garlic | Jenna's Everything Blog

After sitting in my recipe box on TastyKitchen for a few weeks, this gem of a recipe from this lovely blogger got its turn. Have I mentioned that I have over 180 recipes in there? And that I feel firmly committed to making them all? If I make one per week, it should only take me about 3 and a half years–totally doable, eh?

Anyway, I’m so glad I bumped this to the top of my priority list, because what a phenomenal dish! The simplicity of the stirfry, the perfect balance of sweet and sour in the sauce, the golden brown tofu–I can’t rave enough about it. It’s got some kick–not over the top, but I hope you like things a little spicy! Because if not, you are henceforth banned from this blog forevermore and are no friend of mine.

Wait! Wait! I’m totally kidding! Please don’t go! It’s just my sometimes-abrasive humor–you’re not supposed to take me that seriously! Here, I’ll tell you what–I promise to post some non-spicy recipes asap, just for you. Like Lemon Crinkle Cookies. Okay? Okay?

Okay. I love everyone, The End. Phew. Nothing like tearing up relationships and then making amends to give you an appetite, eh?

And yes, this little conflict was staged just to make everyone hungry and thus more likely to make this stir fry. The lengths to which I go to spread the deliciousness . . . ah, the lengths to which I go. The world may never know.

But enough falderal–back to the recipe we go: I made it with tofu, but if you have an aversion to the block of soy stuff you could easily substitute chicken, pork, beef. Any protein would be great. And the sauce is so good that I’m salivating just thinking about it.

Ingredients

(Serves 3)

For the sauce:

1/4 red bell pepper, minced

3/4 cup pineapple juice

3 TBS rice vinegar

1/4 tsp sesame oil

2 TBS soy sauce

2 tsp cornstarch + 2 tsp water, mixed

1 TBS sugar

1/2 tsp ground white pepper

For the stir fry

1 TBS peanut oil

1-16 oz package extra firm tofu

Salt and pepper, to taste

4 cloves garlic

3/4 red pepper, chopped

1 large onion, chopped

4 green onions, diced

Mince 1/4 of the bell pepper, and assemble all the ingredients for the sauce.

Everyone say ‘cheese!’

Now we’re simply going to add all the sauce ingredients into a small saucepan. The vinegar and pepper . . .

. . . the soy sauce and sugar . . .

. . . the white pepper (this is where the kick lieth; and the kick, it lieth herein) . . .

. . . the water and cornstarch slurry . . .

. . . the pineapple juice . . .

. . . etcetera, etcetera.

Bring it to a boil, then reduce the heat to low and cook for 8-10 minutes, stirring frequently.

The sauce will reduce by half, to about 1/2 cup. Taste and adjust the sugar to your liking–I added an extra teaspoon.

In the meantime, assemble the ingredients for the stiry fry.

Cut the block of tofu into two ‘sheets’ (with the blade of the knife parallel to the cutting board), then into strips lengthwise.

Place the strips between some paper towels and kitchen towels . . .

. . . and put a heavy book on top.

You can probably learn a couple things about formatting your scholarly papers while you’re at it.

Let it sit for about 15 minutes–this will help dry out the tofu, which in turn will help it brown better when fried.

Remove the tofu from the towels and cut it into cubes.

Now for some knife work: chop up the bell pepper and onion, and set them aside; mince the garlic and set it aside; dice the green onions, and set them aside as well. You should have three little bowls of happiness at the end of this chopping fest:

Heat the peanut oil over high heat in a wok or large cast iron skillet. When hot, add the tofu cubes and fry for 4-5 minutes on each side, until golden brown.

Season them generously with salt and pepper while they’re frying.

Add the garlic and fry for about 1 minute, stirring so that the garlic doesn’t burn.

Add the red pepper and onion, sprinkle with more salt and pepper, and fry for about 6 minutes until the vegetables are starting to get tender, stirring frequently.

