Buddha's Delight

I decided last night while I was cooking to take some pictures and share what I made with you today. Don't mind the fact that it got kind of dark and so some of the pictures didn't turn out fantastic--Topher works late. Next time I'll go for daytime cooking. 

Anyway, this particular recipe comes from my favorite vegetarian cookbook. It's great because it has lots of pictures and simple how-to instructions for basic techniques and lots of great recipes. There are some cookbooks that I maybe use for one recipe or two, but this one is different. Love it. 

So. Buddha's Delight. It's vegan, it's low-fat, it's stir fry, and it's basically a whole meal. I made brown jasmine rice with it, and that's all we had. When Topher gets home from work so late, I don't like to make anything too heavy that I'll have to sleep on and will go straight to my derriere. I could have made egg drop soup to go with it, but I didn't. There you have that. 

What You Will Need

3 Tablespoons less-sodium soy sauce

1 Tablespoon dark sesame oil

1 Tablespoon rice vinegar

1 package water-packed extra-firm tofu

5 cups small broccoli florets

1/2 cup peeled, chopped broccoli stems

1 1/2 cups diagonally sliced carrots

2 Tablespoons canola oil

1 1/2 cups sliced green onions

1 Tablespoon grated peeled fresh ginger

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 cup snow peas, trimmed

1 (14 oz) can baby corn, drained

1 (8 oz) can sliced water chestnuts, drained

1/2 cup veggie broth

1 Tablespoon cornstarch

1/2 teaspoon salt

cooked rice

Note that I tweaked the veggie amounts because, for example, 5 1/2 cups of broccoli seems like waaay too much. 

Method

First I drained the tofu. You want it to be able to suck up all the marinade possible, and if it's waterlogged it won't do that very well. Cut it in half lengthwise or into strips widthwise, just so that it drains easier. You can either layer paper towels underneath and on top of the tofu, but I prefer kitchen towels because they absorb more and don't waste as much. (Note: don't use terrycloth, you don't want weird towel fuzz in your tofu--or maybe you do. Choose your own adventure.) Place a cutting board or tray on top with a couple cans or, as I used, a couple cartons of veggie broth. You don't want to actually Hulk Smash your tofu, so don't make it too heavy. Drain the tofu for about an hour. 

While you're waiting, go play with your ferrets. Oh wait, you might not have ferrets; in that case, play with yourself. Wait, that didn't sound so good. Just, you know what, forget it. Waste some time. 

Then make the marinade. Add the rice vinegar, soy sauce, sesame oil, and sugar to a dish with a lid. 

I decided after I dirtied a bowl that a shallow rectangular dish would allow the tofu to get more evenly coated, so I abandoned the former. That's okay, I hear Topher likes doing dishes. Let your tofu marinade covered in the fridge for about another hour. 

Next peel your carrots, ginger, and broccoli stems. Mmm, veggies.

Depending on what kind of rice you have, you'll want to start it and forget about it at some point. Some packaged rice cooks faster, but I like to have some bulk on hand. I used one cup of rice to two cups water. I brought it to a boil, stirred it once, covered it and turned it down to low and simmered it for maybe between 30-45 minutes? I don't know, it was until I could look through the lid and the water was absorbed, pretty much when the Delight was done. Then I fluffed it with a fork and let it sit for another 5ish minutes before I served it. 

Back to Veggie Land. Chop 'em up! I cheated and used a mini chopper to obliterate the garlic and ginger. It was a gift from my brother and sister-in-law one Christmas, and I initially thought, "I have a food processor, I don't need this gadget." But OH BOY was I wrong. Sometimes you don't want to bring out the big guns for something like garlic and ginger. Okay, a lot of times. ANYway, I know, I know, it said to grate the ginger. Well, I'm all about fast and easy, and honestly? It tasted just as good after I gave it a good choppin' in this mini guy.

Also, full disclosure: I double the garlic in just about every recipe I encounter. 

                                      

There. Easy peasy. 

                                      

You may notice I did NOT use 5 cups of broccoli etc. I don't know what kind of Iron Chef wok they used in the Cooking Light test kitchen, but I have a standard Ikea wok that doesn't fit that gargantuan amount of vegetables. Plus, you want them to, you know, cook. So I used about this much: 

Now you blanch the broccoli and carrots. 

To do this, add the broccoli and carrots to boiling water for 1 1/2 minutes, drain, then put them in a bowl filled with ice water and drain. 

Once I had finished all the rest of the prep work, it had been about 45 minutes, so I cheated and busted the tofu out of the fridge. The recipe calls for you to chop it into 1" cubes, but I wanted some big honkin' tofu hunks. Heat the canola oil in a wok over medium-high heat. Add the tofu, reserving the marinade for later, and stir-fry for about five minutes, or until it's lightly browned. 

Next add your green onions, ginger and garlic and stir-fry for another 30 seconds or so. 

Then the rest of the veggies! You're almost done! Let this cook for 1 minute or so; I cooked it for longer because the little pan and the vegetables were like a fat man in a little coat. Maybe that didn't make as much sense to you as it did in my brain; just cook it till it's hot. 

I don't have a picture of this last step because it's boring, but whisk together the broth and cornstarch. Add that, the reserved marinade, and salt. I added more soy sauce because I like it saucy. Bring it to a boil and cook and stir it for 2 1/2 minutes, or until it gets slightly thick. 

Serve it over your rice, and voila! 

Then have a glass of wine or your favorite non-alcoholic beverage. You deserve it.

Rarrr,

Jax