Ready, Set, Weekend with Simply Beautiful Eating

I’ve been really bad lately. There’s been so much going on with my renovations, the lack of time for making a nice home cooked meal has literally gone out the window.

This recipe was something that I conjured up a few weeks ago, and it was absolutely delish. A combo of chicken and tofu all dolled up with a yummy sauce with a side of udon noodles and veggies.

Now, if you’re only doing this with tofu, go right ahead. If you want to mix up a bit with a little chicken added to it like I did, even better. My obsession with tofu lately has been a bit outta control.

Let’s be honest here. Tofu doesn’t really taste like anything unless you “jack it up”. And what I mean by jacking it up is this…….do something to make it “taste” GOOD. Whether it’s in the seasoning, frying or saucing, you will need to set forth a “tofu booster” plan of action.

I chose to make this stellar orange ginger sauce and as with most of my recipes, I used the “what’s in the fridge” approach. I can’t even tell you how many times I have made a recipe and have no clue what I put in it. This time was different. I set out a bunch of ingredients, actually measured, and here you have it.

The other thing I want to talk about is making your food look pretty (which I think I’m sorta good at). I realize that most of you are stuck for time, and truth be told, so am I when it comes to serving dinner at night. I will also admit that 99% of the time we eat directly out of pots and pans. I can’t believe I’m telling you this. What do you think of me now?

But really? My number one tip for making food look pretty is using beautiful serving dishes and bowls like these. Obviously, your food has to taste good, so no matter what you serve it in, that’s the key. But don’t worry, there’s no issue with this recipe tasting delicious, even if you decide to eat it straight out of the pan.

1 block (16 oz) extra-firm tofu, drained, pressed and cubed

3 tbsps cornstarch, divided

2 tbsps oil

1 cup shredded cooked chicken, (I used a store bought rotisserie chicken)

1 cup orange juice

¼ cup brown sugar

1 tbsp soy sauce

1 tbsp hoisin sauce

1 tbsp oyster sauce

1 tbsp fresh ginger, grated

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tsp orange zest

purple cabbage, sesame seeds for garnish

Place one tablespoon of cornstarch in a zipper bag and place tofu in. Close bag and give it a good shake to coat all the tofu.

Heat oil in a large pan over medium-high heat and stir fry the tofu, stirring occasionally, until brown on each side.

Mix the remaining two tablespoons of cornstarch with two tablespoons of orange juice in a small bowl and set aside. Place the remaining orange juice, brown sugar, soy, hoisin, oyster sauce and orange zest in bowl and mix well to dissolve the sugar.

When the tofu is fried, make room in the centre of the pan and gently fry the ginger and garlic, stirring constantly, until fragrant.

Add the shredded chicken and orange juice mixture to the pan and bring to a simmer. Add the cornstarch mixture and stir it constantly until thickened - about two or three minutes. Make sure the chicken is heated through.

Serve with cooked udon noodles, stir fried veggies or rice and garnish with sesame seeds and minced purple cabbage.