Spicy Tofu with Mushrooms

Spicy Tofu with Mushrooms

Hello! How was your weekend? I mentioned in my post on Friday that I was going biking at Kielder Water and Forest Park over the weekend. That I certainly did. Let me tell you, it was a challenge!

We rented mountain bikes over at this bike rental place called The Bike Place. Be warned, they do have 2 outlets. One in Bellingham and the other at Kielder Castle. You need to go to the outlet in Kielder Castle if you want to bike in and around the trails at Kielder Water and Forest Park. We of course turned up at the one in Bellingham and had to be redirected.

Our route of choice was the Lakeside Way, that is, a 26 mile circular route around Kielder Water. It is very convenient because we picked up our bikes from Kielder Castle and just made a big circular loop back. Did I mention it took us novice bikers 5 hours? All in I must say it was an exhilarating experience and the views are breathtaking. The route was also very well signposted and we didn't have any trouble with navigation. I didn't bring my trusty point and shoot Canon Powershot so I had to rely on my phone. The photos didn't really do the views justice but it will have to do. There are of course many other routes which you can choose according to the level of strenuousness that you want, a good starting point is the Kielder Water and Forest Park website.

Trying hard not to fall

Janus Chairs at Kielder Water

In Kielder Forest Park

View around Kielder Water

Fast forward to Monday and yes, a meatless one at that. We do try to observe Meatless Monday in our household. It doesn't happen all the time, but try we do. After being totally shattered after the bike ride on Saturday, I was indulging in one of my favourite past times of late - pinning on Pinterest! I was searching for tofu recipes and came across quite a few. There is one here, here, another here and lastly, here.
After all that I decided to make this Spicy Tofu with Mushrooms dish. I really love tofu and I am glad my better half loves it too. It is such a versatile ingredient and can be cooked in so many ways. The recipe I am sharing today is super easy and fun to cook. Perfect for a quick week day dinner. The sauce goes very well with some rice or you can even eat it with some noodles. Hope you enjoy it.

Do you observe Meatless Monday in your household?

Recipe for Spicy Tofu with Mushrooms
Serves 2 / Prep Time 5 minutes / Cooking Time 10 minutes
Ingredients
400gm Firm Tofu (sliced)
5 Chestnut Mushroom (sliced)
3 cloves Garlic (diced)
2 Tbsp Light Soy Sauce
1 Tbsp Dark Soy Sauce
1 Tbsp Rice Wine Vinegar
1 Tbsp Brown Sugar
1 Tbsp Sesame Seeds (toasted)
1 Tbsp Oil
1 tsp Sesame Oil
1 tsp Chilli Flakes
1/2 tsp Dry Ginger Powder
40ml Water (approx)
One stalk Scallions (green part only) and some Chives (chopped finely, for garnishing)

Method

1. In a bowl, whisk the Light Soy Sauce, Dark Soy Sauce, Rice Wine Vinegar, Brown Sugar, Sesame Oil, Ginger Powder and Sesame Seeds together.

2. Coat the tofu slices with the marinade.

3. Heat the oil in a pan and sauté the diced Garlic until fragrant, then, add in Chilli Flakes. 

4. Next, add in the Chestnut Mushrooms and sauté on high heat until brown and fragrant. Add in some water if it is too dry.

5. Then, add in the Tofu Slices. Add some more water in and bring to the boil, then reduce heat to medium high and simmer until gravy thickens. This should take about 8 minutes.

6. Once gravy has thickened, remove from heat and garnish with chopped scallions and chives. Serve with rice or noodles.