Celebrating Chinese New Year!

This is a great recipe to make for Meatless Mondays… I love making tofu dishes- we all love it. Recently I have been getting my inspiration from the New York Times cooking site – it has lots of really really good ideas. This recipe is from there.. I tweaked it a bit but it is still quite similar. Try this one, it is a winner!

• 1 14 ounces package extra firm tofu
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1/3 cup corn starch

Sauce

• 4 garlic cloves, grated
• 1 large jalapeno chiles, seeded and chopped
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1 inch fresh ginger, grated
• Juice of 2 medium limes
• 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
• 2 teaspoons fish sauce
• 2 teaspoons honey

Transfer all the ingredients to small bowl, mix well and set aside.

• Peanut oil
• 2 cups sugar snap peas, trimmed and thinly sliced
• 4 scallions, thinly sliced
• ¼ cup fresh cilantro, chopped
• ¼ cup fresh basil, chopped
• 2 teaspoons sesame seeds

Drain tofu and wrap it with several layers of paper towel and place on a plate. Top with a heavy can and let the tofu drain for 30 minutes. Unwrap the tofu and into four parts and then diagonally. Dry with more paper towels and keep aside.

Transfer the cornstarch and salt into a wide bowl. Dredge the tofu and set aside. In the meantime, heat a large skillet over high heat. Add 3 tablespoons peanut oil and start browning the tofu on each side for 2 to 3 minutes. Take out of the pan, add more peanut oil and add the sugar snap peas and scallions. Stir fry until soften- 1 to 2 minutes. Add the sauce and bring to a boil. Add the tofu and garnish with cilantro, basil and sesame seeds. Serve with brown rice.