A while back, I shared a picture on my Instagram page of our dinner, which happened to have been a nice vegetable stir-fry, featuring bok choy and tofu and I got a lot of people asking about it. If you'd like to know more about tofu with regards to where to buy it and how to prepare it, I'd recommend you read my previous posts on tofu here and here.

This particular blog post will show you how to dry tofu and prep it for marination.

Marinating the tofu is quite essential. Tofu doesn't have any flavour and infusing it with flavour gives the end result a much palatable taste. One of the core ingredients I use in my marinade is rice wine vinegar. It's not as strong as normal vinegar and provides a nice slightly tangy feel. There are many brands in stores and I purchased mine for Kshs. 150 for 700 ml at our local supermarket.

I also add soy sauce and freshly squeezed juice from 1 orange. The orange amplifies the tangy taste of the vinegar, but also adds a bit of citrus sweetness to the marinade. For a sweeter marinade, you could add a tablespoon of honey or brown sugar... Just don't over-do the sweetness. 

Spices are also an integral part of my marinade and I ensure I add a bit of garlic powder, chilli powder and Paprika. You could opt for crushed garlic in place of powdered garlic. Your choice.

I like tasting my marinade as it gives me a clue on whether my end result will be amazing or bland. 

Once my marinade is all done, I add my cubed tofu and place it in the fridge for 30 minutes. Allowing it to marinate overnight has given me the best results so far and it has helped me do my food prep a day in advance.

Any tofu stir-fry goes well with a combination of vegetables. I gravitate towards coloured peppers, carrots and bok choy. They take the shortest time to cook :-)! Remember to add vegetables that take longer to cook, such as carrots, first, before you add softer vegetables such as peppers to ensure that all your vegetables are done by the time you're through with cooking.

Bok Choy Photo by Jodie Morgan on Unsplash

You can get bok choy from any supermarket or grocery store. I saw some at Tusky's Supermarket along Kenyatta Avenue but I buy mine from the supermarkets around Hurlingham. If you do decide to buy some, ensure you wash them well... they are like spinach, they hide dirt everywhere and cook very fast, so add them to your pan among the last things.

Here's What You Need:

1. 1 Block of drained tofu
2. 1/4 cup Soy Sauce
3. 1/4 cup Rice Wine Vinegar
4. 1 Orange, juiced
5. 1 TBSP Paprika
6. 4 Garlic Cloves, minced (1 tsp garlic powder)
7. 1/2 tsp Chilli
8. 3 bok choy stems, cleaned and chopped as desired.
9. 1 Large carrot, diced
10. 1 Medium onion, diced
11. 1 Yellow Pepper, diced
12. 1 TBSP cooking oil

Here's How to Make Them:

1. Cut  your drained tofu into cubes
2. Mix ingredients 2-7 in a bowl and place your cubed tofu in it. Combine until they are well coated then refrigerate for 30 min.
3. After 30 min, dry the tofu in an oven at 180 degrees for 10 min on both sides, or use a pan to dry them on all sides.
4. On medium heat, heat your oil.
5. Add onions and cook till they turn soft and translucent.
6. Add your carrots and cook until tender 
7. Add your peppers, bok choy and tofu and stir until tender.
8. Add salt and pepper to taste.
9. Remove from heat and serve with hot rice

Bon Appetit!

Cover Photo by Hermes Rivera on Unsplash