The first time I tried tofu was more than a decade ago, and it was a scarring experience that I still remember vividly.
I was in the fifth grade, and I was over at a friend’s house for dinner. His mom took some tofu out of a container, put it straight into the pan with no seasoning, and then overcooked it.
The first time I had even touched tofu since that incident was this week, in preparation for this column. One of my vegetarian friends helped me cook it, and I found that when done right, it can actually be a great addition to any dish (or a meat substitute).
If you’ve been reading this you know I am quite carnivorous, so allow me to explain the departure from my usual fare.
A group of Daily Bruin co-workers started a bet (which I foolishly chose to participate in) that we would be vegetarian for the month of January and whoever eats meat before the month ends must buy or cook the others dinner.
Well, I don’t intend on losing, and if you are a temporary or full-time vegetarian this is a tasty and figure-friendly dish to enjoy. If you’re not a vegetarian, I’m sure you could still use a lesson on how to prepare stir-fry, and you can always replace the tofu with chicken.
Tofu is made by processing soy milk, much the same way cheese is made from regular milk. The results can differ drastically depending on the process used, so make sure you buy the right kind.
For this dish you want firm or extra firm tofu, because it is much denser and can hold its shape better through the cooking process.
While it’s marinating, prep all of your ingredients so you can add them as necessary, and set a small pot of water to start boiling.
The key to preparing good stir-fry is to make sure all of the ingredients are not over or under cooked.
Often people will simply throw everything in a pan at the same time and hope for the best. If you think about it, that doesn’t make sense, because different vegetables take less or more time to cook.
You need to start with the ingredients that take the longest and add in the ingredients that require the least cooking time at the end.
Start by sautéing half of a finely diced onion in cooking oil at medium-low heat. When it starts to look translucent, turn the heat up to medium and add in an Italian squash, cut into half circles.
Add in two carrots, cut into quarter-inch circles, three finely minced garlic cloves, and salt and pepper at about the same time.
Cut two small broccoli heads into bite sized florets and boil them for about three minutes, until they are a bit under done, then drain them and add to the pan, adding in your favorite stir-fry sauce ““ I used a mango chipotle version.
I think the tofu tastes better browned a bit, so heat up some cooking oil in another pan and sauté the tofu cubes at medium heat for several minutes, until lightly browned on all sides.
While you’re sautéing the tofu add the baby corn and water chestnuts to the vegetables.
Combine the browned tofu with the vegetables, season to taste and serve.
My roommate, an infamously picky eater and remorseless hater of all things green, liked this dish ““ though she won’t admit it to anyone else. (“Tell no one. I have a reputation to uphold.”)
I have to admit that being a vegetarian for a month isn’t entirely unfortunate. So far.
If you want in on the bet, e-mail Pesce at apesce@media.ucla.edu.