Frugal Recipe of the Week: Broccoli & Tofu in Spicy Peanut Sauce

This Thai-influenced dish is my oldest daughter’s all-time favorite. She would happily eat it several times a week, for breakfast and lunch as well as dinner. I came across the recipe many years ago when looking through Molly Katzen’s The Enchanted Broccoli Forest, and the rest, they say, is history. I could probably make the sauce for this in my sleep now because I’ve made it so many times. It’s a very quick recipe to pull together, and is very amenable to variation (using chicken for the tofu, for example), but we prefer the tofu.

A great tip I learned from this recipe is after cutting the tofu into cubes, cover it with water, bring it to a boil and let it simmer for about 10 minutes. This “sets” the tofu so that it doesn’t crumble when you’re stir-frying it. I forgot this step when I made this the other day and the tofu looked more like scrambled eggs instead of nice, even cubes.

All the ingredients are low cost, and most, if not many, are items I have on hand in the pantry or refrigerator. Although the recipe calls for using broccoli stems and all, I typically make this when I find broccoli crowns on sale, or will buy a bag of fresh florets if I can get them at a decent price. This recipe really doesn’t work with frozen broccoli as it gets too mushy when you stir-fry it. Again, you can substitute chicken or pork for the tofu; just stir fry it first and then remove it from the pan while you cook the broccoli and onions. You can also adjust the spiciness of the sauce by adjusting the amount of cayenne or chili-garlic paste you add (we like it kind of spicy here).

I usually serve this over steamed brown basmati rice, because the flavor is so lovely with the broccoli-tofu-peanutty topping. Jasmine rice would also be yummy. I have also made just the sauce and then tossed it with noodles (spaghetti or rice noodles) for a simple main dish.

BROCCOLI & TOFU IN SPICY PEANUT SAUCE

1 pound firm tofu

1 pound broccoli

1-2 TBSP vegetable oil

2 cups sliced onion

1 TBSP fresh grated ginger

4 medium cloves of garlic, minced

3/4 tsp salt (optional)

2 green onions, minced

Spicy Peanut Sauce (recipe follows)

1 cup coarsely chopped peanuts (optional, especially if you use chunky peanut butter)

steamed rice (brown or white)

Cut the tofu into 1-inch cubes and put in a medium sauce pan; cover with water, bring to a boil and simmer for about 10 minutes. Drain and set aside.

Make the spicy peanut sauce and set aside.

Trim and discard the tough ends of the broccoli stems; shave off the tough skin on the stalks, then cut the stalks diagonally into thin slices. Cut the tops into small florets.

Heat a large wok or large skillet. After it a minute or two, add the oil and the onion slices. Cook for about 2 minutes over high heat.

Add the broccoli, ginger, garlic (and salt, if using). Continue to stir fry over high heat for about 5 minutes, or until the broccoli is bright green and just tender. Add the tofu cubes and the green onions, and stir-fry about 2-3 minutes more, until the tofu is (re)heated through.

Pour in the sauce, and stir until everything is coated. Serve immediately over rice, topped with the chopped peanuts (if desired).

SPICY PEANUT SAUCE

3/4 cup natural peanut butter

3/4 cup very hot (but not boiling) water

5-6 TBSP rice or cider vinegar

3 TBSP soy sauce

3 TBSP molasses or brown sugar

cayenne pepper or chili-garlic paste to taste

Mix the peanut butter into the hot water until well blended. Add the remaining ingredients and whisk together. If you use molasses, be sure to whisk the sauce again right before using because some of the molasses can settle at the bottom.

Advertisement