Broccoli tofu stir-fry recipe with brown rice
Are you old enough to have one of those hippie-dippie days, when you listen to Rubber Soul (on Pandora), throw on a poncho (or a hoodie), go shopping in your Earth Shoes (Birkenstocks?), and get an irrational craving for "health food"? I had one of those 1960s days recently, which might have inspired this broccoli tofu-stir fry with brown rice. I used to cook something just like this on a hot plate in my college dorm room.
This stir-fry packs a double whammy of broccoli (florets, and store-bought broccoli slaw), along with healthy soy tofu, ginger and brown rice. Peanuts add crunch, and sesame oil bumps up the nutty flavor. My friend Bob and I had leftovers for lunch the next day; by then, my hippie mood had passed, but the stir-fry was as good as ever.
Broccoli tofu stir-fry with brown rice
From the pantry, you'll need: brown rice, garlic, ginger root, sesame oil, reduced-sodium soy sauce, oyster sauce, roasted unsalted peanuts, cornstarch or arrowroot.
Serves 4.
Ingredients
1 cup brown rice
2 tsp vegetable, canola or peanut oil
1 large clove garlic, minced
1 tsp grated ginger root
3 cups broccoli florets
1 cup broccoli slaw (store-bought, or julienned broccoli stems)
8 oz extra-firm tofu, drained, cut into 1/2-inch dice
2 tsp sesame oil
2 Tbsp reduced-sodium soy sauce
1 Tbsp oyster sauce
1/2 cup roasted unsalted peanuts
1 Tbsp cornstarch or arrowroot, mixed with 2 Tbsp water
Directions
Cook the brown rice in a rice cooker, or on the stove top according to package directions (1 cup of rice to 2-1/4 cups of water). When the rice finishes cooking, remove pot from heat (or turn off the rice cooker), and let the rice sit, covered, while you prepare the vegetables.
In a wok, heat the oil over high heat. Add the garlic and ginger, and stir-fry for 30 seconds. Add the broccoli and broccoli slaw, and stir for 1 minute. Then add the tofu and sesame oil. Stir-fry for 1 minute. Pour in the soy sauce, oyster sauce and peanuts. Continue to stir-fry for 1 minute, then add the cornstarch (or arrowroot) mixture. The sauce will thicken almost immediately, and the dish is done.
Divide the rice between four individual serving bowls. Top with the broccoli-tofu mixture, and serve hot.
More tofu:
Tofu and green bean stir-fry with spicy peanut sauce, from The Perfect Pantry
Tofu, bok choy and portobello mushroom fried rice, from The Perfect Pantry
Tofu and vegetables with a honey-orange-ginger glaze, from Food Blogga
Seared tofu with shredded Brussels sprouts, from Macheesmo
Disclosure: The Perfect Pantry earns a few pennies on purchases made through the Amazon.com links in this post. Thank you for supporting this site when you start your shopping here.
Nostalgia and good taste -- perfect Sunday night menu!
Susan, I knew you'd understand exactly what kind of day I was having when I made this dish!
Oh dear, yes. I do remember. I crocheted my own poncho. Crocheted my daughter's poncho later. Am waiting for the call to chrochet my granddaughter's poncho.
And stirfry is still ... YUM!
And, in retirement, hubby and I have reverted to those days. Uncut hair. Jeans & t-shirts. Earth shoes -- which are great for old feet! LOL
Pat and April, you are among friends here! Crocheted ponchos, Earth Shoes... I'm smiling. And this stir-fry fits right in.
I still have my hippie college cookbooks!
Pam, I'm giggling!
I still cook from my college cookbooks -- Vegetarian Epicure/1972.
No Birkenstocks -- my toes point in the opposite direction of the shoe.
This looks great -- love the broccoli plus broccoli combo.
Not exactly the same music and clothing, but I get those kind of days too. I just bought some beautiful broccoli at the market yesterday and I'm thinking healthy stir-fry :)
Mary, my first copy of Vegetarian Epicure fell apart years ago, and I've replaced it with a new copy that is now falling apart, too. It's a classic that also reminds me of my earliest solo cooking efforts.
Ben, those kind of nostalgia days are fun, and always put me in a particular cooking mood. I'm delighted that my modern-day pantry still holds a lot of the ingredients I cooked with when I was in college.
I LIVED in my Birkenstocks! And I still have a few of those paisley bedspreads that we used as room dividers. You could buy them for $5 apiece on Shattuck in Berkeley. Thanks for the memory jog, Lydia. And the recipe!
Christine, we used those bedspreads to cover cartons and milk crates that subbed for dining tables and coffee tables, too!
Lydia - love memories of cooking in the dorm in college - I don't remember ever having something as good as this back then, but it's certainly a dish I'd enjoy today.
I am not of the same generation, but can definitely relate to he sentiment and the dish! We eat a very similar stirfry often. My kids love broccoli and peanuts!
Yum! I love my recipe for tofu stir fry:
http://www.cookeatdelicious.com/vegetables-recipes/tofu-stir-fry-recipe.html
but am always looking for new ones, can't wait to try yours! Thanks