I am not, nor have I ever been, a vegetarian. But I could easily cut meat, poultry and fish from my diet. Giving up eggs and dairy, however, is a different story.
Ironically, this spicy tofu stir-fry with coconut sticky rice doesn’t include any of the aforementioned foods – and it’s delicious. Cubes of bean curd and strips of bell pepper are sautéed and seasoned with a sweet and savory sauce and sprinkled with herbs. Serve the mixture alongside a pile of starch, and you’ve got yourself a fresh and filling meal.
But be warned: Spicy tofu stir-fry with coconut sticky rice packs heat! For a milder dish, halve the amount of serrano pepper or omit it completely.
Recipe adapted from Fitbit Blog.
Spicy Tofu Stir-Fry with Coconut Sticky Rice
Makes 4 servings
Ingredients
Coconut sticky rice:
- ¾ cup short-grain sticky rice
- 1 cup cold water
- ½ 13.5 oz. can light coconut milk
Spicy tofu stir-fry:
- 1 14-oz. package firm tofu
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil
- 2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
- 1 red bell pepper, cut into thin matchsticks
- 1 yellow bell pepper, cut into thin matchsticks
- 1 serrano pepper, thinly sliced crosswise (remove seeds for a milder dish)
- 3 tablespoons shoyu
- 3 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 1½ tablespoons honey
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
- 4 green onions, thinly sliced
- 8 fresh basil leaves, plus more for garnish
Instructions
Make the coconut sticky rice:
- Soak rice in cold water for 30-45 minutes. Drain.
- In a medium sauce pan, combine the rice, water and coconut milk. Bring to a boil, cover and then reduce heat to low. Simmer until the liquid is absorbed and the rice is tender, about 45 minutes. Remove from heat; let stand, covered, for 5 minutes.
Make the spicy tofu stir-fry:
- Remove tofu from package and place on a double layer of paper towels. Place two more paper towels on top of tofu and gently press with a fry pan (or another weight) to remove excess liquid. Let stand for about 15 minutes. Cut tofu into small cubes (about ¾ inch).
- Heat coconut oil and sesame oil in a fry pan over medium heat. Arrange tofu in the pan in a single layer and cook, turning occasionally, until browned all over.
- Add bell peppers and serrano pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until just tender, about 2 minutes.
- In a small bowl, combine the shoyu, rice vinegar, honey, garlic and ginger. Add to pan with green onions and cook, stirring occasionally, for 2 minutes. Gently fold in the basil. Serve with coconut sticky rice and garnish with additional basil.
Thanks for this delicious recipe. We’ve made it at least three times now and the flavors all blend perfectly. Plenty good even when we don’t use the serrano pepper or green onions. Also very pretty on the plate!
So glad you enjoyed the recipe (several times), Diane!