Tofu and Mushrooms

This traditional Chinese dish makes a great vegan entree and packs a punch of almost 13 grams of protein per serving. I recommend doing all the chopping and prep work in advance, as things move quickly once cooking begins.

The only real vegan issue for this recipe is the fact that it calls for sake. Most sakes are fined and filtered with gelatin finings from fish; although some are filtered with charcoal, it won't say on the bottle. However, if you buy an unfiltered sake, it should be vegan friendly. I chose the unfiltered Rihaku Nigori sake.

To start, heat a tablespoon and a half of peanut oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add 3 cups of shiitake mushroom caps (cut into quarters), 1/2 cup chopped carrot, 1/2 cup chopped green onion, 2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger, and 1 minced garlic clove; saute 2 minutes.

Stir in 1 cup vegetable broth, 5 tablespoons soy sauce (I recommend the low-sodium kind to cut down on salt in the recipe), 2 tablespoons unfiltered sake, 1 teaspoon raw sugar and 1 teaspoon sambal oelek (chile paste). Cover, reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Combine 1 tablespoon cornstarch in a small bowl with 2 teaspoons water and 1 teaspoon rice vinegar, stirring with a whisk. Add to the pan; bring to a boil then cook 1 minute stirring constantly until the mixture begins to thicken.

Remove from heat and add one (12.3-ounce) package of silken tofu, cut into 1/2-inch cubes - the recipe called for extra-firm but I used firm by accident with fine results. Cover and let stand 10 minutes.

Spoon 1/2 cup cooked brown rice onto each of 4 plates. Top each serving with 1 cup of the tofu mixture. Each servings is 280 calories.

Cost:
shiitake mushrooms $7.98
carrot $0.26
green onions $0.99
ginger $1.00
vegetable broth $2.69
sake $23.99
silken tofu $1.50
brown rice $1.06