Hey folks,
It’s Kevin here today.
This Szechuan vegetables and tofu is a recipe
that I wanted to share with you for a while.
So I thought I would take the opportunity
for the first time today to actually walk
you through the steps.
It’s an easy recipe and, best of all, it’s
cooked in just one pan.
This dish is not overly hot and is in fact
well balanced with every thinkable flavour
and texture mingled in one dish.
I hope you’ll like it.
So, let’s get started.
First place the shiitake and the woodear mushrooms
in a small bowl.
Cover with hot water and let soak while we
prepare the other ingredients.
Cut the tofu into cubes of about 1.5 cm or
1/2 inch.
We are using firm tofu for this dish.
If you wish to make this dish soy-free, skip
the tofu or replace with meaty mushrooms like
portobello.
Peel the carrot if you wish then slice it
into thin half moons.
As usual, you’ll find the list of ingredients
and the printable recipe on our website.
Check the description below the video for
the link.
Slice the courgette or zucchini into rather
thin half moons too.
Remove the stem and seeds of the yellow bell
pepper.
Then cut it into cubes of about 2 to 3 cm
or an inch.
You can also use red or green bell peppers
depending on your preference.
For the spring onions or scallions, chop the
white part and keep it separate.
Then finely chop the green part.
Cut the tomato into large chunks.
Place the tomatoes into a blender or use a hand
blender to process them to a puree.
You can also use canned tomato puree if you
prefer.
Set the tomato puree aside for now.
By now the woodear mushrooms should be rehydrated.
Cut them into small pieces.
You can find both shiitake and woodear mushrooms
at an Asian grocery store.
If you’ve watched one of our previous Asian
grocery hauls, you would probably remember
these.
Else you can also buy them online.
Leave the shiitake to continue soaking in
the water.
We will use this water later in the sauce.
I am using about 4 cloves in this recipe.
Many Szechuan dishes call for Sichuan peppercorns.
If you can find it, substitute the cloves
for the Sichuan peppercorns.
In this case, check the printable recipe on
our website for the correct measurements.
Pound or grind the cloves.
A manual spice grinder is quite handy for
this as it can grind a small amount of spice.
We’ll leave a link below the video where
you can find the one that we are using.
Now that we have everything prepared, let’s
start making the dish.
In a wok or sauté pan, heat 2 tablespoons
of oil on medium temperature.
Add the ground cloves (or Sichuan peppercorns),
roast for about 10 seconds.
Then add the star anise and the dried red
chilli.
Roast for about 20 more seconds.
This will flavour the oil and is crucial to
give this dish its unique aroma and taste.
Next add the ginger-garlic paste followed
by the white part of the spring onions.
Stir fry for another minute.
Add the chilli paste.
I am using sambal oelek, you can use any other
chilli paste or chilli bean paste like gochujang.
Add in the tofu pieces.
Stir fry until tofu is slightly crispy on
all sides.
This should take about 10 minutes.
Add a little of the shiitake water if the
tofu is sticking to the pan.
Next add the carrots first, as they will take
a little longer to cook than the other vegetables.
Add a little of the shiitake water and stir
fry for about 3 minutes.
At this stage, you can add the tomato puree
and sauté for about 2 - 3 minutes.
Next add the courgette and bell peppers.
Stir fry for another minute.
Some Chinese cooking rice wine really adds
that distinct oomph to the dish with a pleasant
nutty undertone.
You’ll find it at any Asian grocery store
or also online.
Or else you can replace it with a dry Sherry
or just leave it out.
Now add a touch of balsamic vinegar and the
sugar.
Dilute the potato starch in the rest of the
shiitake water.
Add this mixture to the pan and stir immediately.
The sauce will thicken quickly.
Add more water if required to make more sauce.
Add the soy sauce, about 3 – 5 tablespoons
to taste and for colour.
Now add the woodear mushrooms and the bean
sprouts.
You can add the mushrooms earlier if you wish.
But we like them a little crunchy so we prefer
to add them towards the end.
And by the way, we also added in some red
bell peppers for colour.
The soy sauce and chilli paste that we’ve
used already have enough salt for our taste.
So, adjust the salt if necessary to your taste
(or use more soy sauce).
Serve over rice or noodles and garnish with
the remaining green spring onions.
This dish is really quite easy to make and
it is very tasty, just like I remember it
from the restaurants where we’ve had this
before.
If you’ve enjoyed this video, please give
us a thumbs up.
And if you try it at home, send us a picture
and tag us on social media.
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recipe on the blog.
Don’t forget to check our website for the
printable recipe.
We’ve included some tips for gluten-free
and soy-free options.
Until next time, have a great week.
Bye.
