2For66

Cook date: April 25, 2021

UPDATE: April 25, 2021 10:30 PM. I forgot to include links to the recipes for this dish.

• The original recipe comes from Spark Recipes.
• My updated recipe with the separate tofu stir frying is here.

So, I’m about a month behind writing about my cooking and reading. The easing pandemic restrictions coupled with our both being vaccinated resulted in us getting out more. We’ve enjoyed our new, limited, freedom so much, my writing has taken a back seat to engaging in life. Let’s see if I can get caught up.

This is the third time I’ve made this bean curd and mushrooms in oyster sauce; my earlier cooks (once in February 2016 and once in June 2020) were good. Since then I’ve learned more about cooking tofu and how to better stir fry. So when the kids came over for Sunday dinner I used a slightly different method.

Let’s get into it. The first step is to press the tofu between paper towels to dry the tofu, then cut it into ½-inch cubes – more or less, this isn’t science.

It is essential to prep your ingredients and have them ready – aka mis en plaçe – when stir frying because everything moves quickly once you are done prepping and cooking.

We are ready to start.

In the past, I stir-fried the mushrooms, then added the tofu and sauce. The final dish is nice, but tofu has no texture and cooking it that way doesn’t help that problem. So, following general stir-fry methods I mixed things up. First I tossed the tofu in cornstarch – like I do when cooking in the oven.

Then, heat the wok; once it is hot, take the pan off heat pour a couple of tablespoons of vegetable oil down the sides and GENTLY swirl. Be careful not to swirl so hard that some oil drips into the stove flames – that would be BAD.

Then, stir-fry half the tofu. Even extra firm tofu will crumble if handled too roughly. Carla was cooking hot dogs for the little guys; like Diane and Mike T they aren’t tofu fans. Remember the cornstarch; I should have worn an apron.

When the first batch is done, remove it to a wire rack inside a sheet pan that is lined with newspaper or paper towels. Wipe out the pan, reheat it, and add more oil. Here is the second batch of tofu after crisping in the wok.

This method – a first for me – did a great job of turning out tofu that was crispy on the outside but creamy inside. And it wasn’t too oily. Cooking over a high heat and draining on a wire rack really helped. You can use a nonstick skillet, but you can’t get it as hot as a wok.. With the tofu cooked, it’s time to start on the mushrooms.

Stir fry the mushrooms with the garlic and ginger in a bit more oil.

My son had the camera and thought it would be a good idea to get a picture of me.

When the mushrooms are cooked, add the tofu back in along with the oyster sauce and soy sauce mixture. Stir to combine.

It will all heat up in such a couple of minutes. Serve alongside some rice (Jasmine coconut here), and maybe a vegetable; we love daikon radish Kimchi even though the Korean dish doesn’t exactly match up with this Chinese stir fry.

Dinner is served

Rating: ★★★★ 4 stars. My daughter-in-law, who has been eating my various attempts at cooking tofu over the past year reported that this tofu has the best flavor and texture of any of my other dishes – even more than the previous best which was deep fried tofu with broccoli. YES!

For an extra win, the wok has such deep sides and uses just a bit of oil, so the stovetop doesn’t get spattered with too much oil. Still don’t want to fry tofu? I’ll have an update on getting crisp and flavorful tofu from the oven in an upcoming post.