What’s the best part of this recipe? Let’s see… It could be the crispy roasted tofu or the crunchy bell peppers. It could be the sweet pineapple combined with the salty and savory sauce. It could be the healthy amount of protein, carbohydrates and healthy fats that make you feel so satisfied after eating this meal. It could be all of these things, but I think the absolute best part of the recipe is the crunchy texture of the fried rice. Check out this recipe tip about how prepping rice in advance not only saves time, but also sets you up for amazing texture success. Just like vegetables, frying and roasting rice works great when you start with it dry. The drier the ingredients, the crispier they become. By cooking your rice in advance and storing it in the refrigerator for 30 minutes or up to three days, you’ll be ready to fry rice that will absorb all of the yummy sauce and take on a delicious texture. Don’t get to it in advance? Don’t worry! It will still be great because the fried rice combined with all of the other sweet, crunchy, salty and savory ingredients make for a perfect combination. Enjoy!
Yield: 4 large rice bowls
Cooking time: 45 minutes
Ingredients
12 oz extra firm tofu
2 Tbsp neutral cooking oil, divided
¼ cup Tamari or soy sauce
1 tsp cornstarch
1 Tbsp rice wine or white wine vinegar
Juice of 1 lime
1 tsp garlic, peeled and minced
1 tsp ginger, peeled and minced
½ cup cashews, roughly chopped
1 cup white rice, uncooked
1 cup frozen peas
½ cup green onion, stems removed and sliced thin
1 cup peeled pineapple, cut into ½ inch chunks
½ cup cilantro, stems removed and lightly chopped
Sriracha and additional soy sauce to taste, optional
Preparation
Preheat your oven to 400°.
Prepare the tofu. First, Remove the tofu from the packaging, drain the water and place the tofu on a cutting board. Slice the tofu from the side lengthwise into 3 equal slabs. Stack the tofu slabs on top of each other and slice lengthwise from the top into 5-6 rows. Stack and slice from the top crosswise 4-5 times until you have even cubes of tofu. Arrange the tofu cubes in an even layer on a cutting board. Cover the tofu with a clean tea towel or paper towel and place another cutting board on top of the towel. Press down evenly on the cutting board to press out water from the tofu and then let the cutting board sit on top of the tofu for ~5 minutes or more. Move the tea towel or replace the paper towel and press down 2-3 more times until you have removed a good amount of water.
Combine 1 Tbsp cooking oil, soy sauce, cornstarch, rice wine vinegar, lime juice, garlic and ginger in a medium sized bowl to make a marinade. Add the cubed tofu to the bowl and gently stir until the tofu is evenly coated. Arrange the tofu on a cooking sheet (lined if preferred). Reserve the remaining marinade and set aside. Roast the tofu for 20-25 minutes, turning it halfway through. When you turn the tofu halfway through, add the cashews to the cooking sheet and return to the oven so the cashews roast alongside the tofu. When finished, the tofu will be golden and crispy on the edges.
If you have not previously cooked your rice, prepare it now per package instructions. Once cooked, set aside.
Cook your frozen peas per package instructions. Once cooked, set aside.
Once the rice and peas have cooked, you will prepare your wok. Set the bell peppers and green onions near your stove along with a very small bowl of water for testing the temperature of a wok. Turn on a stove burner as high as it will go. Set a wok or a large frying pan on the burner and heat. Test to see if the wok is hot enough by flicking a small amount of water from the bowl into the wok. If the beads of water evaporate immediately, the pan is ready.While you want the wok to be hot, you want to avoid it overheating.
Once the water beads evaporate, remove the wok from the heat, leaving the burner on, and add 1 Tbsp neutral cooking oil. Pick up the wok and swirl the oil around so that it coats all sides. Place the wok back on the hot burner. If your wok starts to smoke, you’ll want to let the wok cool, wash it and begin again.
Add the bell pepper to the wok and cook for 1 minute. Add the green onion to the wok and cook for an additional minute. Add the rice to the wok and stir with the vegetables to combine. Add the peas along with the remaining marinade from the tofu and stir to combine. Finally, add the pineapple and stir while cooking for 1-2 minutes.
Serve the fried rice in a bowl with a few tablespoons of chopped roasted cashews and ⅓ to ¼ cup roasted tofu on top. Garnish with cilantro and add additional soy sauce and sriracha sauce to taste.
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