Sriracha tofu and mixed veggies in a peanut sauce
This house seems to really like Thai or Chinese cuisine inspired food. That being said, the most likes are for a peanut butter based sauce than a coconut milk based one. Mildly spicy, a tad tangy, some umami and a lot of sweetness. Yes, sweet and spicy with an emphasis on sweet. I add sweetness to such curries in the form of Cane sugar, Coconut Palm sugar, Pomegranate molasses, Honey or Jaggery. I do a round robin or simply go for the bottle that isn’t running low ;).
Half of this household likes the sriracha. M drizzles it over any food that is not as spicy as it should be…hello…mom cook here…I had no choice :). The chili heat in this house is mild. If one needs more then it is sriracha or red chili flakes to the rescue. A few years ago we found sriracha flavored tofu at Sprouts Market and we liked it. M decided to start making it at home.He goes the whole 9 yards (magician and all) but I love shortcuts. So here is my recipe. I pan fried the tofu coated in rice flour and sriracha and added it to stir fried veggies in a peanut butter, soy sauce mix.
The COVID19 pandemic and the Shelter in place due to that has left me with access to only certain veggies. I am using what I can find in the stores when I go grocery shopping, taking necessary precautions of course.
Ingredients :
For the tofu fry :
- Organic Firm tofu – 1 block – 14 oz (press all the water out until tofu is firm enough)
- Salt to taste
- Rice flour – 1 Tablespoon
- Sriracha – 1 teaspoon or to taste
- Freshly cracked black pepper – 1/2 teaspoon (optional)
- Oil to shallow fry 2 tablespoon
How to :
- Cube the drained tofu into desired size and coat it with all the above ingredients. Make sure all the cubes are coated well in the dry rub.
- Heat a shallow, wide pan/skillet over medium heat and add neutral flavor oil of choice. I used avocado oil.
- Arrange the coated tofu cubes in a single layer on tha skillet and let it fry in medium heat. Let it brown to your liking and then flip them over to the other side.
- Key is to not keep tossing or flipping the tofu for at least 3 minutes on each side. Make them as crispy as you want. This can be a snack by itself, we love it !
For the veggie stir fry :
- Green bell peppers, carrots and canned baby corn – 2 cups (use any veggies you like)
- Red onion – small-thinly sliced
- White sesame seeds – 1/2 teaspoon
- Dry red chili flakes – 1/2 teaspoon
- Rice wine vinegar – a splash (keeps the color of the veggies)
- Salt to taste
- Ginger Garlic paste 1 tablespoon
Heat the same skillet that we fried the tofu in, add some oil to it. Add the sesame seeds, red chili flakes and the sliced onions. Fry for 2 minutes,then add the ginger garlic paste. Let it cook until the raw smell is gone. Now add the veggies, some salt and a splash of rice wine vinegar. Stir fry for 2-3 minutes, do not over cook the veggies, they must have a bite to them. Add salt to taste. Hold the salt a little shy of your usual amount. Soy sauce will fix it.
The sauce :
- Sriracha 1/2 teaspoon
- Tomato paste 1 teaspoon
- Coconut sugar 1 Tablespoon
- Peanut butter 2 Tablespoon
- Soy sauce 2 teaspoon (reduced sodium)
- Corn starch 1 teaspoon
- Water 2 teaspoon
- Cane Sugar 1 to 2 teaspoon (optional)
Now mix all these sauce ingredients in a small bowl and add it over the veggies cooking in the skillet. Let it simmer for 2 minutes, when the sauce thickens and everything comes together take it off the stove. Transfer to a ceramic serveware so that you don’t overcook the veggies.
Serve over cooked brown rice or white rice or even noodles of your choice. Enjoy your meal. I hope you like it as much as we did. Thank you for stopping by!
