Chinese Braised Tofu

INGREDIENTS

• 454 grams tofu medium firm kind recommended for soft texture
• 3 cups broccoli cut into florets
• 1 ½ cups carrot peeled and diagonally sliced
• 1 ½ cups snap peas ends sliced off
• ½ tablespoon garlic minced
• 1 ½ cup water
• ¾ cup vegetable oil

Stir fry sauce:

• 3 tablespoon oyster sauce or substitute with vegetarian stir fry sauce if you’re vegan or vegetarian
• 2 tablespoon regular soy sauce (not dark soy sauce)
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil
• 1 teaspoon Shaoxing Cooking Wine can be omitted to avoid alcohol
• 1 cup water
• 2 tablespoon cornstarch

INSTRUCTIONS 

1. Slice your block tofu in half vertically. Then slice both strips into 1 cm thick squares. If you want a very thick tofu with an even softer interior, slice at 2 cm thick squares. Transfer to a plate lined with paper towel to absorb excess liquid. Then transfer back onto a smooth plate without a lip.
2. In a small bowl, whisk together your stir fry sauce ingredients.
3. Heat a wok or non-stick pan over high heat (275 degrees F) with cooking oil. To test if oil is hot enough, place wooden chop stick in and look for bubbles. Once you see bubbles, it’s time to fry. Carefully lower plate and gently slide tofu in with a spatula. Be careful of oil splash back. Fry tofu on both sides until golden crispy brown, about 5 minutes – be sure to monitor by checking the bottoms of the tofu to know when to flip. Transfer the fried tofu with a slotted spoon onto a paper towel lined plate to absorb excess oil. Set aside.
4. Discard most of the cooking oil leaving 1 teaspoon of it in the pan. Bring to medium heat high heat and add garlic, carrots, broccoli, and snap peas. Mix for a few minutes. Pour in water and let this simmer so that the greens turn vibrant and soften. (In the video, I added the water in 3 servings but I realized this wasn’t necessary, you can add it in all at once)
5. Once the vegetables soften, gently mix back in fried tofu and allow it to sink to the bottom so it absorbs the liquids becoming soft again. Cook for 5 minutes until tofu is soft.
6. Lower the heat to medium. Whisk your stir fry sauce again in the bowl to pick up the cornstarch that has fallen to the bottom and pour over vegetables and tofu. Gently mix until everything is incorporated.
7. Raise heat to high and reduce and thicken the sauce until it’s no longer runny, about another 8-9 minutes. Monitor the sauce for desired thickness. Transfer dish to serving plate and enjoy hot!