Recipe - Kung Pao Tofu

5 tablespoon Rice vinegar
1 tablespoon Brown sugar
3 tablespoon Soy sauce
2 tablespoon Chinese sesame oil
One half To 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper
Three fourths pound Very firm tofu
cut in bite size cubes
One half cup Minced onion
2 lg Or 3 small celery stalks
cut in small dice
1 md Carrot; cut in small dice
One half cup Bamboo shoots
cut in small dice
1 cup Peas; fresh if possible
4 md Garlic cloves; minced
6 Scallions; whites only
cut in 1/2" pieces
2 small Or 1 md zucchini
cut first in thin strips
then into small dice
1 One half tablespoon Cornstarch
2 tablespoon Peanut oil or
2 tablespoon Chinese sesame oil
for sauteing
One half teaspoon Salt
1 cup Peanuts; preferably roasted
and unsalted

VARIATION (SAUTEED TWELVE

AFTER ADDING TOFU, ADD
One half cup Diced water chestnuts
1 cup Lightly toasted cashews
2 Cakes tofu kan or 5spice
tofu

In a mediumsized bowl combine vinegar, sugar, soy sauce, sesame oil and
red pepper; mix to combine. Add the minced tofu, and tip the bowl in each
direction to allow all the tofu to come into contact with the marinade.
Cover, and let marinate for at least an hour.

Prepare the onion, celery, carrot, and bamboo shoots and place these
together in a bowl. Set aside.

In a separate bowl combine peas, garlic, scallions and zucchini; set aside.

About 15 minutes before serving time, place the cornstarch in a small bowl.
Drain the marinade from the tofu into the bowl. Whisk this mixture until
the cornstarch dissolves. Set aside, leaving the whisk in the bowl.

Heat a mediumsized wok. Add 2 tb. peanut oil or sesame oil. When it is
hot, add the bowlful of onions, celery, etc. and the salt, and stirfry
over high heat for about 5 minutes.

Add the second bowlful of vegetables (peas, garlic, etc.) and stirfry
another 2 to 3 minutes, keeping the heat high.

Add the drained tofu. Stirfry another 3 to 5 minutesuntil all the
vegetables are *just* tender.

Whisk the cornstarch mixture from the bottom and pour it in. Stirfry
several more minutes, then add the peanuts. Serve immediately, over rice.

Yield: 4 to 6 servings.

From _Still Life with Menu_ by Mollie Katzen. From:
scregger@u.washington.edu (Sheri Cregger) in rec.food.veg.cooking.
Formatted by Cathy Harned.
Posted to MMRecipes Digest by "Rfm" maintech@ne.infi.net on Mar 01, 98