Stir-Fried Tofu, Red Cabbage and Winter Squash

- Total Time
- 30 minutes
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
- 2tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
- 1tablespoon rice wine vinegar
- 2teaspoons sugar or honey
- 2teaspoons dark sesame oil
- 2teaspoons cornstarch
- 2tablespoons canola oil or peanut oil
- ½pound firm tofu, cut in 1- x 2-inch dominoes
- 2teaspoons minced fresh ginger
- 2garlic cloves, minced
- ¾pound butternut squash, cut in ½-inch dice
- Salt to taste
- 1½pounds red cabbage, cored and coarsely chopped
- Rice, bulgur or buckwheat noodles for serving
Preparation
- Step 1
In a small bowl, whisk together 1 tablespoon of the soy sauce, the rice wine vinegar, sugar or honey, sesame oil and cornstarch. Set aside.
- Step 2
Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil over medium-high heat until a drop of water sizzles and evaporates upon contact. Add the tofu, and stir-fry until lightly colored, about three minutes. Remove from the pan, and season to taste with soy sauce.
- Step 3
Add the remaining oil to the pan. When it is hot, add the butternut squash. Stir-fry until it begins to color, five to eight minutes. Add salt to taste, the ginger and garlic. Stir-fry for about 30 seconds, and add the cabbage. Stir-fry until the squash is tender and the cabbage is crisp-tender, about six minutes, adding about ¼ cup water to the pan from time to time if the vegetables begin to stick. Return the tofu to the pan.
- Step 4
Stir the sweet and sour mixture, and add to the vegetables. Stir just for a few seconds until they are glazed. Remove from the heat and serve with grains or noodles.
- Advance preparation: You can prepare all of the ingredients ahead, but the stir-fry should be made just before serving.Martha Rose Shulman can be reached at martha-rose-shulman.com.
Private Notes
Comments
This was delicious and absolutely beautiful. I made an early mistake so ended up doubling the sauce, which turned out to be a happy mistake. Added kale at the last minute. Sauteed some shrimp and put it on top for my non vegetarian son. A winner.
Enjoyed this with some brown rice. A bit sweet for my taste, perhaps because I used Savoy cabbage instead of red cabbage. Would add a little ground cayenne or hot sauce next time, to counter the sweetness. Otherwise, a winner and will make this again.
Per these comments, I doubled the sauce and ginger, and also added juice and zest from one orange as well as a generous drizzle of chili oil. Subbed squash for the Japanese sweet potatoes I had on hand, and added a bunch of kale as well. Yum!
A promising recipe, but needs gussying up. Found this when looking for a way to use up some red cabbage and winter squash still stored from the fall harvest one wintry weekend in late February. As others have indicated, recipe as written is too bland. Extra Tamari sauce, Agave syrup, fresh ginger, garlic, and a bit of red pepper helped, but would do even more next time. Excellent served over black rice & topped with scallions.
Double the sauce and add much more ginger and some additional garlic
I doubled the sauce as suggested and so glad I did. Perfect dish.
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