir to blend in the cornstarch again, and pour it into the hot wok. Cook, stirring constantly, until the sauce becomes a clear, very thick glaze, about 30 seconds. Continue stirring for a few seconds more, adding the overn-crisped tofu and honey-roasted (or not) peanuts.

Serve hot, ASAP, over brown rice.  Love.

P.S. If you want to make the best brown rice you’ve ever stuffed into your head, stay tuned. That’s next.