Tofu and mushrooms with bean sprouts and spinach

I like vegetables but I’m not really a raw vegetable salad person. And I like more than greens in my vegetable dishes. I like colors and textures and an interplay of shapes and sizes. This dish, for me, satisfies all those requirements.

Spinach and mung been sprouts take very little time to cook. Take care not to overcook them so that they don’t turn mushy.

I used sliced white button mushrooms but, if you have some, shiitake would be an even better choice. If using dried mushrooms, rehydrate before adding to the pan (see how to cook with dried mushrooms).

Serves four.

Ingredients:

1 300-g. block of firm tofu, cut into half-inch cubes
200 g. of mung bean sprouts, rinsed and drained
200 g. of spinach, rinsed, drained and roughly chopped
150 g. of mushrooms, sliced
4 cloves of garlic, peeled and minced
1 onion, peeled and sliced
a thumb-sized piece of ginger, julienned
cooking oil, about 2 c.
3 tbsps. of oyster sauce
salt
pepper
sesame seed oil

Heat the cooking oil. When smoking, add the tofu cubes and fry until golden (see tips to prevent tofu from sticking to pan).

Scoop out the tofu and drain on paper towels.

Pour off the cooking oil until only about two tablespoonfuls remain.

Reheat the oil. Add the ginger, garlic and onion and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.

Add the mushrooms. Stir fry for 30 seconds.

Add the spinach.

And the mung bean sprouts. Stiry fry just until the vegetables lose volume, about one minute.

Season with salt and pepper. Pour in the oyster sauce.

Add the fried tofu. Stir fry for another 30 seconds or just until the tofu cubes are heated through and the seasonings are well-distributed. Turn off the heat, drizzle with a little sesame seed oil and serve at once.

To make sure that the vegetables do not turn soggy, use tongs to transfer the stir fried dish to individual plates or bowls, leaving the liquid behind. Do not throw away the very flavorful liquid. Strain, cool and set aside. Tomorrow, I’ll show you how to make good use of it.