Sweet Chile Pineapple-Glazed Tofu with Mixed Veggie Stir Fry

http://spoonwithme.com/2011/10/16/sweet-chile-pineapple-glazed-tofu-with-mixed-veggie-stir-fry/

Doesn't that look absolutely delicious?! Well it is :) My family has named it their favorite stir-fry. I stumbled across the blog Spoon With Me a couple of weeks ago, and after browsing through her sight, I have a feeling it will be often visited.

Inspired by The Best International Recipe from Cook’s Illustrated

This recipe, like most stir fries, can be adapted to your tastes and what is fresh and available. The veggies are added based on how long they take to cook, and stir-fried until crisp-tender. Orange juice can be subbed for the pineapple juice, for a different spin.

I was out of carrots so I threw in some green beans and next time I'm going to add fresh ginger to the glaze.

Makes 4 servings (when served over rice)

I doubled the recipe because I have teen-aged son but I didn't double the cornmeal mixture for the tofu (and had plenty) and next time I won't double the glaze. It's yummy glaze, but my stir-fry was swimming in it.

Glaze:

• 1 cup pineapple juice
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 2-3 tablespoons chile garlic paste, such as sambal oelek (to taste depending on desired level of spiciness)*
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 2 teaspoons rice vinegar
• 1 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch

Tofu:

• 1 block medium-firm tofu (14 ounces), cut into 1-inch cubes
• 3/4 cups cornstarch
• 1/4 cup cornmeal
• salt to taste
• Canola oil, for frying

Stir Fry:

• 1 medium (or two small) onion, cut into bite-sized squares
• 1 red bell pepper, sliced into short strips
• 3 medium carrots, peeled and thinly sliced
• 1 small head broccoli or broccolini, cut into bite-sized pieces (the stem may be thinly sliced)
• 2 green onions, thinly sliced
• 1 tablespoon canola oil
• 1 tablespoon sesame oil
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce

For the glaze:

Whisk all of the glaze ingredients in a small saucepan. Cook over medium-high heat, whisking constantly, until the glaze bubbles and thickens. Cover and set aside.

Stir Fry the Vegetables:

Heat the oil in a wok, large frying pan, or saucepan. Add the onions, bell pepper, and carrot and cook for 4-5 minutes, stirring often, until almost crisp-tender. Add the broccoli, soy sauce and sesame oil. Cook for an additional 2 minutes, or until all the vegetables are crisp-tender.

Coat and Fry the tofu:

Place the tofu on a plate lined with a few layers of paper towels to drain. Place a few layers of paper towels on top of the tofu, and press gently to extract more of the moisture. Once drained, season the tofu with salt.

Mix the cornstarch with the cornmeal and salt in a small bowl. Fill a non-stick saucepan with 1 1/2 inches of canola oil, and heat over medium-high heat until shimmering.

Working in batches, toss the tofu in the cornstarch mixture to thoroughly coat. Fry the tofu immediately after coating until golden and crispy. Spread the tofu on a plate lined with a few layers of paper towels to drain.

Mix it all together:

Put the fried tofu into the wok with the vegetables. Pour the glaze over, and gently toss until thoroughly coated. Garnish with the green onion and serve while hot.

*Sambal Oelek can be found in the Asian aisle of most grocery stores

Recipe is copied from http://spoonwithme.com/ my comments are in bold.