You Are Going to Love This Chinese New Year Recipe!

This is a recipe that Chief Cook picked up at the Senior Center, and it is a knock off of the Mongolian Beef at PF Chang’s but with tofu….

We are trying to get away from red meat, and she has almost converted me to tofu with just this one recipe.

I hope you enjoy it as much as we have.

• 3 tablespoons sesame oil
• 1 teaspoon fresh ginger, minced
• 2 tablespoons garlic, chopped
• ½ cup to one cup, low sodium soy sauce
• 1 cup water
• 1 1/4 cups dark brown sugar
• 2 (14 ounce) containers extra firm tofu
• 1/4 cup cornstarch mixed with some water or red wine
• 4 large green onions, cut into 2 inch slices
• 1 large  red bell pepper, cut into long slices about ¼ inch wide

Directions:

Remove tofu from water and thoroughly pat with paper towels to dry.

Slice tofu in half lengthwise, then quarter it by cutting it in half along the narrow sides. You will have four rectangles. Keep them together, then begin slicing 1/4" slices from the narrow end. You should end up with lots of pieces that measure just over 1" long and about 3/4" wide.

Put these pieces on a plate, sandwiched between paper towels, and press them dry. This should get most of the water out.

Heat sesame oil in a deep skillet over low/medium heat.

 Add ginger and garlic to the pan and lightly saute for about 30 seconds. Do not    scorch the garlic.

Add soy sauce and water.

Dissolve the brown sugar in the liquid, then raise the heat to medium high and boil sauce for about three minutes. It will thicken slightly. Remove from heat and cool slightly.

Put tofu strips inside of sauce and marinate them for 30-60 minutes. You can start your rice during this step, if you plan to use brown rice.

Use a colander to gently strain the liquid from the tofu. Keep the liquid in a bowl for the next step.

Add cornstarch to liquid and dissolve.

Gently place the tofu back into the skillet (or in a wok, if you'd like) and brown it on medium. Don't turn it too often, or it will break. You can add a small amount of sesame oil to help it along.

Add green onions, peppers and mushrooms to the skillet or wok.

   Pour sauce into the veggie mixture and heat, just until it's    nice and hot.

     Serve over brown rice or pad thai noodles.