Taste & Create XIV: Tofu & Vegetables in Black Bean Sauce

So I've finally done a Taste & Create!  I've only been telling Min I'd do it for ages. My partner was Pavani from Cook's Hideout.  I'm glad I was paired with her...  she has TONS of vegetarian dishes and I was thrilled to try some new things!  

The dish I'm posting about was Tofu & Vegetables in Black Bean Sauce.  It seemed really simple, fast, healthy and flavorful.  It certainly lived up to my expectation! It was spicier than I thought it would be but that was fine.  I followed Pavani's suggestion and used a frozen stir fry blend of veggies.  Mine had broccoli, snow peas, red peppers, water chestnuts, carrots, baby corn and bamboo shoots.  I also served it with brown rice.  I wasn't sure about the corn flour...  I used corn starch and it came out just fine.  I also didn't have fresh ginger so I used dry (maybe 1/2 tsp.)  Start to finish the meal took less than 30 minutes.  Sorry about the picture...  it certainly doesn't do the dish justice.

On a side note...  I also made Pavani's Eggplant Wraps.  When you get a chance, visit Cook's Hideout and check out the recipe!  It was fabulous!  

Ingredients:

Extra firm tofu - 16 oz. package, drained, chopped into bite size pieces.

Mixed vegetables - 2 cups (carrots, peppers, mushrooms, snow peas, onions, celery, etc... I used frozen snow pea stir fry blend.)

Black Bean Sauce - 2 Tbs.

Red Chili Flakes - 1 tsp.

Ginger - 1 tsp.

Garlic - 2 cloves, finely chopped

Soy Sauce - 3 Tbs.

Sesame oil - 1 tsp.

Corn flour - 2 tsp. (mixed in 1/4 cup water to make a slurry)

Method:

• Fry tofu in a little bit of oil, so that they are lightly browned evenly on all sides.  Remove and keep aside.  Skip this step if using baked tofu.
• Heat 1 Tbs oil in a wok or large pan, add ginger, garlic and chili flakes.  Stir fry for 30 seconds.
• Add the vegetables and black bean sauce, stir fry until the veggies are crisp tender, about 7-10 minutes.
• Add soy sauce, corn flour slurry and 1 cup water, cook for about 2 minutes until the gravy is thick. Serve with brown rice.