This gout friendly/vegan recipe has tofu, cauliflower, sugar snap peas served in a spicy and tangy sauce. It’s perfect for serving over rice (assuming the hoarders have not bought all of it where you live).
To make the sauce you will need:
Spicy chili crisp (Lao Gan Ma) or homemade chili oil.
Note: This product does contain MSG. MSG can be a gout trigger. So depending upon everything else you have going on, you may want to use another chili sauce.
I find it impossible to avoid MSG completely, so for the most part; I limit how much of it I consume. If I have been sticking to the diet and my joints feel good, I will use some MSG.
If you’re interested in Lao Gan Ma’s History or how to make it at home, this is a great video. But the video is not vegetarian; the recipe is but not the video.
Roasted sesame oil
Dark soy sauce: Dark soy sauce provides a nice color. If you do not have it, use more light soy sauce.
Light soy sauce: This is just you plain everyday soy sauce.
Vegetable stock
Ketchup: This provides sweet and sour flavors.
Cornstarch: This is the thickening agent.
Bottles of Lao Gan Ma sold in the USA are labeled Spicy chili crisp. Its a type of chili oil made in the Guizhou province of China. The first time I opened a bottle and saw this oily burnt looking stuff, I was unsure what to think. Then I mixed it up, spooned some out, and saw peanuts, pepper seeds, and other stuff. Let’s say it was not what I was expecting. But after tasting it on some dumplings, I was hooked. The spicy, salty, and oily combination really works well with bland foods.
For the tofu: I use extra firm then place it in the freezer overnight. Then let it thaw in the refrigerator. This helps to give the tofu a nicer chew.
Cut the tofu into bite-size cubes, then lightly sprinkle with salt. Let the tofu sit with the salt for fifteen minutes. Just before frying, dust the outside with cornstarch.
With the flame on medium heat, add two tablespoons of neutral-flavored cooking oil to the pan. When the oil is hot, add the tofu to the pan—lightly brown three or four sides of the tofu.
Cut cauliflower and beans into bite-sized pieces. The market was sold out of snow peas, so I used sugar snap peas. Whichever you use to cut off the pointy ends, cut them into bite-sized pieces if using sugar snap peas.
Bring a large pot of water to boil and add the cauliflower. I balanced the whole head of cauliflower. That way, I could have some ready to go for dinner the following night.
After the water comes back to a boil, cook for around two minutes. The cauliflower should be just starting to soften up. Add the peas and cook for one more minute. This took me a total of six minutes.
Remove to a colander and run cold water over the veggies. This will stop the cooking and prevent the cauliflower from turning to mush. Set them aside so that they can air dry.
The veggies that we will stir fry are onion, bell pepper, and garlic. I should have cut these just a little bit bigger.
You fried the tofu in the same pan to add the garlic, onion, and bell pepper. Cook on medium heat until the onions have softened up. This took me about two minutes. If the pan has to oil from frying the tofu, use a paper towel and soak up some.
After the onions have softened up, turn the heat up to high. Give the sauce a good stir (the cornstarch is probably sitting on the bottom) and add to the pan. When it just starts to bubble, add the tofu and stir. At this point, the sauce will start to thicken.
When the sauce is nice and thick, add the cauliflower and green beans. Gently stir them in and heat thru.
The dish is now ready to serve.
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Ingredients
Tofu
- 8 oz Tofu Extra Firm
- 1/8 teaspoon Salt
- 1/2 teaspoon Cornstarch 1/2 to 1 teaspoon
Vegetables
- 1 Cup Cauliflower
- 1 Cup Sugar snap peas or snow peas
- 1 Cup Bell Pepper 1 small bell pepper diced
- 1 Cup Onion 1/2 a medium onion diced
- 2 Cloves Garlic
- 2 Tablespoons Oil
Sauce
- 1.5 Cups Vegetable Stock
- 4 Tablespoons Cornstarch
- 3 Tablespoons Ketchup
- 2 Tablespoons Spicy chili crisp Lao Gan Ma
- 2 Tablespoons Light soy sauce
- 1 Tablespoon Dark soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon Sesame oil
Other
- 2 Tablespoons Oil
Instructions
Sauce
- To your Vegetable Stock add cornstarch, ketchup, spicy chili crisp (Lao Gan Ma), light soy sauce, dark soy sauce and sesame oil. Give it a stir and set aside.
- Just before adding to your pan give it a stir
Tofu
- Cut the tofu into bite size pieces. Sprinkle on some salt and wait 15 minutes.
- Just before cooking sprinkle cornstarch onto the tofu and give it a gentle toss.
- With your pan on medium heat add two tablespoons of oil then add the tofu. Brown the tofu on 3 or 4 side. Remove from the pan and sit aside.
Blanch the cauliflower
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil.
- Add the bite sized pieces of cauliflower. When the water comes back to a boil cook until it just starts to become tender.
- Add the sugar snap peas and cook for one more minute.
- Remove to a colander and cool the veggies down by running cold water over them. Set them aside so that they can air dry.
Final cooking
- In the same pan you fried the tofu in add the garlic, onion and bell pepper. Cook on medium heat until the onions have softened up.
- After the onions have softened up turn the heat up to high. Give the sauce a good stir and add to the pan.
- When it just starts to bubble add the tofu and stir.
- When the sauce is nice and thick add the cauliflower and peas. Gently stir them in and heat thru.
- Ready to serve
