Szechuan Pan Fried Tofu with Spicy Black Bean Sauce

This is one of my favorite dishes when we go out for Chinese. This was particularly good because the tofu was lovely and crispy, and the veggies had a nice char on them. You can serve with rice, but we elected not to. This recipe was adapted from Epicurious

Ingredients

• 1-pound block of extra-firm tofu
• 1 tablespoon grated garlic
• 1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
• 3 tablespoons Chinese fermented black beans paste
• 1 tablespoon chili paste or crushed red pepper

• 11/2 cups water
• 4 tablespoons soy sauce
• 3 tablespoons Sherry (dry or sweet)
• 1 tablespoon maple syrup
• 2 teaspoons cider vinegar
• 1 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch
• vegetable oil
• 2 cups fresh broccoli (cut in bite sized pieces)
• 1 cup red bell pepper, julienned

Directions

Rinse the tofu, then cut crosswise into 4 slices. Put slices between towels, put a cutting board on top, and weight it with a can or canister and let drain while making the sauce. 

For the liquid portion of the sauce, stir together the water, soy sauce, Sherry, maple syrup, vinegar, and the cornstarch until the cornstarch is evenly suspended.

 Place a thin layer of oil over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking. Stir-fry the seasonings until fragrant, less than a minute. Stir the cornstarch mixture and add it to the pan, bringing it to a boil and simmer till thickened. 

Heat oil over high heat until hot but not smoking.  Fry the slices on all sides turning them only when the undersides are golden and crisp.Give the tofu one last flip on a paper towel to sop up any stray oil and reheat the sauce. 

Add broccoli and red pepper to the pan you just removed the tofu from, give it another turn of the pan of oil, and do a quick stir fry until they begin to caramelize at the edges, but are still vibrant and crisp.

Place tofu center on a serving plate, surround with the veggies and spoon some sauce over the tofu. Serve the remaining sauce in a pitcher at the table.

Serves 2 as a main dish with no starch:

Calories:  569

Carb:   45

Fat:  27

Protein:  29

Fiber:   4

Potassium:   236

 

Or 4 if served with rice (add in the nutritional info from the rice you choose):

Calories:  284

Carb:   23

Fat:  14

Protein:  14

Fiber:   2

Potassium:   118