Tofu: First Attempt

Wow, it's been well over a month now since I last blogged! I'm sorry for being so slow about things, although I have been rather swamped lately. Luckily, I managed to take a week long vacation recently, so hopefully I'll be more refreshed and less frazzled by all of my grad school responsibilities. (And of course there will eventually be a post about all the wonderful things I ate while on vacation :-) ).

For now, I will share a recipe for tofu that I recently tried. I've been wanting to make something with tofu for a long time now, and I finally got the guts to do it! So here is attempt number one loosely inspired by something I came across in Cooking Light. Here is my version:

Some of the Ingredients

2 Tablespoons Rice Vinegar

2 Tablespoons Low Sodium Soy Sauce

2 Teaspoons Minced Garlic

1 Teaspoon Sesame Oil

1 Teaspoon Sriracha 

1/2 Teaspoon Ginger

1 Package Firm Tofu cut into cubes

1 Package Shitake Mushrooms (fresh or dried - I used fresh)

Scallions

1 can (14 oz.) Chicken Stock (I may have only used about 1 1/2 cups)

1 Package Udon Noodles (I tried soba noodles instead)

Big Block of Tofu

Combine vinegar, soy sauce, garlic, sesame oil, Sriracha, and ginger in a bowl. Add tofu; toss gently to coat. Cover and chill 30 minutes.

In the meantime, cook the noodles according to the directions on the package. Then, slice the mushrooms and scallions. Or, if you are using dried shitakes, soak them in boiling water to reconstitute them.

Heat a large wok or dutch oven over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray or oil. Add tofu mixture to pan and saute 7 min. or until liquid evaporates. Toss in the mushrooms and approx. 3/4 cup of the chicken stock. Saute for another 3-5 minutes. Then toss in the noodles and more chicken stock if necessary (not so much that it becomes soupy, though. You'll want just enough to keep it saucy and moist.). Finish off with the scallions and serve. 

By now it's clear that I don't measure things unless I'm baking, so use my recipe with caution. I definitely made more of the sauce/marinade than if I'd followed exact measurements, and I completely guessed with the chicken stock. Anyhow, it turned out really good. I liked the sauce. I added a bit more Sriracha than was called for, so it was nice and spicy. I thought the soba noodles were a very good substitution as well. The only thing I'd do differently would be to drain the tofu a bit better. I think it was still a little squishier than I would have liked. I was hoping to get a nice searing on the outside, but that didn't really happen. Regardless, this is definitely something I'd make again. I think I will try another tofu recipe this week. Perhaps a recipe that Jenny shared with me...