Stir Fried Tofu and Baby Bok Choy with Trader Ming's General Tsao Stir Fry Sauce

That title is a mouthful! Sorry! No pun intended. This is one of those meals I like to make when I have to run out to a PTA meeting and have about a 30 minute window to cook and eat with the family just after my husband gets home. I cook the rice ahead so it's sitting in the rice cooker all ready when I'm starting the stir fry. It's one less thing to think about. I cut up the tofu and trim and clean the bok choy and have them sitting on the counter with the jar of sauce. When I see his car heading into the driveway, I turn the heat to high on my largest burner and heat up my prize possession, an All Clad 13" braiser that he bought me as a gift! It's excellent for stir fries.

My husband thought this sauce was a bit sweet, as did I, and we could not name one authentic Asian dish that it reminded us of, even though it was supposed to mimick the flavors of General Tso's famous deep-friend Hunan style chicken. As a side note, that dish was conceived in the US by a Taiwanese Hunan cuisine chef who added sweetness to please American palates. Hunan dishes are not sweet, but searingly hot. (Yes, we studied Chinese cooking in school.) This sauce is quite sweet and mildly hot. That being said, it was still very good, the kids loved it and it sure beats making your own sauce. Leftovers are going to school tomorrow!

Serves 4-6
Ingredients:

• 1 package Trader Joe's tofu
• 1 pound baby or Shanghai bok choy (small green plant that is tender and mild; Trader Joe's carries it but it is much cheaper in Asian grocery stores
• 2 teaspoons canola oil
  
• Trader Ming's General Tsao Stir Fry Sauce

Preparation:

1. Prepare tofu by removing it from the package and placing it on a cutting board. Slice horizontally into 8 equal sized slices, then cut each slice the long way into 3 equal pieces, then rotate knife 90 degrees and cut into cubes. Place in a prep bowl.
2. Trim the root end of each bok choy so that only the tender stem and leaves remain. Rinse well in a salad spinner until free of sand. Set aside.
3. Heat a pan suitable for stir frying, like a braiser or wok, over high heat and add 2 teaspoons of canola oil. When oil glistens and coats the bottom of the pan, add the bok choy all at once and stir fry for 3-4 minutes or until it begins to wilt and turn emerald green. At that point, add the tofu and half a bottle of sauce and stir fry until the they are heated through, about 1 to 2 minutes, depending on how hot your stove gets. I recommend tasting the dish to see if it's heated through and cooked enough. The bok choy should retain some crunch. Do not cover the pan or the food will steam and release copious amounts of water and leave you with a soupy mess. If the tofu releases a lot of water anyway and your sauce is too thin, remove tofu and bok choy with a slotted spoon into serving bowl and reduce sauce over high heat until thickened. Pour over tofu and bok choy in serving bowl. Serve with steaming rice.