Black Bean Tofu Stir-Fry

In many things I am very loyal. But when it comes to food I think I might be a bit fickle - or at least I like to play the field. As much as I love to cook, it just gets boring to make the same things night after night and week after week. On top of that I have an embarrassment of riches when wealth is counted in cookbooks. Consequently I try new recipes on a very regular basis. In fact, it is my habit to sit down with a few cookbooks and magazines every week and plot a menu so I don't forget to try something that has appealed to me. (Once, just out of curiosity I went through the calendar to see how often I repeated a recipe and it turned out that even for favorites it was never more often than once in six months! and for many things only once a year. Ha! That's a lot of cookbooks.) The upside of my 'style' is that we try many new tastes and textures (in five kids we really didn't have much of an issue with picky eating), the downside is that I frequently forget which recipe it was that I tried for that thing and where I found it. One of my favorite sources for quick and yummy meal ideas is 20 Minute Supper Club. The other night I tried this recipe and we loved it. I think "you gotta try it". Soon.

Black Bean Tofu Stir-Fry

1 pound firm tofu, diced into 3/4 - inch cubes

2 Tbsp soy sauce

8 Tbsp sesame oil

1 tsp freshly ground pepper

2 Tbsp black bean sauce

2 Tbsp hoisin sauce

1 tsp sambal

2 Tbsp vegetable oil, plus more for frying

1 medium onion, thinly sliced

2 red peppers, julienned

1 pound snow peas

1 pound shiitake mushrooms, stems removed, sliced

1 cup bean sprouts

In a bowl marinate tofu cubes with soy, sesame and black pepper.In another bowl mix together black bean and hoisin sauces with sambal to make sauce.

Heat a wok and add vegetable oil. Add tofu and fry until golden. Add 1 Tbsp sauce and toss tofu. Remove to serving dish.

Add more oil to wok, add onions and red pepper and cook for about 2 minutes. Add 1 Tbsp sauce and toss vegetables. Remove to serving dish with tofu. 

Add more oil to wok, add snow peas and mushrooms and cook for about 2 minutes. Add 1 Tbsp sauce and toss. Add to serving dish and mix. Top with bean sprouts and drizzle with remaining sesame oil to serve.