Stir-Fried Tofu and Carrots

Name: Stir-Fried Tofu and Carrots
Total time: 30 min
Ingredients: 3 tablespoons good-quality vegetable oil, plus more as needed; 2 bricks firm tofu (14 to 16 ounces each); Salt and pepper; 1 pound carrots (4 or 5 medium); 2 cloves garlic; 1 fresh hot green chile (like serrano); 3 tablespoons soy sauce; 2 teaspoons sugar; 2 teaspoons sesame oil; Sesame seeds for garnish

Prevent your screen from going dark

Cook Mode Prevent your screen from going dark

Makes 4 servings 1x

Time 30 minutes

In How to Cook Everything Fast, recipe directions are separated into “prep” and “cook.” Here, we’ve made that distinction with italics for prep-work and plain text for cooking. This reflects the most efficient order and timing of tasks.

Units Scale

Ingredients

3 tablespoons good-quality vegetable oil, plus more as needed
2 bricks firm tofu (14 to 16 ounces each)
Salt and pepper
1 pound carrots (4 or 5 medium)
2 cloves garlic
1 fresh hot green chile (like serrano)
3 tablespoons soy sauce
2 teaspoons sugar
2 teaspoons sesame oil
Sesame seeds for garnish

Instructions

Put 3 tablespoons vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium heat.
Cut the tofu into 1-inch cubes.
Add the tofu to the skillet (it’s okay if the pieces are crowded), sprinkle with salt and pepper, and cook until the bottoms are golden and crisp and release from the pan, about 5 minutes. Use a spatula to stir once they release. Cook, stirring once in a while, to crisp and brown as many sides as possible, another 5 minutes or so.
Trim the carrots and grate them with the biggest holes of a box grater.
Peel 2 cloves garlic; trim the chile. Chop them together and put them in a small bowl.
When the tofu is as crisp as you want, remove it from the pan and increase the heat to medium-high. Add a little more vegetable oil to thinly film the bottom of the pan. Add the carrots, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring occasionally, until they brown in places, about 3 minutes.
Add 1/2 cup water, 3 tablespoons soy sauce, 2 teaspoons sugar, and 2 teaspoons sesame oil to the bowl with the garlic and chile. Whisk to combine.
When the carrots are lightly browned, return the tofu to the skillet and pour over the sauce. Stir gently with a spatula, tossing until the sauce thickens a bit to coat everything, and heat. Taste and adjust the seasoning. Serve sprinkled with sesame seeds.

— Recipe from How to Cook Everything Fast