Hoisin-Drenched Tofu and Stir-Fried Vegetables

This recipe had it's merits, but without a second thought I would not make it again. Still, it's worth sharing as I did learn a few things. Don and I do love hoisin, and I have been trying to find new ways to use tofu since it's such a cheap and sustainable source of protein. However, I've found much better hoisin sauce recipes out there, and the preparation involved was soooo not necessary. I really did not find any better flavor our texture out of the extra time spent marinating and baking the tofu prior to going into the stir fry. It would have done just as well stirfrying regularly and then adding the sauce at the end. The one thing you do want to do though is drain your tofu ahead of time which I show you how to do in another blog post How to Cook Tofu and Like It. On the other hand, the flavors and stir fry components do to well together, just not outstanding and not worth the effort. This would make a great base recipe though and you can even buy a ready made hoisin sauce at the grocery store to save some time though it will probably not be as low calorie.

Hoisin-Drenched Tofu and Stir-Fried Vegetables


A vibrantly seasoned marinade of hoisin sauce and five-spice powder is baked into the tofu, so the flavor really sinks in. Select the firm water-packed tofu, which stands up to stir-frying. Use your largest skilled for this dish.


Tofu:
3/4 cup hoisin sauce
1/3 cup sake (rice wine)
3 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
1 1/2 tablespoons minced fresh garlic
1 teaspoon dark sesame oil
3/4 teaspoon five-spice powder
1 1/2 pounds firm water-packed tofu, drained and cut into (1/2-inch thick) slices

Stir-fry:
3 1/2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
1 1/2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon dark sesame oil
1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
3 tablespoons finely chopped green onion bottoms
2 tablespoons minced fresh garlic
1 1/2 teaspoons chile paste with garlic
1 1/2 cups red bell pepper strips
1 1/2 cups yellow bell pepper strips
1/2 pound snow peas, trimmed
2 tablespoons sake (rice wine) or sherry
2 cups (1-inch) sliced green onion tops
4 1/2 cups hot cooked jasmine rice

To prepare tofu, combine first 6 ingredients, stirring well with a whisk. Arrange tofu in a single layer on a foil-lined jelly roll pan; pour hoisin mixture over tofu, turning tofu to coat. Let stand at room temperature 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 375°.

Bake tofu mixture at 375° for 35 minutes. Discard marinade.

To prepare stir-fry, combine 3 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce, sugar, and 1 teaspoon sesame oil.

Heat olive oil in a wok or large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add green onion bottoms, 2 tablespoons garlic, and chile paste; stir-fry 15 seconds. Add bell peppers; stir-fry 1 minute. Add peas and 2 tablespoons sake; cook 3 minutes or until peas are tender, stirring constantly. Add tofu, soy sauce mixture, and green onion tops; toss gently to combine. Cook 2 minutes or until thoroughly heated. Serve over rice.

Yield: 6 servings (serving size: 1 cup stir-fry and 3/4 cup rice)

CALORIES 427 (28% from fat); FAT 13.4g (sat 2g,mono 4.8g,poly 5.3g); IRON 5.2mg; CHOLESTEROL 0.0mg; CALCIUM 170mg; CARBOHYDRATE 57.4g; SODIUM 736mg; PROTEIN 18.7g; FIBER 5.5g

Cooking Light, AUGUST 2003