Ginger Tofu Stir-fry

Stir-fry is an easy and delicious way to use up the veggies in your CSA share. In our house we usually have stir-fry the night before our new box comes with whatever odds and ends we still have from the week before. Most of the time I don’t even use a recipe, I just use these loose guidelines. Crisping the tofu and then adding it back to the pan keeps it from getting too soggy.

I don’t have a lot of process photos, because you have to move fast while stir-frying! Stir-frying is really easy, it’s just a few simple steps. The first step is getting all of the ingredients ready and close by. Get out your wok and high temperature oil of choice. I use a cast iron wok, it’s not traditional but I love it. It holds the heat really nicely. I use organic canola oil for most high temperature cooking. Get the wok really hot, then fry the tofu until golden, flipping once. Remove the from the pan, then add the vegetables. Add any other veggies that sound good with the ginger and onion tops, I used the bell pepper in this week’s share. You can also try squash, carrots, radishes, turnips, greens, and any other veggies in your share.

I only add soy sauce, and a little rice vinegar or lime juice to the stir-fry while I’m cooking it, then serve it with spicy condiments and extra soy sauce on the side. That way everyone can season the dish to their liking. I learned recently to cut the soy sauce that gets added to the pan 50/50 with water, the water evaporates quickly leaving just the soy sauce. It helps keep the dish from getting dry without getting to salty. If you must eat gluten free, look for gluten-free tamari. It’s fairly easy to find at natural and larger grocery stores. When the veggies are cooked through, add the tofu, stir a few times, and then turn down the heat. Add a tablespoon of rice vinegar or a squeeze of lime juice.  Serve with extra wedges of lime, and hot sauce.

Ginger Scallion Stir-Fry with Tofu (serves four)

1 lb tofu, water squeezed out, thinly sliced
Green tops from 1 bunch of onions or 1 bunch scallions. cut into 3 inch segments, sliced down the middle if very thick
2 tablespoons ginger, cut into thin slices, then stacked on top of each other and sliced
2 cups assorted vegetables, thinly sliced like green pepper, summer squash, carrots, turnips, radishes, etc.
2 tablespoons soy sauce (or gluten free tamari) cut with 2 tablespoons water
1 tablespoon rice vinegar or lime juice
canola oil

For serving: extra soy sauce, lime wedges, sriracha hot sauce

Heat a wok or sauté pan over high heat. Heat two tablespoons of the canola oil until shimmering. Add tofu to the pan, and cook a few minutes per side until golden. Remove tofu from the pan. Add more oil if necessary, then add ginger to the pan. Cook for about a minute, add remaining vegetables and soy sauce water mixture. Cook stirring frequently until veggies are cooked through, add tofu, stir to combine and turn off heat. Sprinkle with rice vinegar or lime juice. Serve over rice or stir-fry noodles.