Surfing Ruined My Life

Fried Tofu Stir Fry in a Sesame Sauce
Over White Rice

I have always loved Sesame chicken and other like varieties at all types of eateries of the Asian sector.  Then at work we did a faux version of this with fried tofu.  I thought I would give the real McCoy a shot myself.  Im not a big fan of tofu but fried it makes a rather tasty treat.  As far as the sauce goes you can use it over anything, beef, Chicken, seafood etc.  This one is a bit tricky to make so if you have any questions or need help feel free to hit me up for extra insight.

Total Cost: $11.85

Feeds 4-6 people

Ingredient List:

• Sesame Sauce
  • Brown Sugar – 1 ½ Cup
  • Soy Sauce – 3 Tablespoons
  • Rice Vinegar – ¼ Cup
  • Vegetable Oil – 1 tablespoon
  • Garlic – 1 clove (minced)
  • Sesame Oil – 2 table spoons
  • Dried Chile – 2 (minced)
  • Sesame seeds – ½ cup (paste,roasted)
  • Salt – 1 tablespoon
  • Pepper – 1 teaspoon
  • Ginger – 1 ½ oz (minced)
  • Scallions – 1 oz (minced)
  • Corn starch  – ¼ cup
• Green Pepper – ½ (chopped Julienne)
• Red Pepper – ½ (chopped Julienne)
• Sweet Onion – ½ (chopped Julienne)
• Sugar Snap Peas – 12 (whole)
• Shitake Mushrooms – 8 (Chopped)
• Tofu – 14 oz (cubed)
• Sesame Seeds – ¼ cup to liking (roasted)
• Ginger – 3 oz (grated)
• Vegetable Oil – 1/3 cup
• White Rice

Step 1: Make the Sesame Sauce – This step is optional since you can buy bottled sesame sauce in any supermarket.  Like pasta sauce I find something intricate such as this is better made fresh.  In a measuring cup dissolve 1 ½ cup of Brown sugar and ¼ cup of Corn Starch in about 1/3 a cup of warm water or so.  Stir vigorously.  In a blender combine all of the ingredients in the Sesame Sauce bullet of Ingredient list and the sugar, water, cornstarch mixture you just made.  Blend on high till everything is one liquid consistency.  No need to chop up raw ingredients such as garlic, ginger, chilies, and sesame seeds they will puree and then blend into the conglomerate.  Should blend around 5-7 minutes.

Step 2: Cook White Rice – See Blog on “How To Cook Rice”

Step 3: Fry Tofu – Cut Tofu into ¼” cubes.  In a plate or mixing bowl whisk together 1 cup of flour, 1 tablespoon of salt, 1 teaspoon of pepper and 1 teaspoon of sesame seeds.  Roll tofu cubes in flour mixture till completely covered.  On a high flame in a medium size frying pan filled with 1/3 cup of vegetable oil fry tofu till golden brown.

The flouring process

Step 4: Chop and Sautee Vegetables – Cut all vegetables as described in the ingredient list and grate the ginger. In a wok (or large frying pan, although if I were you I would invest in a wok for nothing makes stir fry better) heat up 1/3 cup of vegetable oil.  When hot add in Green and Red Pepper, ginger, Onion and Zucchini Sautee for around 5 minutes then add mushrooms, peas and add fried tofu.  Throw in some salt and pepper also.

This is an idea of how your vegetables should look after being chopped.

Step 5: Cook Sesame Sauce – Pour blended Sesame sauce into a small saucepot and bring to a boil, stir constantly.  Reduce flame and let simmer for 3-5 minutes till sauce gets thick.

Step 6: Put It All Together – Pour sesame sauce into wok over entire stir fry on a medium flame and mix together with a spatula, also add ¼ cup of sesame seeds as well.  Sautee entire mixture for 3-5 minutes.  Serve over white rice and sprinkle some sesame seeds on top for look and texture.