Rather 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:
- 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.)
- 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.
- 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.
- Serve with rice.
Makes 4 main-course servings.
From Simple Art of Vietnamese Cooking
