Tofu Fried Rice

Rather than ordering Chinese take-out and worrying that it might not be vegan, make this tasty fried rice at home.

Cook 2 cups of uncooked instant rice (such as Minute rice) according to package directions. I opted for brown rice instead of white, since the original recipe didn't specify. Set aside.

Heat a tablespoon of vegetable or canola oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cut 1 (14-ounce) package of lite firm tofu into 1/2-inch cubes; add to the skillet and cook for 4 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from the pan.

Normally, 2 eggs would be added to the pan here. I tried once before to make Ener-G egg replacer approximate the egg in fried rice, but tonight I sort of messed up. Using the equivalent of 2 eggs, I added it to the skillet and let cook for about 2 minutes, until it 'set', and then removed from the pan and separated into smaller pieces. However, I wish I had let it cook longer - probably about 4 minutes - so that it was crisper and more 'fried'.

After you remove the 'egg', add an additoinal tablespoon of vegetable or canola oil to the skillet. Add 1 cup (1/2-inch thick) slices of green onion, 1 cup of frozen peas and carrots (thawed in advance), 2 teaspoons minced garlic and 1 teaspoon minced ginger; saute for 2 minutes.

I made a couple of mistakes here - my peas and carrots were really only about half-way thawed, but I shrugged that off. I also only added 1 teaspoon of garlic by accident! If you want to make your prep time even easier, you can buy bottled minced garlic and bottled minced ginger, both of which are available at grocery stores, but I minced my own at home fresh.

While the vegetable mixture sautes, combine 2 tablespoons unfiltered (nigori) sake, 3 tablespoons soy sauce (as always, I recommend low-sodium), 1 tablespoon hoisin sauce (try the certified vegan one from Premier Japan), and 1/2 teaspoon dark sesame oil. Set aside.

Add the cooked rice to the vegetables in the skillet; cook for 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Add the tofu, the 'egg' and the soy sauce mixture; cook for 30 seconds, stirring constantly.

You'll have 4 servings of 1 and 1/2 cups and 380 calories each. Garnish with sliced green onions if you like, for a pretty presentation.

Cost:
instant rice $2.59
lite firm tofu $2.00
green onions $0.99
frozen peas and carrots $1.99
sake $18.48
hoisin sauce $4.49