My husband is obsessed.


On a running-around-town-like-a-chicken-with-its-head-cut-off, last-minute-errands-day before the holidays, A sweetly called dinner into Pei Wei so I wouldn’t have to cook.
And, that is when it all began.
We got a couple of entrees to share, but after tasting the Ginger Broccoli, A bogarted it for himself. I was able to taste enough to understand why.

It’s the sauce…and also the tofu.



For the next month, A got a Ginger Broccoli craving every time we passed Pei Wei. Not such a good thing since Pei Wei is right next to our gym and our grocery store…the two places we frequent most often.


After ordering a few times, he became obsessed.
‘What does Pei Wei do to their tofu to make it so good?’
Note to self: A doesn’t so much like your tofu.
‘What does Pei Wei do to their sauce to make it so tasty and just the right consistency?’
Note to self: Your sauce is runny and tastes like crap.


Due to my sudden stir fry insecurity, A’s obsession became my own.

Hours of Internet research and a late night trip to Whole Foods later, we came close.


Our epiphanies were: 1) baked tofu is amazing! (you can find it at Whole Foods) and 2) cornstarch is a stir fry sauce’s best friend.

Ginger Broccoli Stir Fry

Inspired by the Ginger Broccoli Stir Fry at Pei Wei
1 cup brown rice, cooked
for sauce:
2/3 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup rice cooking wine or cooking sherry
2 T sugar
1 t ground ginger
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 t chili paste
2 T cornstarch
for stir fry:
1 t sesame oil
1/2 onion, sliced
1 package baked tofu, sliced very thinly in 1 inch strips
2 cups broccoli, chopped
1 cup carrots, quartered and cut into 1 inch long strips
2 cups spinach, chopped
1 cup snow peas
Preparation:
Cook brown rice.
Mix first 6 sauce ingredients in heavy saucepan over medium heat. In a coffee mug or ramekin, mix cornstarch with 3-4 tablespoons of the sauce. Once cornstarch is completely mixed, add back to the sauce. Stir until thick. Remove from heat.
Heat wok over high heat. Add oil to hot wok. Let heat until the oil shimmers, but does not smoke. Add onions. Stir for 30 seconds. Add tofu. Stir for 1 minute, letting sides brown. Add carrots. Stir for 30 seconds. Add broccoli. Stir about 1 minute, until all vegetables are slightly browned. Add 1/4 cup water and cover for 1 minute. Uncover. Add spinach and snow peas. Stir until spinach is wilted. Create a well in the center of the stir fry. Add sauce. Stir until stir fry is covered with sauce.
Serve over rice.

Serves: 4