Szechuan Tofu And Red Bellpepper Recipes

SZECHUAN TOFU AND VEGGIES

Steps:

• Heat oil in a skillet. Season oil generously with salt and pepper. With tofu, I generally use ½ teaspoon kosher salt per ½ pound of tofu. Swirl the seasoned oil around until spread out uniformly. Add tofu and sear on at least two sides, until crispy and golden. Be patient here. Set aside.
• To the same pan, add a little more oil if needed, onion, and mushrooms and sauté over medium-high heat - stirring constantly, until tender, about 3 minutes. Add the remaining veggies, add the dried red chilies if you like -and lower heat to medium, and sauté, tossing & stirring for 3-5 minutes until just tender or al dente. Tender, but vibrant and still slightly crisp!
• Add the Szechuan Sauce, starting with ¼ cup and adding more to taste. If you are cooking more than one batch, you'll need to multiply the sauce accordingly. Cook the sauce 2 minutes, letting it thicken a bit. Toss in the crispy tofu ( or shrimp or chicken) right at the end, just to warm it up.
• Divide among bowls. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and scallions. Add chili flakes for more heat.
• Serve this just as it is, or over rice, or noodles... and remember, do not eat the dried chilis!

SZECHUAN TOFU AND RED BELLPEPPER

Steps:

• In a small bowl, mix soy sauce, rice vinegar, sugar, chile garlic, and white pepper. Set aside.
• Heat a large frying pan or wok with oil over med-high heat. Carefully add tofu and sear for a minute then add bellpeppers. Cook until peppers until tender and slightly crunchy. Add a bit more oil if needed.
• Add the last 3 ingredients: oil, garlic, and ginger to pan; stir until garlic are lightly browned, 1 to 2 minutes. Stir soy mixture and add to pan; bring to a boil and stir until most of the liquid has evaporated and tofu and peppers are coated, 2 to 3 minutes. Pour into a serving dish.

BAKED TOFU SZECHUAN STYLE

Steps:

• In a medium size bowl combine the marinade ingredients. Gently stir in the tofu and coat well. Let marinate for 30 minutes, or up to 8 hours. Cover and chill if longer than 30 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Pour the tofu and its marinade into a shallow baking dish in one layer. Bake for 15 minutes, tossing once with a spatula.
• Combine the sauce ingredients and pour over the tofu. Toss to coat evenly. Return to the oven and bake 10 more minutes, or until golden brown. Let sit 10 minutes before serving; it should be served warm, not piping hot.

STIR-FRIED TOFU AND PEPPERS

Steps:

• Optional step for firmer tofu: Blot the tofu dry, wrap in a clean kitchen towel and place a cutting board on top. Let sit for about 15 minutes. Whether weighted or not, slice the tofu about 1/2 inch thick into 1- x 2-inch dominoes.
• Mix together 1 tablespoon of the soy sauce, 1 teaspoon of the brown sugar and 1 tablespoon of the oil in a medium bowl. Toss with the tofu, and stir to make sure all of the pieces are coated. Let sit for five to 10 minutes while you prepare the other ingredients.
• In a small bowl, stir together the remaining soy sauce and sugar, hoisin sauce and sesame oil. Set aside.
• Heat a large nonstick skillet or wok over high heat until a drop of water evaporates on contact. Add the oil, turn the heat to medium-high and add the peppers. Stir-fry for a couple of minutes, until the peppers begin to soften, and add the garlic and ginger. Stir-fry for 20 seconds, until the garlic and ginger begin to smell fragrant, and add the tofu, dried red pepper flakes and green onions. Stir-fry two minutes, give the sauce a stir and add to the pan. Cover and cook for three minutes. Remove the lid, stir the ingredients in the pan, and taste and adjust seasonings. Serve with rice or noodles.

TOFU WITH BELL PEPPERS

Steps:

• Cut the tofu into bite sized cubes. Place in a bowl.
• Mix together the garlic, soy sauce, and sweet chili sauce. Drizzle over the tofu and coat. Let it sit for at least 30 minute.
• Heat the oil in a large pan. Add the onion and cook over high heat until brown and almost crispy (you can crisp them if you want). Remove them from the pan with a slotted spoon and let drain on paper towels.
• Remove the pan from the heat (it WILL spit at you if you do not). Add the tofu. You can return it to the heat once it has stopped spitting and cook for about 5 minute Remove all but 1 tbs of oil (I usually do not have to remove any oil), and all of the tofu.
• Add the bell pepper and cook for 2-3 minutes or until soft. Turn down heat and let cool for a bit so the sauce does not spit on you. Return the tofu, onions, and leftover sauce to pan. Heat through.

SPICY THAI TOFU WITH RED BELL PEPPERS AND PEANUTS

Steps:

• Heat oil in wok over high heat. Add bell peppers, ginger, and garlic; sauté until peppers just begin to soften, about 2 minutes. Add tofu and green onions; toss 2 minutes. Add next 3 ingredients. Toss to blend, about 1 minute. Add spinach in 3 additions, tossing until beginning to wilt, about 1 minute for each addition. Mix in basil. Season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle peanuts over.

EASY SZECHUAN TOFU AND PEPPERS [GLUTEN FREE OPTION]

Steps:

• Slice a drained and pressed block of tofu crosswise into 8-10 rectangles of about 1/2" thickness. (A tofu press like this one is very helpful for pressing tofu).
• FOR FRIED TOFU (with oil): Preheat a large heavy-bottomed skillet (I use the larger one from this set) over medium heat. Add 1 tsp of oil (or spray with cooking spray). Arrange tofu rectangles in a single layer (see picture below). Cook 3-4 minutes until the bottom turns golden brown. Flip and cook another 3-4 minutes. Set aside.
• FOR BAKED TOFU (oil-free): Preheat the oven to 425°F (220°C). Arrange tofu rectangles on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake 12-15 minutes until the top surface starts turning golden, then flip and cook 5-7 minutes more.
• Slice each cooked tofu rectangle into bite-sized pieces, set aside.
• While the tofu is cooking, chop peppers and onions into 1/2-inch cubes. (This is also a good time to make Szechuan sauce - see below.)
• Once the tofu is done frying (or while it's baking in the oven), preheat the same skillet on medium-high. Add 1 tsp oil (or spray with cooking spray). Add cubed peppers and onions, toss well, and cook quickly to get some of the pieces slightly charred around the edges, about 2-3 minutes. The vegetables don't need to get cooked through - it's best if they retain some crunch. Take the vegetables out and set aside. They'll look something like this:
• In a small bowl or a measuring cup, whisk cornstarch and soy sauce until the cornstarch is dissolved. Add the rest of the ingredients, chili garlic sauce through water, and whisk to combine. Set aside.
• Reheat the same skillet you cooked tofu and peppers in (or just peppers if you baked the tofu) over medium heat. Add 1 tsp of oil or spray with cooking spray. Add tofu cubes, and immediately pour in the Szechuan sauce (be careful as it may start splattering).
• Reduce the heat to medium, and cook, stirring often, until the sauce thickens, about 1-2 minutes. Once the sauce has reduced by half, add peppers and onions. Toss well, and cook another 2-3 minutes, or until most of the liquid evaporates, and each piece of tofu and vegetables is covered with sticky golden-brown glaze.
• Serve topped with chopped scallions with a side of brown rice. Enjoy!