Tuesday, January 12, 2010

Basil Tofu

In addition to salads, stir fries are an excellent hot-weather meal. They don't take much prep, they're quick to cook and they don't leave you with a too-full feeling.

Onions, garlic, capsicum, carrots, bok choy, mushrooms, and zucchini provide a wide variety of flavours, textures, and nutrients. Frozen tofu, thawed and squeezed and then marinated in a mixture of soy sauce, chilli, palm sugar, and rice vinegar provided a chewy and filling focal point. Steamed jasmine rice made a good, if nutritionally depauperate base. And whole, fresh basil leaves from the garden added a certain je ne sais quoi, elevating this from a simple stir-fry to a fancy-pants dinner.

9 comments:

Vaala ◪ said...

I agree totally - I'm completely living on salads and stir fries at the moment...even for breakfast!

Bianca said...

It's totally cold here, but I could still go for a stir-fry. That's good food for all seasons.

Anonymous said...

i can't wait till summer gets here so i can enjoy fresh basil again! that stir fry looks amazing

DJ said...

That sounds delicious - and I'm loving the stir-fry too!

x said...

Salads and stir fries are a great idea, it is so hot at the moment!

Dee said...

I hardly ever buy tofo, bit now that I know the freezing and squeezing trick it is on the list! I want a few veggie meals a week, and this looks marvelous.

I nominated you on the bloggies for best cooking blog. I don't suppose you will win against some famous chef, but yours is my fav!

Theresa said...

Freezing tofu is great for marinating, because the water expands and when you squeeze it out the gaps stay and soak up the marinade like a sponge :) Thanks for the nomination Dee, that's so sweet! And hey, if you ever want to flip through some vegan cookbooks for inspiration, I've got a fair stack!

The Vegan Snorkeler said...

Stir fry with fresh basil...yum! I can't wait for basil growing weather up here!

Mike K said...

I live on stir frys in the summer, for exactly that reason. This looks delicious - I miss fresh basil too, and great variety of veggies and flavors. Num!