The Chinese Vegan Kitchen (31 page)

Remove the tofu, reserving marinade. Thread the tofu on 4 (12-inch) or 8 (6-inch) bamboo skewers, alternating pieces with zucchini, bell peppers, mushrooms, and jalapeños. Brush evenly with the remaining 1 tablespoon sesame oil.

Prepare a medium-hot charcoal or gas grill, or preheat a broiler. Position an oiled grill rack or oven rack 4 to 6 inches from the heat source. If broiling, lightly oil a large baking sheet and set aside. Alternatively, place a nonstick stovetop grilling pan with grids over medium-high heat.

Grill or broil the tofu kebabs until nicely browned, 8 to 10 minutes, turning frequently and basting with the reserved marinade. Transfer to a warmed serving platter and serve at once, garnished with fresh cilantro sprigs, with the hoisin sauce passed separately.

{PER SERVING} (without sauce) Calories 233 • Protein 13g • Total Fat 13g • Sat Fat 2g • Cholesterol 0mg • Carbohydrate 22g • Dietary Fiber 6g • Sodium 467mg

Tea-Marinated Lemon Tofu over Rice

This simple yet sophisticated recipe is steeped in inspiration from my beloved student Ada, who gave me the gifts of tea from her small hometown and love from her big heart. While I highly recommend using the specialty tea of Yuanling County (nestled in the northwestern region of Hunan Province) if you are lucky enough to find it, any good-quality tea can be used with success.

MAKES 4 SERVINGS

1 pound firm or extra-firm tofu, drained

Juice of 1 medium lemon (3 tablespoons)

3 teaspoons black or green tea leaves

3 large cloves garlic, finely chopped

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teaspoon salt

Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

2 tablespoons vegetarian oyster sauce or mushroom soy sauce, plus additional, to serve

1 tablespoon water

1 teaspoon toasted (dark) sesame oil

1 tablespoon peanut oil

2 scallions, green parts only, thinly sliced

3 cups hot cooked rice

Place the tofu on a deep-sided plate or shallow bowl. Top with a second plate and weight with a heavy can. Let stand for a minimum of 15 minutes (preferably 1 hour). Drain off the excess water. Cut into 1-inch cubes.

In a medium bowl, combine the tofu, 2 tablespoons lemon juice, 2 teaspoons tea leaves, garlic, salt, and pepper; toss until tofu has absorbed most of the lemon juice. Cover and marinate 30 minutes at room temperature, stirring a few times. Alternatively, refrigerate 1 hour or overnight.

In a small bowl, combine 1 tablespoon oyster sauce, water, and remaining 1 teaspoon tea leaves; microwave on high 10 seconds, or until a boil is reached. Cover and let steep 5 minutes. Strain the mixture into another small bowl and discard the leaves. Stir in
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tablespoon lemon juice,
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tablespoon oyster sauce, and sesame oil and set aside.

In a wok or large nonstick skillet, heat the peanut oil over medium-high heat. Add the tofu mixture (do not drain) and cook, tossing and stirring constantly, 2 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium-low and add the oyster sauce–tea mixture; cook, stirring constantly, 2 minutes. Add the remaining
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tablespoon lemon juice, remaining
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tablespoon oyster sauce, and the scallion greens and cook, stirring, 1 to 2 more minutes. Serve at once, over the rice, with additional oyster sauce passed separately.

{PER SERVING} Calories 323 • Protein 14g • Total Fat 10g • Sat Fat 2g • Cholesterol 0mg • Carbohydrate 45g • Dietary Fiber 2g • Sodium 592mg

Braised Tofu and Vegetable Hot Pot

Hot pot, also known as steam boat or fire pot, is a perennial favorite throughout China—I encountered vegetarian variations in Changsha, Beijing, Hong Kong, Shanghai, and Xi’an. Essentially, a large pot is place on a burner in the center of the table and everyone cooks their own food. A fondue pot with a burner, a saucepan
placed on a portable burner, or an electric wok or frying pan are needed for the following recipe. Feel free to experiment with your favorite veggie combinations and dipping sauces. Most of all, have fun!

