Garlic & Ginger Tofu Stir Fry

On a recent international trip, I ordered dinner while waiting for my evening flight across the Pacific. Seated at a well-loved Asian restaurant, I was served a delicious dish with tofu and vegetables, of which there was a surprising star: sugar snap peas.

I love munching on raw sugar snap peas as much as the next person, but I could not recall having them cooked. Sure, I’d had my fill of snow peas—the flat, rather unexciting cousin of the sugar snap pea—in all manner of Asian cuisine throughout my life. But these plump, lightly sautéed sugar snap peas just made the experience!

While this recipe is named for the flavors in the sauce and the main source of protein—tofu—I encourage you to be sure to include the sugar snap peas. They really make this dish shine.

Garlic & Ginger Tofu Stir Fry

Recipe by Jessica Schroeder

Serves 4

GFO, NF

INGREDIENTS

For the tofu:

• 1 lb (16 oz) super firm tofu, patted dry and sliced into cubes or flat rectangles
• 5 cloves of garlic, pressed or minced
• 2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger
• 2 tablespoons tamari or soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
• optional: ¼–½ teaspoon red pepper flakes

For the sauce:

• white wine or sherry (or water) to deglaze the pan
• 2 tablespoons avocado oil (or other neutral oil)
• 2 tablespoons all purpose flour
• 1 cup water (or more, as needed)
• ¼ teaspoon fine salt

For the vegetables:

• 1 lb broccolini, washed and stems cut into 2-inch sections
• 7–8 oz sugar snap peas
• water, for steaming
• tamari and rice vinegar, for final seasoning

For serving:

• black or brown rice
• optional toppings: sliced scallions, toasted sesame seeds, hot sauce or chili crisp

DIRECTIONS

1. Marinate the tofu. In a large bowl, mix together the garlic, ginger, tamari, rice vinegar, and optional red pepper flakes. Gently toss the tofu in the marinade to coat. Cover and let sit in the fridge for at least 15 minutes; 30 minutes to an hour is preferable.
2. Cook the tofu. Preheat a nonstick skillet over medium heat. Leaving the residual marinade in the bottom of the bowl, add the tofu to the pan in one even layer (you may need to work in batches), cooking until lightly browned, stirring or flipping occasionally, depending on your tofu shape. As you work in batches, remove the cooked tofu to a large plate or bowl (place in an “off” oven or microwave to keep warm), scraping out bits of garlic and ginger left behind before adding the next batch.
3. Once all tofu is cooked and removed from the pan, add the rest of the marinade and remaining bits of garlic and ginger to the pan. Stir to cook the garlic and ginger and allow the marinade to evaporate.
4. Once the marinade has evaporated, deglaze the pan with a splash of wine (or water), tilting the pan and scraping with a wooden spoon or spatula to pick up all the flavors stuck to the bottom of the pan (add more liquid as needed to release the fond).
5. Make the sauce. Once the pan has been deglazed and there are no pools of liquid (the wine has evaporated), add the oil to the pan. When it begins to shimmer, add the flour and stir to coat in the oil (the ginger and garlic bits will mix in as well). Cook for 1–2 minutes to cook out the raw flour taste.
6. Add the water to the pan, starting with about ½ cup, and carefully stir or whisk the mixture into a paste. Adjust the heat down as needed to avoid scorching. Add the rest of the water (and more, as needed) to get a sauce that is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon (you’re aiming for a thin, gravy-like sauce). Add the ¼ teaspoon of salt, and taste for additional seasoning adjustment, if needed.
7. When your sauce is ready, tip it into a warmed bowl (scraping it well from the pan with a spatula) and set aside in the microwave or oven with the tofu to keep warm.
8. Steam the vegetables. Return the pan to medium heat, add the vegetables and a splash of water, cover, and allow to steam for a few minutes, checking once or twice to stir the vegetables and make sure they are turning bright green evenly. Cook until evenly bright green and just tender (there should still be a light crunchiness to them). (Note: depending on the size of your pan, you may need to do this in two batches.) Once finished cooking, season with a splash of tamari and rice vinegar.
9. Serve the vegetables and tofu with cooked rice onto warmed plates and spoon the sauce over the top. Optional toppings: sliced scallions, toasted sesame seeds, hot sauce or chili crisp.