blades
Senior Member
We are all familiar with the 4 basic food tastes - bitter, sweet, sour and salty. The Japanese have added a fifth that they call Umami. Umami translates, if I may coin a word, to savoryness. Foods that have umami share some chemicals and receptors in common. These foods are things like meat, cheese and a number of other foods including soy beans and soya products. These products are not only healthy but also tasty when added to our cusisine. This dish provides some soy derived umami with tofu, edamame, soy sauce and, if you choose the sauce below, miso.
Ingredients - Marinade/Stir fry sauce
3 tbsp white miso or red miso if you prefer
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup water
2 heaping tbsp corn starch or other thickener of your choice
1 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp garlic powder
2 tbsp rice vinegar
1 tsp sesame oil
Ingredients - Stir fry
Marinade/stir fry sauce
1 12 oz brick marinated and baked extra firm tofu
6 oz frozen edamame
4 oz Chinese rice noodles
Other vegetables as you prefer. The stir fry pictured includes:
12 oz baby corn
2 stalks bok choy sliced
1/2 yellow onion sliced
1 red bell pepper sliced
1 cup cauliflower cut into bite size pieces
Instructions
Start by pressing the tofu. I placed it on a triple layer of paper towel with a sheet of paper towel on top and a cast iron pot on top of that. While the tofu is being pressed, prepare the marinade/sauce. I recommend the sauce listed above but, of course you can use one of your choice. Cut the tofu into bite sized pieces and place them in the bowl with the marinade and allow it to marinate for a couple of hours. The idea is to provide a burst of flavor as one bites into the tofu. Set the cooked tofu aside. Save the marinade since it will become the sauce for the stir fry.
At cooking time start by preparing the vegetables and heating the water to cook the rice or noodles that should accompany the stir fry. I baked them in an air fryer at 375F for 10 minutes. If you want the tofu on the crunchy side bake for 15 minutes. Lacking an air fryer you can pan fry the tofu or bake it in a 375F oven turning the pieces as they cook. No need to fuss with the tofu in an air fryer. It is common practice to dredge the tofu in corn starch before air frying but not necessary if you use the sauce above since it already contains corn starch.
Start cooking the rice or noodles. When the wok is hot, oil it lightly and add everything except for the tofu and the marinade/stir fry sauce and stir fry it. When the veggies are ready (about 10 minutes) add the tofu and the stir fry sauce and cook another couple of minutes. Serve and enjoy. Feeds 4 or 5. Here it is plated with Chinese rice noodles.
Ingredients - Marinade/Stir fry sauce
3 tbsp white miso or red miso if you prefer
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup water
2 heaping tbsp corn starch or other thickener of your choice
1 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp garlic powder
2 tbsp rice vinegar
1 tsp sesame oil
Ingredients - Stir fry
Marinade/stir fry sauce
1 12 oz brick marinated and baked extra firm tofu
6 oz frozen edamame
4 oz Chinese rice noodles
Other vegetables as you prefer. The stir fry pictured includes:
12 oz baby corn
2 stalks bok choy sliced
1/2 yellow onion sliced
1 red bell pepper sliced
1 cup cauliflower cut into bite size pieces
Instructions
Start by pressing the tofu. I placed it on a triple layer of paper towel with a sheet of paper towel on top and a cast iron pot on top of that. While the tofu is being pressed, prepare the marinade/sauce. I recommend the sauce listed above but, of course you can use one of your choice. Cut the tofu into bite sized pieces and place them in the bowl with the marinade and allow it to marinate for a couple of hours. The idea is to provide a burst of flavor as one bites into the tofu. Set the cooked tofu aside. Save the marinade since it will become the sauce for the stir fry.
At cooking time start by preparing the vegetables and heating the water to cook the rice or noodles that should accompany the stir fry. I baked them in an air fryer at 375F for 10 minutes. If you want the tofu on the crunchy side bake for 15 minutes. Lacking an air fryer you can pan fry the tofu or bake it in a 375F oven turning the pieces as they cook. No need to fuss with the tofu in an air fryer. It is common practice to dredge the tofu in corn starch before air frying but not necessary if you use the sauce above since it already contains corn starch.
Start cooking the rice or noodles. When the wok is hot, oil it lightly and add everything except for the tofu and the marinade/stir fry sauce and stir fry it. When the veggies are ready (about 10 minutes) add the tofu and the stir fry sauce and cook another couple of minutes. Serve and enjoy. Feeds 4 or 5. Here it is plated with Chinese rice noodles.
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