BROWN RICE with TOFU & BROCCOLI

I love creating and eating vegetarian meals. Brown rice with tofu & broccoli is a favourite of mine, as it is so easy to make and very filling, due to the plentiful amount of protein that tofu contains. Make sure to follow step 1 and 'dry out' the tofu first or it will not hold its shape when cooking. If you are not a fan of tofu, you could substitute for 2 eggs and make an omelette or cook 400g chicken breast. 

INGREDIENTS

• 400g firm tofu, halved 
• 1 cup brown rice
• 1 head of broccoli, stalk & florets roughly chopped 
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• paper towel
• 2 spring onions, finely chopped, plus extra to serve 
• 1 garlic clove, finely chopped or crushed 
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce 

COOKING 

1. Place the halved tofu between two chopping boards or plates with a weight on top (I used a jar of nuts). Raise one end (I placed a small scale underneath one side of the chopping board) and sit for 25 minutes. 

2. Meanwhile, bring the rice and 2 1/2 cups of water to the boil in a medium saucepan over high heat, covered with a lid. Once boiled, reduce to a simmer and place a small colander or sieve with the broccoli florets & stalk on top of the pan, covered. Leave to steam for around 5 minutes, then check to see if the broccoli is tender by placing a fork into a stalk. If the fork slides in with just a little bit of resistance, the broccoli is tender but not mushy. Remove the colander or sieve with the broccoli and continue to cook the rice, covered for another 10 minutes or until all water is absorbed and rice is tender. 

3. Once the tofu has sat for 25 minutes, chop into slim, even strips. Heat the olive oil in a medium pan over medium heat, swirling to coat. Add the tofu strips and cover the pan. Cook for around 3 minutes on each side or until the tofu is lightly browned. Remove from the heat and place on a few paper towels, then pat with another few paper towels to remove the excess oil. 

4. Lower the heat on the stove to low, then add the 2 spring onions and garlic, stirring to cook for 2 minutes. Next add the cooked broccoli, cooked rice, cooked tofu and soy sauce and stir gently over low heat until all ingredients are combined. 

Divide the rice into 4 bowls, then sprinkle extra spring onions on top, if desired. 

Serves / 4

Preparation & Cooking Time / around 35 minutes 

x Emily 

EASY VEGETARIAN RICE

I have tried to keep this fried rice as simple as possible, hence why the ingredients list is quite short; usually for an Asian dish many more ingredients would be listed! Feel free to add finely chopped garlic and/or grated ginger to the wok after adding the oil and before the vegetables if you would like to. If you have different vegetables on hand, use them! Bean shoots, bean sprouts and/or green beans could be substituted and herbs such as fresh coriander could be added. Broccoli could also be used, however it must be placed in the wok before the other vegetables as it will require more time to cook. I find that the flavour from the cooked egg, the several vegetables and the soy sauce is perfect for me, hence no fiddly sauce has been mentioned. 

Ingredients

• 1 cup brown rice
• 1 teaspoon rice bran oil 
• 2 free-range eggs, beaten
• 200g red cabbage, finely shredded
• 150g wombok, finely shredded
• 150g red capsicum, cut into 2cm pieces 
• 150g carrot, grated 
• 2 tablespoons salt-reduced soy sauce 
• 1 shallot, finely chopped 

Cooking 

1. Combine the rice and 2 1/2 cups of water in a medium saucepan over high heat and bring to the boil, covered. Once boiled reduce to a simmer and cook, covered, for 20-25 minutes or until all the water is absorbed and the rice is tender. Remove from the heat. 

2. Meanwhile, prepare all the vegetables. Whisk the eggs and 1 tablespoon water in a small bowl. 

3. Heat 1/2 teaspoon oil in a wok or large deep frying pan over medium-low heat and swirl to coat. Pour the egg into the base of the wok/pan and leave to set for a few minutes. After the edges of the egg have set, fold one side over into an omelette.  Cook for another minute or so and then remove from the heat when the omelette has just has set. When the omelette has cooled slightly, chop into small pieces. 

4. Pour the remaining 1/2 teaspoon of oil into the now empty wok and add all the vegetables. Cook the vegetables with 1 tablespoon soy sauce. Stir the vegetables initially and then place a lid on top, cooking for 4-5 minutes or until tender. Add the remaining soy sauce to the vegetables and stir to combine. 

Divide the cooked brown rice into 4 bowls, top with vegetables, the chopped omelette and sprinkle some shallots on top. 

Serves / 4

Total Preparation time / a few minutes (as you can prepare the vegetables whilst the rice cooks) 

Total Cooking time / 30-35 minutes 

x Emily