It's Not Takeout: Recipe for Honey Soy Stir-Fry with Tofu

I'm putting my foot in my mouth while writing this post, because anyone that has gone out to dinner with me in the past few years can tell you that I don't love Asian food. I know what you're thinking. A food blogger condemning a whole continent worth of cuisine? Who do I think I AM?

I always used to like Chinese food. In fact, I would dominate the vegetable lo-mein when my family ordered takeout. When I first moved to New York, I dabbled in sushi but I just can't get my head around the fact that they don't cook the food. Thai food is neither here nor there - if you put Thai food in front of me, I'd likely eat it, but I wouldn't choose it if I had other options.

So, I even surprised myself when I came home one night craving stir-fry. I had soy sauce in the fridge from a marinade I concocted over the summer and I thought honey might go well ith soy sauce. I raided the fridge of a bunch of miscellaneous vegetables - including red cabbage and cauliflower, two untradtional stir-fry vegetables and tossed them in a big stir-fry pan that I received as a gift years ago and had never once used.

Honey Soy Stir-Fry with Tofu
(Serves 4)

Ingredients:

(Sauce)
2 Tbsp. canola oil
1/4 cup reduced-sodium soy sauce
4 Tbsp. honey
1 tsp. minced garlic
1/4 - 1/2 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth
2 Tbsp. corn starch

(Stir-Fry)
4 oz. extra-firm tofu
2 cup chopped red cabbage
2 cups fresh chopped cauliflower florets
2 cup baby carrots, sliced diagonally
1/2 medium green pepper
1/2 medium yellow pepper
1/2 medium orange pepper
1/2 medium red pepper

Directions:

1. Heat canola oil over medium-high heat and sautee garlic until fragrant. Add carrot, onion and cauliflower and coat with about 1/2 of the soy sauce and 2 Tbsp. honey. Cook on medium-high heat. Toss to coat with sauce and cook until cauliflower begins to brown.

2. Add red, green, orange and yellow pepper, cook about 5 minutes or until tender, stirring continuously. Add red cabbage and the rest of the soy sauce and honey.*

3. When onions have become translucent and all vegetables are tender, add chicken broth and corn starch and stir until sauce begins to thicken and coat vegetables. Cook on medium-high until vegetables are brightly colored and crisp.

Serve on top of brown rice or with rice noodles. Serves 4.

*For a sweeter sauce, you can add more honey to taste. If you like a savory, saltier sauce, you can go a little heavier on the soy sauce because some of it will evaporate as you cook.

Comments

[grace]

the child in me is smitten with all the pretty colors, and the adult is loving the health aspects of your creation. bravo. :)

[Jessica]

I'm not a huge stir fry fan but I will eat it if it's made. Chinese food is so hard to enjoy sometimes because it can be ruined so easily. I still haven't found great Chinese places in Chicago that are cheap and really good.

[alexandra's kitchen]

You don't like Asian food!!?? kidding kidding. It's perfectly OK to not like certain foods. This stir-fry sounds delicious. I use a similar recipe and i'm glad to see your recipe b/c I always wonder if I am way off the mark. Anyway, I could eat stir-fried veggies every night of the week!

[susan]

I love stir fry - thanks for this recipe!