One of the challenges of cooking for one is putting together a delicious, interesting meal without spending hours in the kitchen. Another is to achieve all your nutritional goals in a single dish. Thinking about my own cooking, I’ve realized that growing up Chinese, I’m used to meals that are generous with vegetables and rice but lighter on meat, so it’s harder to hit the goal of protein.
Luckily, there’s tofu. It’s especially useful when cooking for one: It keeps well in the fridge, cooks quickly, and works with almost any cooking method or ingredient. One of my favorite ways to use it is in a tofu and vegetable stir-fry with a sauce made from pantry ingredients. I used to make this often when I packed lunch for work, making two servings for dinner and taking one to the office the next day. The basic formula stays the same, but I change the vegetables depending on the season.
Directly frying it in the pan gives tofu a crisp exterior and soft, juicy interior, which is often prized in Chinese cooking. My approach to this technique is minimalist: I don’t press or marinate the tofu. Instead, I just drain it and use paper towels or a clean kitchen towel to remove excess water. I tested coating the tofu in cornstarch and found that I actually prefer it without. It’s one less step, and once coated in sauce, the uncoated tofu stays crisp longer than the starch-coated version.
If you have an extra 10 minutes, I highly recommend brining the tofu, a trick I learned from Sichuan chefs while deep-diving into mapo tofu. Soaking the tofu cubes in boiled, salted water (about 1/2 teaspoon salt per block of tofu) seasons them throughout and helps them hold their shape. Firm tofu is my default choice, but for extra crispiness, you can use extra-firm tofu.
Crispy Tofu with Broccolini and Rice
This recipe brings together a mix of flavors and textures in no time: charred broccolini, crisp yet juicy tofu, and slightly caramelized red onion, all coated in a savory, mildly spicy sauce made from pantry ingredients. You can substitute broccoli, bok choy, or green beans for the broccolini. The recipe includes a method for steaming rice on the stovetop, though a rice cooker will get the job done even more quickly.
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