It’s nearing the end of citrus season where we live, and we are soaking up every last citrus filled recipe. We enjoyed adapting this deeply American-ized take on the sweet and sour flavor pairing found in some traditional Chinese cooking.
Serves: 4-6
Time: 1.5 hours
Ingredients
high heat oil such as avocado oil
green onions, finely chopped as garnish (optional)
For the tofu
2 firm blocks tofu
1/2 cup cornstarch
1 tsp salt
For the veggies
3 bell peppers, thinly sliced
1 large onion, thinly sliced
1 head of broccoli, chopped into small florets
For the Sauce
2 tbsp. mirin
2 tbsp. rice vinegar
1/4 cup water
1 tbsp. toasted sesame oil
3 tbsp. coconut aminos
1 tsp salt
3 tbsp. agave
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
1 tsp siracha
Juice and zest from 1 large navel orange (1/2 cup of orange juice and 1 tbsp. of zest)
1 inch ginger, peeled and diced
3 cloves garlic, peeled and diced
1 tbsp. cornstarch
For the rice
2 cups jasmine rice
4 cups of water
1 tsp salt
1 tsp bouillon cube or paste (vegan & gluten-free option)
1/4 tsp mirin
Note: when we were creating this recipe, we only had one large fry pan. If you have two, you can fry the veggies and the tofu at the same time.
Cut your blocks of tofu in half so that you have four, one inch thick rectangles. Press the tofu between two kitchen towels, placing a cast iron pan, or something heavy on them to remove some of the liquid. This process can be done with a tofu press. Slice the tofu into cubes or thick sticks.
While the tofu is being pressed, slice the onions, peppers, and broccoli. Dice the ginger and the garlic and finely chop the green onion if using.
Heat up a pan with oil and stir fry the onions, peppers, and broccoli until golden brown (about 20 minutes). Remove these from the pan and set aside. Meanwhile, cook the rice. Put the rice, water, salt, bouillon paste, and mirin in a pot and bring to a boil. Stir well (making sure the bouillon is broken down fully) and lower to a simmer. Cook with lid on for about 15 minutes or until rice is done. One way to tell if the rice is done is by watching the steam coming out of the pot, once the steam stops, your rice is most likely cooked. After 15 minutes let sit off the heat for 5 minutes and then fluff with a fork.
Combine the cornstarch and a generous pinch of salt in a shallow bowl or on a small plate. Toss the tofu, a couple of pieces at a time in the cornstarch mixture until coated on all sides. Heat 2 tbsp of neutral oil in a frying pan. Once hot, fry the tofu in batches on med-high making sure it gets golden brown on all sides. Feel free to add more oil if your pan gets dry. Be careful not to crowd the tofu as that will make it all stick together. We use tongs to turn each piece separately.
Put the finished tofu and veggies in a large bowl.
To make the sauce combine mirin, rice vinegar, water, sesame oil, coconut aminos, salt, red pepper flakes, siracha, agave orange juice and zest all in a small bowl and whisk until fully incorporated. Once you’ve finished cooking all the veggies and tofu, put a small amount of oil in your pan. Add the ginger and garlic and cook for 2 minutes. Add the bowl of sauce ingredients and cornstarch. Stir for 1 minute to thicken.
Pour the sauce over the large bowl of veggies and tofu and stir until everything is coated with sauce. Spoon the mixture over rice and garnish with green onions (optional). Enjoy!
