CRISPY TERIYAKI TOFU
INGREDIENTS
Ingredients are also listed in the recipe itself
2 blocks of extra firm tofu
2 cups of jasmine rice (or instant rice packages)
1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons of cornstarch
Canola oil (vegetable oil works too)
1 pound of frozen broccoli
One 12oz, bag of frozen mixed veggies
Store-bought teriyaki sauce (our favorites are the Trader Joe’s Soyaki sauce, and the Wegman’s Sesame Garlic sauce).
RECIPE - SERVES 4
Press the two blocks of extra-firm tofu either using a tofu press, or by wrapping the blocks in a dish rag and placing a heavy object on top. The longer you press the tofu, the better the texture. Aim for at least 1 hour, but it can also be pressed overnight. If you don’t have the time, just press for a few minutes to get the surface level moisture out.
Cook two cups of jasmine rice according to package instructions (or prepare frozen or instant rice packages).
Slice the tofu into bite sized cubes and place in a large mixing bowl with roughly one-half cup of cornstarch. Gently mix the tofu until each piece is lightly coated in cornstarch on each side.
In a large pan, pour enough canola oil in that bottom of the pan is completely coated. Heat the oil over medium/high heat until it ever so slightly bubbles.
carefully add your cornstarch-coated tofu pieces to the pan. Be careful as the hot oil can sometimes splash back—if this happens, lower the temperature slightly. Evenly distribute the tofu cubes across the pan and leave them to cook. The more you move them, the less crispy they will be. Once they are browned on one side, gently flip them with a spatula and repeat until every side of each tofu piece is crispy. Once this happens, remove from pan and place on the cubes on a plate lined with a paper towel.
In the same pan as before, cook one pound of frozen broccoli and one 12oz. bag of mixed of veggies until heated through (feel free to add more veggies).
While veggies are cooking add roughly one cup of your store-bought sauce to a small sauce pan on medium heat.
In a small bowl or cup, mix together 1 tablespoon of cornstarch with 1 tablespoon of water until the cornstarch is dissolved. Add this mixture (called a Cornstarch slurry) to the saucepan with the teriyaki sauce and continue to heat on medium until it starts to bubble, then reduce to low until the sauce thickens. Allow sauce to cool slightly once thickened. Note: If your sauce is not thickening, make and add an additional cornstarch slurry.
Once veggies are cooked through and tofu has slightly cooled, cover the tofu and veggies in the thickened sauce and serve over rice.
