CHILLI BROCCOLI & TOFU: Vegan, with carnikvore option; low fat, Easy

A dish to celebrate in all seasons: colourful, crispy, highly spiced and savoury Chilli Broccoli & Tofu (chicken option)...

updated Jan 25;original 2016

This crisp tasty Healthy Chinese dish is one that's suitable for vegans.
'Lively fresh clean plate with explosions of spicy flavours. Lovely!'  - Tester 

This dish was adapted from a recipe the blogger developed for a high-end accountancy firm bored with the usual salads.  Served cold, Chilli Broccoli was a popular choice at lunchtime and perfect for perking up the brain cells before returning to work.

67 tested this dish on a (middle-aged) boss who loves chillis but had never eaten tofu.  He tried the warm version and liked it - a lot - and is ready to try tofu again.

There are two stages involved in the prep but it's fundamentally a quick and easy dish.  Serve it hot with rice as a main course, or at room temperature as a salad. 

67 used tenderstem broccoli because it was a busy week and tenderstem needs little prep but other quick cooking veg like green beans or mange tout will also be fine. 

67 usually prefers firm tofu but be warned. In recent times, the preservatives in firm tofu (the kind that comes in pads, in water from Chinatown AND in waxed packets) seem to have changed.  Many tofu fans  - including the Blogger - now find firm tofu can produce unpleasant bloating and gas. For some, silken tofu is easier to digest  but in this recipe it will sadly fall apart when cooked. 

If you'd rather not  chance the tofu, replace with chicken breast or thigh.

Cost: £4.00'ish (Jan 25)
Serves: 4 as a main; more as a side 

Ingred:
   about 200gm/7oz tenderstem broccoli, bottoms trimmed and large stalks cut in two
    up to a dozen cherry tomatoes 
    80gms French beans, ends trimmed (opt)
   1 red chilli, de-seeded & without membranes, in long fine slices (allowing people who like the flavour but not the heat to avoid the chilli) 
     

     280 g/9oz firm tofu, cut in 4x4cm blocks (approximate is fine) and then half inch/1 cm slices (see photo)
     

     1.5 tbsp 25-30% (preferably reduced) salt soy sauce
     2 tbsp sherry/Shaoxing rice wine/white wine/grape juice
     1 tsp grated garlic OR 1/2tsp dried (opt)
     1 1/2 tsp fresh ginger OR 1/2 tsp dried
     2 tbsp stock or water

     sesame oil (opt)

     groundnut (peanut) or light veg oil    
     
     garnish: sesame seeds (opt)

Method:

1. Mix soy sauce, sherry/whitewine/grapejuice, garlic, ginger & chilli; set aside - this is the marinade
2. Cut tofu in  4x4cm blocks (approximate is fine) then half inch wide slices; place in a single layer in a shallow tray; add marinade.  Leave 20 mins.
3.  Slice bottoms off broccoli & peel stems;if usng green beans, top & tail
4.  Remove seeds & membrane from chilli; finely slice vertically,  set aside
5. Dry fry sesame seeds in a large frying pan over med heat until golden & toasty; tip into a bowl; set seeds & pan aside 
6. Once tofu has marinaded, put frying pan back over heat; turn to high; spray lightly with oil
7. When oil is smoking add broccoli in one go; stir fry for 1 min; add green beans if using & stir fry a further minute; tip into a bowl
8. Wipe the pan with a paper towel
9. Put pan back on the heat; turn up to high; add a thin slick of oil 
10. Drain tofu slices (saving marinade), place in pan in one layer (you may need to do this in batches); leave 1-2 mins to brown (check by lifting a corner with a fish slice); when golden and beginning to crisp, flip slices over & repeat; carefully transfer to a plate and keep warm
11. Return veg to the pan, heat still on high; add tomatoes; stir fry; after a minute, add a tablespoon or two of water; cover the pan and cook about 1-2 mins, shaking the pan frequently, until veg are done to your liking
12. Layer the vegetables with the tofu on a platter
13. Add a tablespoon or two of sesame oil to the marinade and pour over the mound of vegetables and tofu
14. Sprinkle liberally with toasted sesame seeds; serve warm over rice
15. If serving as a salad, cool to room temperature.  

Comments:
 'Lovely! It's lively and very refreshing.   I've never had tofu before - it absorbs flavours well - and I'm tempted to cook with it now. The tomatoes exploded in my mouth releasing a variety of spices and chillii flavours.' Political Agent

Tips:

• if using chicken, cook as with tofu
• diners with blood pressure issues should be served undressed salad with an individual portion of dressing diluted with a couple of tablespoons of stock or water 
• freeze leftover broccoli stems and leaves for soup stock                            

                       For more tofu dishes go to Nav Bar/Recipes/Vegetarian ...

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This recipe has been developed by B  Lee/ Bright Sun Enterprises and may not be reproduced, in any form, without the author's written permission.