Spicy Tofu Stir Fry
1/2 pkg extra firm tofu (preferable herb)
soya sauce
4 (or more) cloves garlic, crushed
fresh ginger (about the size of your thumb or larger),grated
cayenne pepper
4-5 cups chopped fresh vegetables (snow peas, broccoli,red onion, peppers etc...)
1/2 pkg fresh lo mein, soba or other asian noodles
1-2 tablespoon oil, optional (hot pepper oil is excellent)
A handful of cashews, optional
Cut tofu into squares.
Make marinade with crushed garlic cloves, ginger, enough soya sauce to just about cover tofu, and as much cayenne as you want - if you are timid, just a shake or two is good, if you like it hot, try 1/8 - 1/4 tsp. Marinate tofu while you prepare the vegetables. (If possible, marinate tofu for a few hours - it takes on more of the flavour of the marinade.
Cook noodles according to the package directions.
Heat oil, if using in a wok. When hot, add tofu and marinade. Stir fry until tofu is heated through. Add vegetables and stir fry as normal. Before serving, add noodles and stir to coat. Add cashews if using.
SO HOW'D IT GO?
I have cayenne pepper in powder form form at home, but I could not find them at my local market. How much Cayenne pepper should I use table spoon, etc?
OMG what a Great recipe!!!!!
I did modify it though:
I didnt have fresh ginger, but used ginger powder ( 2 tsp maybe less)
i used half soy half water, garlic, ginger and cayenne powder
cubed the tofu, soaked it in the marinade removed it from that then pan seared it in 2tbsp of canola oil, removed them from pan
chopped mushrooms, bell pep, carrot, celery, and onion (the on hand veggies :P) then soaked them in the remaining marinade while the toful was browning. then i poured all the veg and marinade into the pan (with a little leftover oil) and fried those up, and half way through i readded the tofu
when that was just about done i dissolved 2tbsp cornstarch in 2tbsp water then slowly added it to the liquid of the pan, making it a thick sauce.
i served this over thick rice noodles, and it was fabulous!! great ingredients for a sauce. this will be an " all the time" dinner :D
Nice and simple yet tasty recipe! This is just about the same recipe I use for spicy (szechuan style minus fancy ingredients) tofu. The only differences are that I add a tbs of cider vinegar as well as 1T water (instead of a lot of soy sauce) and a tbs of dried hot red pepper flakes to the marinade, and i also tend to use dry ground ginger and minced garlic. Carrots and green beans are perfect with this super hot sauce. Bragg's aminos works awesomely in place of soy sauce.
Katie- to make the tofu crisp up nicely, cut into small cubes (about the size of dice), and place each into a hot pan, medium to high heat (7 out of 10), with a mix of olive oil and sesame oil (that's what I like best.) You don't need a lot of oil if you've already marinated the tofu, just about 2 tsps or so for a block of tofu. Let sit without stirring for 2-4 minutes until the bottom side is brown and crisp to the touch. Then turn each cube over, do the same for the opposite side, then turn the cubes on their sides, browning each that way. It can be kinda tedious but it works well. The more sides you brown, the chewier and crispier the tofu will be. Hope that helps.