Tofu and Green BeansRather than deep fry the tofu, I decided to bake it. First I marinated the cubed tofu overnight in a shitake mushroom stock. After draining the stock, I tossed the tofu in a greased 9 x 9 baking dish,  then poured a mixture of 10 tbsp mushroom stock, 4 tbsp soy sauce and 4 tbsp dry white wine over it before baking at 350ºF for 45 minutes. Yum!

Ingredients:

  • 1 350 g (12 oz) package of firm tofu
  • 1 tbsp vegetable oil (plus enough to deep fry your tofu if you choose to go that route)
  • 1 medium onion, thinly sliced
  • 2 medium tomatoes, cut into thin wedges
  • 2 tbsp sugar
  • 2 tbsp soy sauce (plus a couple of tbsp for the tofu if you opt to bake your tofu)
  • 1¼ cup dry white wine (plus a couple more tbsp if you’re baking the tofu)
  • 1½ cups, thinly sliced bamboo shoots
  • ½ pound green beans, trimmed
  • 1 small red chile, thinly sliced
  • ½ tsp freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

  1. In a large skillet, heat enough oil to cover tofu over medium-high head until hot. Add the tofu cubes and cook until crisp on all sides, about 10 minutes. Drain on paper towels. (Or bake the tofu as described above.)
  2. In the same skillet, head 1 tbsp oil over high heat until hot. Cook the onion for 1 minute. Add the tomatoes and cook 1 minute. Stir in the sugar, soy sauce, wine, and ¼ cup of water.
  3. Bring to a boil and add the bamboo shoots, green beans, chile, black pepper, and prepared tofu. Reduce the heat to medium, cover and simmer until the green beans are tender, about 5 minutes.
  4. Serve with rice.

Makes 4 main-course servings.

From Simple Art of Vietnamese Cooking