Pour the sauce into the stir fry . . .

. . . and toss the tofu and veggies so that everything is coated.

Cook for 3-4 minutes, letting the sauce thicken.

Stir in the green onions right before serving.

This is about to make me one very happy woman.

Serve over steaming hot white rice.

Oh yum.

May I have more please, sir?

If you think you don’t like tofu, this could very well be the dish that changes your mind.

It’s that good.

Click here for printer-friendly version: Sweet and Sour Tofu

Who isn’t a sucker for an easy weeknight meal? *silence thunders back* Right. Some evenings there’s just no energy available with which to crimp little ravioli packets that end up in the trash, or measure out what feels like a million and a half spices for a complexly flavored Etouffée stew. Sometimes I don’t want to cook–I just want to eat.

(By the way, you should totally make that stew–but maybe over the weekend.)

On nights like that, this is the kind of recipe I flee to for help. In fact, last Monday night when The Sickness was starting to descend on my head, sinus, and throat, I said You’re my only hope, Sriracha Fried Rice! And the Sriracha Fried Rice came through for me. The flavors in this little tossed-together dish are simple but good. Based on this original (again found via Tasty Kitchen, the fount that never stops giving), a bowl of this hits the ‘comfort food’ buttons in my soul. It’s not a show-stopper, but it’s a satisfying, homey meal that makes my stomach smile.

When I make fried rice, normally I incorporate the eggs into the dish, frying up an omelet and then breaking it up into the rice. However, this variation with fried eggs on top has me charmed. I’m never one to turn down a perfectly over-easy egg with a beautiful, sunny, runny yolk.

One two three hit it!

Ingredients

(Serves 2)

4 TBS peanut oil, plus 1 to fry the eggs

5 cloves garlic, minced

1 large onion, chopped

1 cup cabbage, chopped or shredded

1 splash Shaoxing wine (or dry sherry)

1 pinch sugar

2 TBS soy sauce

3 TBS sriracha

4 cups cooked, cold rice

½ tsp salt, to taste

¼ black pepper, to taste

1 tsp sesame oil

3 green onions, diced

4 eggs (2 per person)

So the mincing of the garlic, the chopping of the onion, and the chopping of the cabbage I simply leave to your imagination. Bam! Here’s the assembly, ready to go.

Don’t you love it when ingredients magically get prepped? I know I do. (Thanks baby.)

And now! Heat the 4 TBS peanut oil in a large (12’’) cast iron skillet or wok over high heat. When hot, add the garlic and fry for about 30 seconds, stirring constantly so that it doesn’t burn.

Add the chopped onion and continue to stir fry for about 4 minutes, until the onion is starting to get translucent.

I happen to like big chunks of onion, but if you’re averse you can feel free to mince ‘er on up. Sprinkle the onion generously with salt and pepper as it fries.

Add the cabbage and fry for a few more minutes, until the cabbage is crisp-tender.

The cabbage isn’t extremely visible in this picture because I used a bag of cabbage that I shredded months ago and then froze. In the defrosting process it got a little mushy, and proceeded to disappear into the final dish. Alas.

Once the cabbage is getting tender, sprinkle in a pinch of sugar and splash in the Shaoxing wine (or dry sherry).

No need to measure–just splash. I doubt you could over-splash even if you tried.

Cook for about 2 minutes, letting some of the alcohol cook off.

Add the soy sauce . . .

. . . and the sriracha.

Stir that good stuff around, baby!

Time to add the rice.

Note: It’s very important to use cold, refrigerated cooked rice (as opposed to hot, freshly cooked rice). The cold rice gives fried rice its delectable texture. Hmmmm–I just said ‘rice’ four times and I see no way around it. That’s an F- in composition for you! Thank you, teacher in my head. At least it wasn’t an F – -. Those are the worst.

Stir fry the rice for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. I like to let it sit sometimes without touching it so that the grains get crisp and browned.