With Rice Recipe: A Quick-Fix, Healthy Meal For Busy Days
50 mins
Cooking Time
Easy
Difficulty
13
Ingredients
Veg
Diet
On busy days, elaborate meals can sound like a nightmare, fast food can turn unhealthy, and repeating a dish can sound boring. That’s where this tofu stir fry with rice recipe comes into the picture. Not only is this easy enough for novice cooks to master, but it is also a quick-fix meal. In fact, if you have leftover rice, the cook time comes down to just 30 minutes. While the recipe relies mostly on kitchen staples, be sure to only use extra-firm tofu and not silken or firm. Extra-firm tofu has the least amount of liquid and crisps up beautifully in a stir-fry. A silken or soft tofu, or even a firm one, retains more liquid and has a soft, custardy texture. This is better for desserts, but not stir-fries. This tofu stir-fry recipe can also be paired with brown rice, quinoa, or even noodles.
Rinse the rice in a fine-mesh strainer under cold water until the water runs clear (this removes excess starch). Place the rinsed rice, water, salt and oil (if using) in a saucepan. Bring the pot to a simmer/light boil over medium-high heat. Once boiling, immediately cover with a tight-fitting lid, reduce the heat to the lowest setting, and cook for 15–18 minutes. Turn off the heat and let the pot sit, covered, for 10 minutes to allow the steam to finish cooking the rice.
Description - Step 2
Drain the tofu
Wrap each block of tofu in paper towels. Use double layers. Now, pat dry by lightly pressing down on the tofu to squeeze out excess moisture. Cut the drained tofu into small cubes.
Description - Step 3
Cook the tofu
Add oil into a large non-stick skillet or wok and place it on medium-high heat. Once it heats, gently add the tofu. Now, drizzle a tablespoon of soy sauce and sauté. Stir occasionally, till the tofu is coloured/browned on all sides and slightly crispy. Cook for 8-10 minutes, till the moisture has cooked off. Tofu does not need constant stirring, but keep a close eye on it.
Description - Step 4
Add the vegetables
Once the tofu is browned, add the ginger-garlic paste, half of the green onions, red pepper flakes and the remaining soy sauce. Now, start adding the spinach. You may need to add in batches as the spinach wilts down (reduces in size). Stir in the sesame seeds at the end. Then, stir the sesame oil. Give a quick mix and remove from the heat.
Description - Step 5
Assemble and serve
Add the remaining spring onions on top of the stir-fry for a crunchy finish. You can serve the tofu stir-fry and rice in two separate bowls and allow people to combine on their own. Or, layer the rice on a plate and add tofu stir-fry on top, or on the side.