a list of recipes > Tofu and Vegetables in Brown Sauce
Tofu and Vegetables in Brown Sauce
Ingredients:
- Peanut Oil to cover the bottom of a wok or fry pan
- 1 lb Tofu cut into small cubes
- 1 small dry hot Chile Pepper
- 1/2 cup Green Onions or Scallions chopped into small pieces
- 1 cup of julienned Carrots
- 1 cup of chopped Bok Choy
- 1 cup of fresh Snow Peas
Sauce ingredients:
- 3 tablespoons light Sesame Oil
- 4 cloves fresh minced Garlic
- 5 tablespoons Soy Sauce
- 4 tablespoons of Sake or authentic salt free Chinese cooking wine
- 3 tablespoons Chinese Black Vinegar
- 4 tablespoons Rice Syrup
- 1/2 teaspoon vegetarian bouillon
- 5 Spice Mix (see details below)
Finishing Ingredients for Sauce:
- 1 teaspoon powdered Ginger
- 1 teaspoon Corn Starch (Still experimenting: needs more than 1 teaspoon Corn Starch to thicken the sauce)
5 Spice Mix:
- 1/2 cluster of an Anise Seed pods
- 1 teaspoon Fennel Seed
- 1 teaspoon Ceylon Cinnamon
- 2 Cloves
- 1/2 teaspoon Szechuan Peppercorn
Preparation:
Mix the Sauce ingredients in a small saucepan and simmer over low heat while stirring. Do not add the Cornstarch or Ginger.
Prepare the spice mixture. After it is pulverized, or ground, toast it in a small pan over light heat. Shake the contents gently while taking care not to burn or scorch the spices. Remove the mix from heat as soon as the aroma rises.
Add the spices to the sauce. Continue to simmer the sauce and maintain it just below a boil. Stir it frequently. If you are patient, you might cook it until it begins to reduce and begin to thicken.
Remove the sauce from heat, perhaps transfer it too a small bowl, and let it cool. You will add the Ginger and Cornstarch later when the sauce is cooler.
Heat the Peanut Oil in a wok or large frying pan.
Crush the dry Chile Pepper and drop the crumbs into the hot oil.
Add the Tofu and sauté it until the Tofu begins to brown. Stir occasionally to keep the Tofu from sticking.
Mix the Cornstarch and Ginger into the sauce. Use a small screen to sift the Cornstarch. Make sure the Cornstarch is well blended.
Pour the Sauce over the Tofu and stir the contents of the pan vigorously.
Toss the Vegetables into the pan and stir the mixture
Turn up the heat and continue stirring until the sauce begins to kick and thicken, but be sure to not overcook the vegetables.
Remove from heat and serve the mixture over rice while everything is still hot and fresh.