Moo Shu Tofu

I used to live up the street from a great Chinese restaurant that served the BEST Moo Shu tofu. I have been trying to recreate it ever since. This recipe is a little different, but still delicious.

First I did a quick marination of the tofu to give it a little flavor, by adding white wine vinegar, oil, salt, pepper and garlic, while I prepped the other ingredients. The original recipe called for pork (marinated in soy sauce), which you could substitute for the tofu, or any other meat for that matter.

It is a pretty simple recipe that can be altered any way you like. I used green cabbage, bamboo shoots and water chestnuts for the vegetables. Traditionally it calls for mushrooms, but I am still dancing around the idea of liking them, so I left them out.

One note: it makes recipes and cooking so much easier, especially this one, if you prep all the ingredients before cooking, so you can just toss them into the pan as you go!

Moo Shu Tofu Recipe
1 block tofu (extra firm), removed from packaging and rinsed
1 Tbsp white wine vinegar
2 tsp olive oil
1 clove garlic
sprinkle of salt and pepper


1/2 medium yellow onion, cut into long thin pieces
1/2 head green cabbage, sliced into thin strips
1 small can bamboo shoots
1 small can water chestnuts


1/2 cup water
3 Tbsp low sodium soy sauce
1 Tbsp red wine vinegar
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tbsp cornstarch
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp pepper



1 Tbsp fresh ginger, shredded
1 green onion, minced

1-2 Tbsp olive oil for cooking


Directions
Slice the tofu into thin slabs, as above, and put into medium sized bowl. (I got about 8 slices out of the block) Coat both sides with the white wine vinegar, olive oil, garlic, salt and pepper. Set aside.


Slice the yellow onion into long thin pieces and set aside in a small bowl. Next, prep the cabbage by slicing into shreds. Set aside. Open the cans of bamboo shoots and water chestnuts, drain. These two can share the same bowl. Make the sauce next by combining the water, soy sauce, vinegar, garlic, cornstarch, sugar and pepper. Mix well with a fork, to ensure the cornstarch gets fully incorporated. Shred the ginger on a fine shredder like the one pictured above. If you don't have one, you can mince the ginger into tiny cubes..and you will get the same taste result! Prep green onions and set aside.


Put a large pan or wok on medium heat and add oil. Add the tofu and cook for about 5 minutes, or until browned. Flip each piece over and cook on other side. You can leave the pieces this size, or cut into smaller pieces as you cook. Add the onions and cook until they soften and turn light brown (5-10 minutes). Add the cabbage, bamboo shoots and water chestnuts. Cook a few minutes until the cabbage cooks down. Do a quick whisk of the sauce to re-combine everything and add to the tofu and veggies. Make sure all the ingredients get fully coated. Cook 1-2 minutes. Add ginger and green onions and mix well. Remove from heat and put in serving bowl.

Serve immediately! Add red pepper flakes for an extra spicy kick. This can be served with rice, moo shu pancakes or tortillas. The leftovers are great reheated!