Meatless Monday: Tofu with Thai Basil Stir-fry

I was browsing through blogs a couple of weeks ago, and came across one that got me really excited. You may have heard of it- it's called Sea Salt with Food. Apparently it's quite popular, and Angie Tee does an amazing job not only with providing original and classic recipes, but also with the photography. Her shots make you just want to lick the screen.

Anyway, I found a bunch of recipes to try, and this is the first one I did, although I adapted it to what ingredients I had available, so it's different enough that I can say it's not really her recipe, but largely based off of it. Please see the original recipe to find out what I did differently. Mainly, I am not a huge fan of oyster or fish sauce, and I already had sesame oil available so I used that instead of peanut oil. I also could not find bird's eye chilies anywhere, so I used chile paste and that worked quite well. At any rate, this came out so good I ate the whole batch in one sitting. You read that right. And I was quite full and satisfied once I was through.

Tofu with Thai Basil Stir-fry
(serves 4)

Ingredients:

1 package 14 oz firm tofu
1/2 lb bok choy
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
Handful Thai basil
1/4 cup sesame oil + 2 tbsp
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp minced ginger
2 scallion stalks, diced
1 tsp red chile paste 
1/2 tsp corn flour
1 tsp sesame seeds
Salt and pepper to taste

Wrap the block of tofu in paper towels and press between to plates; place in fridge to drain overnight, or for at least 1 hour before preparation. Once the tofu is drained, slice into 3 pieces length-wise, then into 9 sections width-wise, so you have little squares like in the image below.

browned

Heat the 1/4 cup sesame oil in pan then add the tofu once hot. Fry the tofu on each side until golden brown. Set aside on paper towel to drain. Meanwhile, clear the pan (or use another pan) then heat the remainder of the oil over medium-low heat. Add the garlic and stir-fry until browned, then add the basil and bok choy, and cook, stirring, for about 2 minutes. 

stir-frying in the sun

Next, add the ginger, chile paste, soy sauce and corn flour, plus a little extra sesame oil if most has been drained from pan. Cook, stirring for another 3 minutes or until the flour is dissolved, and then add the tofu. Turn off heat and stir together until all components well-coated with the sauce. Serve with the scallion and sesame seeds on top, plus salt and pepper to taste. 

So, I'm on Instagram now, you can follow me @jkpherson

As amazing and delicious as this dish is, I'm sorry to say it's not exactly family-friendly due to the spiciness and "weird" ingredients. Of course, if you have kids who like Asian or already eat a typical Asian diet, then this should be no issue. To alter it to your family's tastes, omit the chile paste or replace the tofu with chicken. Using chicken would (obviously) not make it Meatless Monday-appropriate though.

This is going to be a new comfort food dish for me, I just know it.

Here are some other of the recipes I've bookmarked from Sea Salt just because they look too amazing not to share:

Bittersweet Chocolate Chips with Dolce de Leche Matzos Crunch

Japanese Beef Rolls with Scallion, Asparagus, and Enoki Mushrooms

Sweet Potato Ice Cream

Baked Eggs with Spicy Tomato Sauce

Lily did not have any and was not even interested in trying it. She had some stir-fried bok choy and broccoli instead with hummus and pita chips on the side. She is not a fan of tofu unless it is breaded and fried and no longer tastes like tofu.

Now, I have been trying to get a Meatless Monday recipe hop going, but have not had a whole lot of luck with that. So, I am not going to host a link-up today, BUT if you would like it if I did host one again, please let me know in the comments. This is not only because I am "giving up" for now, but also because I do not really have the time to promote it as well as I'd like to right now, but maybe I will in the future. I have seen other blogs have successful Meatless Monday link-ups, so I hope to one day too. I can wait though, and continue to focus more on the recipes, since that is what this blog is really all about.

Now, here is an adorable bonus picture of Lily from yesterday. She is clearly feeling much better :) 

Happy Monday! (if there is such a thing...)