Time to Wok!
Flavorful tofu with crisp, stir-fried vegetables is a popular dish at Dharma Mountain. Here's the recipe – and the chefs' best tips for the perfect taste and texture.
What is tofu?
Tofu is a plant based food made from soy beans. It is great source of non-meat protein and minerals.
Stir frying in a wok is good and healthy
When vegetables are quickly fried at high heat, the surface is sealed, which preserves flavor, texture, color, and nutrients very well.
The chefs' hottest tips for a flavorful tofu wok with crisp vegetables:
• Use good-quality tofu, preferably organic. It makes a difference.
• Marinate the tofu overnight so that the flavor has time to soak in.
Wok tips:
• Pre-cut all the vegetables into irregular pieces of approximately the same size. Do not cut too small (larger pieces provide a satisfying bite) and place them in bowls next to the wok.
• Have a bowl of oil, a bowl of water, and salt nearby when you wok. Add a little oil to the wok, let it heat up before adding vegetables. If the wok is too hot and the vegetables start to burn, adding a little water cools the wok and steams the vegetables. Adding salt while cooking enhances the flavor and helps the vegetables release some moisture.
• Use as high heat as possible and start with the vegetables that take the longest to cook. (You can also wok the vegetables separately and remove them from the wok before adding the next.) Keep the vegetables moving so they don't burn, and the heat distributes evenly.
• Don't cook for too long: they should be crisp on the inside. For some vegetables, like sugar snap peas, 30-40 seconds is enough.
• If you don't have a wok, you can use a regular frying pan. Use as high heat as possible and follow the above advice. It will be good anyway!
The Recipe:
TOFU WOK with jasmine rice
4 servings
500 g tofu, cut into medium-sized cubes
260 g carrots
300 g broccoli
80 g sugar snap peas
80 g onion
10 g fresh ginger, peeled and finely chopped
10 g fresh red chili, thinly sliced with seeds
15 g lemongrass, cut off the hard part and finely chop the rest
3 g kaffir lime leaves – thinly sliced
90 g red bell pepper
90 g yellow bell pepper
15 ml tamari or soy sauce
10 ml sweet chili sauce
15 ml sesame oil
30 g sesame seeds, toasted
a handful of fresh coriander leaves
30 g cashews (roasted and salted type)
Oil for frying, sunflower oil, or another neutral oil that can handle high temperature. You can also use ghee.
Wok sause
30 ml sesame oil
30 ml sweet chili sauce
½ tbsp tapioca or potato starch, for thickening
Marinade:
150 ml water
80 ml tamari or soy sauce
2 g garlic
2 g fresh ginger
Method:
Start the day before, by marinating tofu overnight. Make sure all the tofu is covered with the marinade. Let it drain (save the marinade for the sauce) and bake at 225°C for 20-30 minutes. It should be golden on the outside. Experiment – the longer it bakes, the firmer and dryer the tofu gets.
Cut all the vegetables into medium-sized pieces.
Grind lemongrass, ginger, and coriander stems together with a little oil and water. Add chili and lightly sauté the mixture in a pan.
Cook jasmine rice according to the package instructions. While the rice is cooking, it's time to wok!
Wok the vegetables one at a time, following the procedure above. Mix them with tofu and lemongrass mixture, and transfer to a serving bowl. Stir in the finely sliced lime leaves.
Make the sauce: Mix sesame oil, the remaining marinade, and sweet chili sauce in a saucepan. Bring the sauce to a boil, dissolve tapioca or potato starch in a little water and add it to the sauce until it thickens slightly. Pour the sauce over the vegetables just before serving. Top with sesame seeds, toasted cashews, and coriander leaves.
Enjoy!