MAKES 4 SERVINGS

1 pound extra-firm tofu, drained

1 tablespoon peanut oil

3
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cups water

2 tablespoons reduced-sodium soy sauce

1 tablespoon dark brown sugar

1 tablespoon toasted (dark) sesame oil

4 cups low-sodium vegetable broth

1 carrot, thinly sliced

1 stalk celery, thinly sliced

2 scallions, thinly sliced

1 tablespoon chopped fresh ginger

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teaspoon black peppercorns

4 small heads baby bok choy/Shanghai bok choy (about
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pound), root ends trimmed about
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inch, each cut lengthwise into quarters

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pound fresh snow peas, trimmed

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pound fresh shiitake, cremini, or cultivated white mushrooms, stemmed and quartered

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pound fresh enoki (golden needle) mushrooms, separated into small clusters

Sherry-Ginger Dipping Sauce, below

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pound dried rice noodles, flat (stir-fry or linguine-style) or thin (vermicelli-style), or dried cellophane noodles (mung bean threads)

Place the tofu on a deep-sided plate or shallow bowl. Top with a second plate and weight with a heavy can. Let stand for a minimum of 15 minutes (preferably 1 hour). Drain off the excess water. Cut into 1-inch cubes.

In a wok or large nonstick skillet, heat the peanut oil over medium-high heat. Add the tofu and cook, stirring, until browned on all sides, 5 to 7 minutes. Remove wok from heat. Add
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cup water, soy sauce, sugar, and sesame oil; cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until tofu has absorbed most of the sauce, about 2 minutes. Transfer tofu to a serving plate; set aside.

In a medium stockpot, bring the broth, remaining 3 cups water, carrot, celery, scallions, ginger, and peppercorns to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to medium and cook, uncovered, 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

To serve, arrange the bok choy, snow peas, shiitakes, and enoki mushrooms on serving plates, along with the braised tofu. Place equal amounts (about
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cup) of the dipping sauce in each of 4 soup bowls. Transfer the boiling broth to a fondue pot or saucepan and place on a heating unit; adjust heat to maintain a simmer. Using chopsticks or a fork, direct each diner to add pieces of vegetables and tofu to the hot broth and cook them for about 2 minutes, or until vegetables are tender and tofu is heated through. Each diner removes his food with chopsticks or a slotted spoon, dips the pieces in the sauce in his bowl, and eats. When the vegetables and tofu are nearly finished, the noodles are added to the broth (return it to a boil), along with the remaining vegetables and tofu; they are cooked 3 to 4 minutes, or until noodles are al dente. The contents of the hot pot are divided equally among the bowls containing the remaining dipping sauce, and the soup is eaten.

{PER SERVING} (without sauce) Calories 463 • Protein 25g • Total Fat 13g • Sat Fat 2g • Cholesterol 0mg • Carbohydrate 66g • Dietary Fiber 9g • Sodium 889mg

SHERRY-GINGER DIPPING SAUCE

This dark, rich dipping sauce is one of my favorites.

MAKES ABOUT 1 CUP

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cup reduced-sodium soy sauce

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cup dry sherry

2 tablespoons dark brown sugar

2 teaspoons toasted (dark) sesame oil

4 scallions, green parts only, thinly sliced

1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh ginger

In a small bowl, combine all ingredients, stirring until the sugar is dissolved. Serve at room temperature.

{PER SERVING} (per tablespoon, or
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⁄
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of recipe) Calories 18 • Protein 0g • Total Fat 1g • Sat Fat 0g • Cholesterol 0mg • Carbohydrate 2g • Dietary Fiber 0g • Sodium 201mg

Caramelized Tofu with Walnuts

This exquisitely sweet northern-style tofu dish is delicious served with steamed fresh broccoli, brown rice, and a bowl of fresh mandarin oranges for dessert. Slivered almonds or chopped peanuts can replace the walnuts, if desired.

