tofu broccoli

 This tofu broccoli was good but also too much.  I don't usually fry things in my kitchen because I don't like the mess or the smell, but I tried this and it wasn't bad.  The tofu cooking technique was nice - I made the blocks a bit larger than 1" and I liked the texture - a little crispy on the outside, soft inside.  It wasn't too burdensome to flip each block every couple of minutes with tongs.  The broccoli was good and crunchy - I went the full six minutes or more.  My beef is how salty it is.  I used low sodium soy sauce but it is still just too much.  One issue is that I ate it without rice, so that might be the problem.  It's good without it.  But next time I'll maybe cut the soy sauce in half and maybe use amino acids instead.  Oh, I see water is in the procedure below but i missed that - ok, maybe that would make a difference.  I will definitely make it again.  

Ingredients

Yield:2 to 4 servings

• ¼ cup light soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
• 2 tablespoons light brown sugar (I mostly omitted, just added a dash of sugar and it wasn't necessary at all)
• 1/2 cup water  
• 1 teaspoon plus ¼ cup cornstarch, divided
• 1 (14-ounce) block firm tofu, drained
• 4 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
• Kosher salt 
• 2 medium broccoli crowns, cut into florets  
• 4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 1 (½-inch) piece fresh ginger, finely chopped (about 2 teaspoons)
• 3 scallions, finely chopped
• Toasted sesame seeds, for garnish
• Rice, for serving

 

Preparation

Step 1

In a small bowl, whisk together soy sauce, sesame oil, brown sugar, 1 teaspoon cornstarch and ½ cup water. Set aside.

Step 2

Cut the tofu into 1-inch cubes, spread the cubes onto a few layers of paper towels and pat them dry. In a medium bowl, toss the cubes with the remaining ¼ cup of cornstarch and fully coat the tofu.

Step 3

In a large skillet, heat 2 tablespoons vegetable oil over medium heat. Once the oil is hot and shimmery, add the tofu and cook until all sides are golden, 10 to 12 minutes. Transfer the tofu onto a plate and season with salt. 

Step 4

In the same skillet, heat 1 tablespoon vegetable oil over medium heat, add the broccoli and cook, undisturbed, until broccoli is lightly charred on the bottom, 2 to 3 minutes. (Do not be tempted to move them!) Toss and cook until the other sides of the broccoli are darkened in spots, another 2 to 3 minutes.

Step 5

Add the remaining 1 tablespoon vegetable oil, the garlic, ginger and scallions to the same skillet and stir until fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes. Adjust the heat to low, add the tofu back to the skillet, and stir in the reserved soy sauce mixture. Bring to a simmer, tossing frequently, until the broccoli and tofu are evenly glazed, 30 seconds to 1 minute. 

Step 6

Serve the tofu and broccoli topped with toasted sesame seeds, with rice alongside.