Thai Vegetarian Stir Fried Bean Sprouts with Tofu. An Easy and Quick Asian Recipe

OK, I'm a pretty carnivorous guy, but I have to admit a soft spot for this very easy and light recipe for bean sprouts. – And while this is unlikely to satisfy as a sole player at the dinner table, as a part of a larger Asian meal (vegetarian or otherwise) this goes well.

Vegetarian Stir Fried Bean Sprouts with Tofu

• 2 cups of raw bean sprouts (remove the little tail end at the end if you prefer, I generally just leave it)
• ¼ pound (about 100 grams) of firm white tofu
• Vegetable oil for frying the tofu (about ¾ cup)
• 1 biggish clove of garlic, smashed with the side of a knife, but not chopped
• 1 Tbls of soy sauce
• 1 tsp of sugar
• A few pinches of salt to taste

Instructions

1. Clean and then dice the tofu into big cubes, about ¾ inch
2. Heat the vegetable oil over medium heat in a wok or large and heavy high-sided skillet - and when hot, add in the tofu cubes and fry until browned (a couple of minutes). Remove from the oil and let drain on paper towels or in a cook's spider (if you don’t have a spider you should absolutely get this friend to the deep fryer lurking in all of us!)
3. Remove and reserve all but a couple of spoonfuls of the vegetable oil. The reserved can be used to fry again.
4. The oil should still be at a medium heat – add in the clove of garlic and stir fry for about 20 seconds, or until lightly browned. Immediately add in all of the bean sprouts to the pan and increase the heat to maximum high – stir frying the bean sprouts all the while.
5. (if you are working with a slower electric stove, you might want to preheat a second burner at maximum to switch quickly to as you stir fry, otherwise, you won't achieve the increase in heat needed until after the sprouts are already well cooked. Gas or induction cookers will deliver the quicker increase in heat just fine!
6. Working quickly, add in the salt, sugar, tofu cubes and soy sauce, stir to mix well, taste for seasoning and add more salt or sugar if necessary.
7. Toss your finished stir fried bean sprouts onto a serving platter and serve as a part of a larger Thai style meal, with Jasmine rice, of course.

This can also be made with pork instead of tofu, if preferred. To substitute pork, eliminate the deep frying step and instead add about 100 grams of sliced pork to your wok just after adding the garlic. Stir fry the pork for about a minute and proceed as directed above to finish the dish.