Ni Hao, Y’all!

Got an email with questions from a cooking class student:

1) What sauce did you use in your stir-fry demo?

In addition to the 3 G’s, I used a Vegetable Mushroom Sauce (alternative for oyster sauce). Wei Chuan and Lee Kum Kee are commonly found brands. I also added a few drops of Asian-style dark roasted sesame oil. It is very fragrant and adds a “Mandarin twist” instantly (also great in salads).

2) What type of tofu did you use? It was brown-colored.

A popular tofu option is the brown-colored  “baked tofu” a.k.a. savory, 5-spice, smoked tofu sold in the refrigerated section. It is one of our “tofu converters” i.e.  folks who don’t like the plain block of fresh tofu often like this because of the firmer texture and flavor. You can freeze it, too. It will change texture a little so you may opt to crumble in veggie burgers instead. It is the signature ingredient in my mom’s favorite childhood dish with garlic chives, Chinese sausage (optional) and red peppers.

Keep the questions, comments and letters coming!