Sesame Orangeyaki Stirfry with Tofu

I've obviously been on a total citrus-teriyaki kick these days, trying to achieve a balance of the tastes and textures my fellow veggie and tofu loving mom and I both enjoy. When it's just the two of us for dinner, stir frying is generally the method of the day - we can add as many veggies as we want (without the "any meat?" comments from the peanut gallery) and it's relatively quick to whip up. Since we both really enjoyed the marinade from the Teriyaki Tofu "Jerky" and the sauce from the Saucy Simmered Teriyaki Tofu Bowl, I decided to use those as a base for an "everybody in the pool" saute.

This time, instead of adding water and simmering, I cooked all the veggies, along with two types of tofu, in toasted sesame oil for extra flavour, and opted for fresh ingredients over dehydrated ones both for better texture and the sake of saving me a trip to the store. Being able to make the broccoli, onions, celery and peppers just crisp-tender while the onions and mushrooms cooked a little more, and letting the garlic and ginger bloom without burning really made a difference! Since it didn't cook as long (and I didn't want the sauce to make soup), I thickened the mixture with a little cornstarch when I added it at the end.

Notice that I said I used two types of tofu - the types I'm referring to aren't regarding the firmness of the protein (i.e. silken vs. firm) or the form in which I bought it (dried vs. water packed vs. fried), but the actual beans each block was made from. I've fallen in love with the Korean-style black soybean tofu from VitaSoy I found at the Asian market, and decided it's distinctive nutty flavour would play well with the sweet, salty and bitter notes in the rest of the mixture and heighten the taste of the sesame oil. I knew, though, that Mom would probably go for the "regular" extra firm stuff she was used to more willingly, though, so I compromised with a block of each with excellent results. That said, either one alone is fine - it's all about using what you have after all!

Shared with Waste Not Want Not Wednesday and Gluten Free Fridays 

Sesame Orangeyaki Stirfry with Tofu
Serves 8 (more with rice!)

Tofu:
1 lb low-fat extra firm tofu, frozen, thawed, pressed and cubed
1 lb black soybean tofu (from Vitasoy / San Sui), frozen, thawed, pressed and cubed
1/4 cup raw sugar
1 tsp ground ginger
2 tsp garlic powder
2 tsp black pepper
1/4 cup tamari (I used San-J Black Label)
2 tbsp water
1 1/2 tbsp Sriracha
1 1/2 tbsp  unseasoned rice vinegar

Stir Fry:
2 tbsp toasted sesame oil
1 1/2 large sweet onions, diced
1 tbsp fresh-grated ginger
zest and juice of 2 oranges
2 cloves minced garlic
4 stalks celery, sliced
1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
10 cremini or button mushrooms, sliced
225 g broccoli florets
4 heads baby bok choi, sliced
2/3 cup Teriyaki Sauce (I used San-J)
1/2 cup Asian-style orange sauce (I used San-J Orange Sauce)
1 tbsp cornstarch
60 g chopped green onions

Tofu:

1. In a shallow, covered dish, combine the sugar, ginger, garlic, pepper, tamari, water, Sriracha and vinegar. Whisk well.
2. Add the tofu pieces and fold through, coating evenly.
3. Cover and marinate overnight.

Stir Fry:

1. Heat oil in a large saute pan or wok over high heat.
2. Drain the tofu and add to the pan in one layer.
3. Cook, without stirring, for one minute, then carefully stir in the onions, ginger, orange zest and garlic. Cook 5 minutes, until onions begin to soften.
4. Add the celery, bell pepper, mushrooms and broccoli. Cook 8-10 minutes, until softened.
5. Add the bok choi and cook 2 minutes.
6. While the vegetables cook, whisk together the orange juice, teriyaki and orange sauces, cornstarch and green onions.
7. Add to the hot pan and cook, stirring, until thickened.

Amount Per Serving
Calories: 293.8
Total Fat: 7.4 g
Cholesterol: 0.0 mg
Sodium: 1,271.9 mg
Total Carbs: 35.5 g
Dietary Fiber: 3.6 g
Protein: 20.6 g