MAKES 4 SERVINGS

16 ounces extra-firm tofu, drained

2 tablespoons peanut or canola oil

4 large cloves garlic, finely chopped

1 cup water

6 tablespoons light brown sugar

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cup chopped walnuts

Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Place the tofu on a deep-sided plate or shallow bowl. Top with a second plate and weight with a heavy can. Let stand for a minimum of 15 minutes (preferably 1 hour). Drain off the excess water. Cut into 1-inch cubes.

In a wok or large nonstick skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the tofu and cook, stirring, until golden brown, 6 to 8 minutes. Add the garlic and cook, stirring constantly, 30 seconds. Add water and brown sugar and let come to a simmer, stirring constantly until reduced and caramelized, 5 to 8 minutes. Remove from heat and add the chopped walnuts, salt, and pepper, stirring well to combine. Serve at once.

{PER SERVING} Calories 275 • Protein 11g • Total Fat 17g • Sat Fat 2g • Cholesterol 0mg • Carbohydrate 24g • Dietary Fiber 2g • Sodium 17mg

Tofu and Mixed Vegetable Stir-Fry

Serve this classic stir-fry over brown rice for the quintessential wholesome Chinese vegan meal, or splurge and present it over the Crispy Noodle Pancake (
page 17
). All of the ingredients can typically be found in well-stocked Western supermarkets—if vegetarian oyster sauce or mushroom soy sauce is unavailable, substitute with 1 tablespoon of black bean sauce and use an additional
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tablespoon of reduced-sodium soy sauce in the recipe. For a milder dish, use half the amount of crushed red pepper flakes, or omit altogether.

MAKES 4 SERVINGS

1 pound firm or extra-firm tofu, drained

1 cup reduced-sodium vegetable broth

2 tablespoons reduced-sodium soy sauce

2 tablespoons vegetarian oyster sauce or mushroom soy sauce

1
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tablespoons cornstarch

1 tablespoon plain rice vinegar

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tablespoon toasted (dark) sesame oil

1 teaspoon sugar

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teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, or to taste

Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

1
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tablespoons peanut oil or canola oil

1 small onion (about 4 ounces), sliced into thin half-rounds

1 small red bell pepper (about 4 ounces), thinly sliced

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tablespoon finely chopped fresh ginger

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

4 ounces fresh shiitake or cultivated white mushrooms, stemmed and thinly sliced

4 ounces fresh broccoli florets, cut into bite-size pieces

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cup shredded carrot

4 ounces fresh snow peas, trimmed

1 (8-ounce) can sliced water chestnuts, drained

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cup chopped fresh cilantro (optional)

Place the tofu on a deep-sided plate or shallow bowl. Top with a second plate and weight with a heavy can. Let stand for a minimum of 15 minutes (preferably 1 hour). Drain excess water. Cut into
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-inch cubes.

In a small bowl, whisk together the broth, soy sauce, oyster sauce, cornstarch, vinegar, sesame oil, sugar, red pepper flakes, and pepper until thoroughly blended; set aside.

In a wok or large nonstick skillet, heat 1 tablespoon peanut oil over medium-high heat. Add the tofu and cook, stirring often, until nicely browned, 6 to 8 minutes. Transfer tofu to a plate and set briefly aside. Add remaining
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tablespoon peanut oil, onion, bell pepper, ginger, and garlic to the wok; cook, stirring constantly, 1 minute. Add the mushrooms, broccoli, and carrot and cook, stirring constantly, 2 minutes. Add the snow peas and water chestnuts and cook, stirring constantly, 1 minute. Return the tofu, stir in the broth mixture, and let come to a brisk simmer, stirring. Reduce the heat to medium and cook, stirring, until thickened, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in the cilantro, if using. Serve at once.

{PER SERVING} Calories 268 • Protein 16g • Total Fat 13g • Sat Fat 2g • Cholesterol 0mg • Carbohydrate 27g • Dietary Fiber 6g • Sodium 771mg