Bean Curd with a Deliciously Spicy Sauce
Submitted by BABY BRAT
Wok-fried tofu coated in a glossy, spicy sauce of chili paste, garlic, ginger, soy, and sesame oil. Quick Chinese-style vegetarian stir-fry that’s bold and simple.
YIELD
4 servingsPREP
20 minCOOK
20 minREADY
40 minSometimes all tofu needs is a killer sauce and a screaming hot wok.
Cubes of bean curd get a quick sear in vegetable oil with garlic and fresh ginger, then get bathed in a spicy, glossy sauce built from Thai chili paste, light soy, sesame oil, and a touch of sugar to balance the heat.
Cornstarch thickens everything into a silky coating that clings to every piece.
The whole thing comes together in minutes, making it the kind of weeknight stir-fry you can pull off even when the fridge is looking bare.
Kitchen Tips
- Use firm or extra-firm tofu and press it for at least 15 minutes before cubing. Dry tofu sears better and absorbs more sauce.
- Get the wok properly hot before adding the oil. You want that garlic and ginger to sizzle on contact, not stew.
- Stir the cornstarch sauce right before pouring it in. Cornstarch settles fast and you’ll end up with a watery sauce and a lump of starch at the bottom of the bowl.
- Serve this over steamed jasmine rice or toss it with noodles to soak up every drop of that sauce.
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare the sauce.
Put the cornstarch in a small bowl. Slowly add the vegetable stock, mixing as you do so.
Now add the chili paste, soy sauce, sesame oil, salt, and sugar.
Mix again. Set the sauce aside.
Heat the vegetable oil in a wok over a medium high flame.
When hot, put in the garlic and ginger.
Stir and fry for 5 seconds. Put in the bean curd.
Stir and fry for 1 minute. Turn heat to low. Stir the sauce and pour it over the bean curd.
Mix gently and bring to a simmer.
Let the sauce thicken, stirring gently every now and then as it does so.
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