Stir-fried Chicken and Tofu

The costs of meat nowadays are astronomical! To plan meals weekly is just a burden when there is the need to stick to a very tight budget. To think of ways on how to cook a dish with cheap ingredients is an acquired skill for a mother like me. The most important thing is to make the dish nutritious in spite of changing some of the ingredients. And for that reason, tofu has become a staple ingredient in almost all my dish. The downside, it can be hazardous to those who have problems in their uric acid levels.

The next recipe is inspired by Kung Pao Chicken. The spiciness distinct with Szechuan cuisine with the hint of tartness from black vinegar. Black vinegar is available in supermarkets. If you don't like spicy foods, you can skip the Szechuan pepper.

Ingredients:
1/2 kl chicken, sliced into bite size
10 block tofu (small) or 2 big blocks
100 g oyster mushrooms
100 g green beans
1 bamboo shoot, sliced
1 bell pepper, sliced into squares
1 onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 tsp Szechuan pepper (if unavailable substitute dried pepper flakes)
1 Tbsp black vinegar
1 Tbsp dark soy sauce
1 Tbsp soy sauce
3 Tbsp brown sugar
2 Tbsp cornstarch, dispersed in small amount of water
salt and pepper

Black vinegar

Tofu blocks

Cut the tofu into bite-sized cubes and deep fry. Set aside.

Fried tofu

Slice the bamboo shoots into thin slices then cook in water with 1 tsp salt until tender. Drain and set aside.

Bamboo shoot

Outer layers of the bamboo shoot

The soft core of the bamboo shoot

Green beans

Oyster mushrooms

Fry the chicken pieces in hot oil. Make sure that all sides of the chicken pieces turn brown but do not cook them thoroughly. Remember, the chicken pieces will be cooked in the sauce.

Saute onion and garlic in the pan with 1 Tbsp of cooking oil. Put the vinegar, soy sauce and sugar. Add 4 cups of water. Let it boil.

Thicken the sauce with cornstarch. Stirring constantly to avoid clumps. Add all the ingredients, chicken, tofu, bamboo shoot, mushrooms, green beans and bell pepper. Simmer for 2 minutes. Since almost all ingredients are pre-cooked, there is no need to cook it longer. Green veggies retains most nutrients when not over-cooked!

Serve hot with steamed rice!