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This recipe was inspired by an Eating Well Pineapple Tofu stir-fry recipe. This recipe lends itself to whatever assortment of veggies you have available. Perfect for the over supply of zucchinis and peppers this time of year. The recipe for the sauce makes enough to cover 4-6 cups of chopped veggies. This would be good topped with roasted cashews or almond slivers.
Makes 4 servings
1 cup chopped fresh pineapple (or 1 tin pineapple tidbits drained - reserve the juice)
6 tbsp pineapple juice (or tropical juice blend if using fresh pineapple)
4 tbsp rice vinegar
2 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp ketchup
2 tbsp brown sugar
1/2 tsp sirachi hot sauce
1 package extra firm tofu, cut into 1cm cubes
2 tsp cornstarch
1 tbsp Canola or sesame oil
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp fresh ginger, finely minced
2 tbsp fresh lemon grass, finely minced
1 1/2 cups fresh snow peas
1 small zucchini, chopped (about 1 cup)
1 large sweet red pepper, chopped
Make the sauce by combining the juice, vinegar, soy sauce, ketchup, brown sugar and sirachi sauce.
Place the chopped tofu in a shallow container and toss with 1/4 cup of the sauce. Allow the tofu to marinate for at least 15 minutes.
Add cornstarch to the remaining sauce and set aside.
Heat the oil in a large fry pan or wok. Lift the tofu out of the marinade with a slotted spoon and fry in the hot oil. (Return any remaining marinade to the sauce you set aside) Cook the tofu, stirring occasionally, until the cubes are golden brown and a bit caramelized on most sides (about 10 minutes). Transfer the tofu cubes to a plate.
If the fry pan is now too dry, add another 1-2 tsp of oil. Add the garlic, ginger and lemongrass and fry until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the veggies to the fry pan and stir fry until they are tender crisp. Pour the sauce into the veggies and stir until thickened slightly, 30-60 seconds. Add the pineapple chunks and tofu to the veggies and toss until heated through, 1-2 minutes.
Serve on a bed of rice or noodles.
