Spicy Stir Fry and Coconut Rice

I love stir fry. Its quick and easy to prepare and is a good way to use up a variety of vegetables and sauces in your refrigerator. I made this stir fry last night and loved the finished product.

*Note to non-vegetarian/tofu-loving readers: this spicy stir fry would also be delicious if made with beef or chicken!

I first drained my tofu, then cut it up. I put all of the pieces on four layers of paper towels, covered with another four layers of paper towels, and put a cutting board and heavy object on top (I used a tea kettle full of water). Let sit for 10-45 minutes (however much time you have) - this removes the excess moisture from the tofu so that it can absorb the flavors of the marinade.

Then make your marinade - I whisked together 2 tablespoons of Sriracha hot sauce, 2 tablespoons of reduced sodium soy sauce, and about 1/2 tablespoon of honey.

Put the tofu pieces in a bowl and add the marinade, tossing tofu to coat.

Cover and put in refrigerator for up to eight hours. That's a lie. Eight hours was my original plan, but then I was sick and in no mood for anything other than smoothies and cream of wheat, so this actually sat in the refrigerator for close to 36 hours!

When ready to make, start with your rice. Normally I have brown rice, but I was all out, so I made jasmine rice instead. For my 2:1 (liquids:rice) ratio I subbed 1 cup of coconut milk for water, so I ended up using 1 cup water, 1 cup coconut milk, and 1 cup rice. Put liquid and rice in a small pot. Bring to a boil, then cover and reduce heat and allow to simmer until liquid is absorbed. This took about twice as long as it usually takes when using water only, so make sure to allot for that when making dinner.

Wash and prepare the vegetables you're going to use. I used 1 head of broccoli, 3 medium carrots, and 1 yellow bell pepper.

Heat a large skillet over medium heat and spray with cooking spray. Put the tofu into the skillet - stir every couple minutes.

Next we'll blanch the veggies. Bring a medium pot of water to a boil and add the vegetables, cooking for 2 minutes. Immediately remove the vegetables from the boiling water and place in a large bowl of ice water. This preserves the beautiful colors of the vegetables and cooks them a little bit (they'll still be crunchy).

Drain the ice water and add the blanched vegetables to the skillet with tofu and cook for a few minutes, until they reach their desired "doneness" (I like mine to be a little bit crispy).

In the last couple minutes, add some almond slivers. This adds a great crunch to the stir fry.

Serve stir fry on a bed of coconut rice.

This came out really well! The rice had a subtle coconut flavor (not overpowering at all) which complimented the spice of the tofu very well. The vegetables were spicy, but not as extreme as the tofu, since the tofu had been marinating in the sauce for much longer. The almonds were a great addition - I love nuts in Asian-inspired dishes. This is great for dinner and leftovers heat up well for lunches or dinners later in the week.

Spicy Stir Fry and Coconut Rice
Serves 4

Ingredients

• 1 cup rice
• 1 cup coconut milk (I used Silk Pure Coconut)
• 1 cup water
• 1 package firm tofu
• 3 carrots, peeled and sliced
• 1 bell pepper, sliced
• 1 head broccoli, cut into bite sized-pieces
• 2 tbsp Sriracha hot sauce
• 2 tbsp reduced sodium soy sauce
• 1/2 tbsp honey
• handful chopped almonds (optional)
• cooking spray

Directions

Coconut Rice

1. Measure coconut milk, water and rice into a small pot. Bring to a boil, then cover and reduce heat and allow to simmer until liquid is absorbed. This took about twice as long as it usually takes to make rice with water, about 40 minutes.

Stir Fry

1. Drain tofu, then cut it up. Put all of the pieces on four layers of paper towels, cover with another four layers of paper towels, and put a cutting board and heavy object on top. Let sit for at least 10 minutes  - this removes the excess moisture from the tofu so that it can absorb the flavors of the marinade.
2. Whisk together hot sauce, soy sauce and honey in a small bowl. Transfer tofu (or meat if using) to a bowl and toss with marinade. Cover with saran wrap and let marinate in refrigerator for several hours.
3. Heat a large skillet over medium heat and spray with cooking spray. Put the tofu into the skillet and stir every couple minutes.
4. Blanch the veggies: bring a medium pot of water to a boil and add the vegetables, cooking for 2 minutes. Immediately remove vegetables from the boiling water and place in a large bowl of ice water. 
5. Drain the ice water and add the blanched vegetables to the skillet with tofu and cook for a few minutes, until they reach their desired "doneness."
6. In the last couple minutes, add some almond slivers. Serve stir fry over a bed of coconut rice.