Braised Tofu in Mushroom Sauce Recipe

Enlarge Image Image Gallery Unlike a big hunk of beef, tender cubes of braised tofu take on the flavor of the mushroom sauce in just minutes. Photo By Leo Gong/Courtesy Celestial Arts

The following is an excerpt from "The Gluten-Free Asian Kitchen: Recipes for Noodles, Dumplings, Sauces, and More" by Laura B. Russell (Celestial Arts, 2011). The excerpt is from Chapter 7: Vegetables and Tofu. 

Braised Tofu in Mushroom Sauce Recipe

1/4 cup potato starch
2 1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
1 pound firm tofu, cut into 1 1/2 by 1/2-inch cubes, drained on paper towels for 15 minutes
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
1/4 pound shiitake mushrooms, thinly sliced
1/4 pound green beans, cut into 1/2-inch lengths
1 tablespoon soy sauce or tamari (gluten-free)
1 tablespoon sake or dry sherry
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1 cup mushroom broth (gluten-free)
Red jalapeño chile, thinly sliced, for serving

1. Put the potato starch on a small plate. Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a large nonstick frying pan over medium-high heat. Season the tofu with salt and pepper and then dip the two larger sides of each tofu cube into the potato starch, tapping off any excess. (Discard the potato starch left on the plate.) Add the tofu to the pan and cook until light golden, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Transfer the tofu to a plate. Wipe out the pan.

2. In the same pan, heat the remaining 11/2 tablespoons oil over medium heat. Add the garlic and ginger and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the mushrooms and green beans and cook, stirring occasionally, until the mushrooms soften, about 3 minutes. Stir in the soy sauce, sake, and sugar. Add the mushroom broth and bring to a simmer.

3. Return the tofu cubes to the pan. Cover the pan and simmer gently, turning the tofu once, until heated through, 10 to 15 minutes. Sprinkle with jalapeño. Serves 4 

More Recipes from The Gluten-Free Asian Kitchen: 

• Red Curry Soup with Chicken and Rice Noodles 

• Spring Vegetable Fried Rice 

Reprinted with permission from "The Gluten-Free Asian Kitchen: Recipes for Noodles, Dumplings, Sauces, and More." Copyright © 2011 by Laura B. Russell, Celestial Arts, an imprint of Ten Speed Press and the Crown Publishing Group, Berkeley, CA.