Tuesday, June 13, 2006

CHINESE SIZZLING TOFU AND MUSHROOM STEW WITH EDAMAMÉ


Sizzling Tofu and Mushroom Stew with Edamamé

Sorry I haven't blogged for days and days, and this is going to be short! I'm making a wedding cake for 250 people (make a couple of large layers every day that I'm home), and there is still this ongoing custody thing going on with my grandchildren that is very stressful and requires alot of time. The trip to Victoria to see Howard and Willow Jeane Lyman again and do some quick demos was a nice break. Victoria is a great little city, easy to walk in, and with some good vegetarian dining. We had a wonderful lunch at the Chinese Buddhist vegan restuarant, The Lotus Pond. We had a spicy TVP dish with peppers on a bed of greens, and an interestingly good chow mein with vegan "ham", corn, and a coconut sauce-- and some veggie potstickers, too!

The banquet at the VIVA 25th Anniversary event was catered by Green Cuisine, and was delicious! There was a delicious Moroccan stew, biryani with nuts, a very tasty pasta salad with tofu, green salad, couscous salad, and an apple and rhubarb crumble with Mario's Gelato vegan Tofulati (a Vancouver company).

When we got home, I made this quick Chinese stew out of my vegan Chinese cookbook, only I substituted a cup of frozen, thawed green soybeans (edamamé) for the peas. This is real comfort food for me!

Printable Recipe
BRYANNA'S SIZZLING TOFU AND MUSHROOM STEW Serves 3-4
© Bryanna Clark Grogan from my book Authentic Chinese Cuisine for the Contemporary Kitchen

This is a very quick and easy Chinese hotpot dish, containing ingredients most of us have around all the time.

10 oz. extra-firm tofu, cut into 3/4" cubes
1 T. oil

Tofu Marinade:
1 T. soy sauce
1 T. minced ginger
1 T. dry sherry or Chinese rice wine
1/2 T. dark sesame oil
1 tsp. cornstarch
1/2 tsp. sugar
dash of white pepper

Vegetables:
1 T. oil
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
4 large fresh mushrooms, sliced
1/4 c. frozen petit pois (baby peas) (I used 1 cup of green soybeans or edamamé this time)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 c. vegetarian broth

Thickener:
1 T. water
1 T. soy sauce
1 T. dry sherry or Chinese rice wine
1/2 T. cornstarch
Garnish: 1 green onion, chopped

Mix the tofu cubes with the Marinade ingredients and marinate at least 20 minutes, while you prepare the other ingredients and put some rice on to cook.

Heat a large wok, stir-fry pan or heavy frying pan over high heat. When it's hot, add the oil. When the oil is hot, add the tofu and marinade. Stir-fry until the marinade is absorbed and the cubes are glazed. Set aside.

In the same pan (or in a 1 qt. or more Chinese clay pot with wire), heat the second tablespoon of oil over high heat. (Use a heat diffuser under the clay pot.) When the oil is hot, add the garlic and onion and stir-fry until the onion wilts. Add the mushrooms, peas, tofu cubes, and broth. Bring to a boil and then simmer, covered, for about 3 minutes.

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Stir in the Thickener. Stir until the broth has thickened. Sprinkle with green onions and serve hot.

Enjoy!

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6 comments:

  1. I've never made this recipe, but it looks fab! The Chinese book can be deceptive as it may appear complicated; but it is Soooo easy.
    One of my favorite recipes is the duck! I don't think anything has blown me away like that incredibly simple recipe. I served it to company, and it was *devoured* with praise. Gotta be one of my favorite recipes of all time.
    Anyway, back to this recipe! It looks like it may go nicely with rice noodles.
    Do you think it could be eaten cold, like for a picnic?

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  2. yeah, it might be good cold, Linda-- never tried it that way! Maybe in a wrap? I always think of it as a winterish dish, though.

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  3. Mmmmmmmm!!! Bryanna, so fantastic, as usual!!

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  4. I know that this doesn't relate to this post- but I saw that you made corn quesadillas recently and I just had a failed quesadilla experience tonight. I placed a tortilla in the pan, layered it with some vegan rella then spread some veggies on it with a little more cheese and topped it with another tortilla. I flipped it and grilled it on both sides for a while, but the cheese was so runny that it all just fell apart, causing me to lose most of the cheese to the plate. Any suggestions? Thanks- all your food looks delicious by the way.

    -Teresa

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  5. Veganrella...hmmm. I think the stuff tastes vile. Maybe it's just the nature of the product to melt too much. try Tofutti slices or Vegan Gourmet earthkind.

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  6. I go for the Tofutti slices as well. They do well when heated...

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