Winter Vegetable Stir-Fry with Crispy Tofu

Step 1

Begin by making the sauce. In a small bowl, stir together the soy sauce or tamari, rice vinegar, maple syrup, water, sriracha sauce, cornstarch, garlic and ginger. Set aside.

Step 2

Next, make the stir-fry. Place the cornstarch into a medium bowl. Add the tofu cubes and toss a few times, to dredge the tofu cubes in cornstarch. Set aside the bowl, leaving the tofu cubes sitting in the cornstarch.

Step 3

Coat the bottom of a large skillet with 2 tablespoons of canola oil and place over medium heat. When oil is hot, add mushrooms in a single layer. Cook until they begin to brown on the bottoms, about 5 minutes, then flip and cook until browned on opposite sides, about 5 minutes more. Remove the mushrooms from the skillet and transfer to a plate.

Step 4

Coat the skillet with another 2 tablespoons of oil and raise heat to medium-high. Remove the tofu cubes from the cornstarch mixture, gently shaking off any excess cornstarch. Add the tofu cubes to the skillet in an even layer, cooking for about 10 to 12 minutes, and flipping 2 or 3 times to achieve browning on multiple sides. You can add a bit more oil to the skillet if it becomes too dry while the tofu cooks. Once tofu has finished cooking, remove it from the skillet and transfer it to a paper-towel lined plate.

Step 5

If the skillet is dry at this point, add a dash or two of oil. Raise heat to high and add carrots and white parts of scallions, then stir-fry for 1 minute. Add broccoli, and continue to stir-fry until the veggies are tender-crisp and have brightened in color, about 3 minutes.

Step 6

Add sauce to the skillet and cook just until it thickens, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the green parts of the scallions, and return the mushrooms and tofu to to the skillet. Flip a few times to coat everything in sauce.

Step 7

Immediately divide onto plates and serve with rice and a sprinkling of toasted sesame seeds.