Anyway, this is delicious and not too complicated. The flavors are mild, so if you're introducing people to a new "flavor profile" (to steal a wonderful phrase from my daughter and loyal follower, Brittany) this would be a good recipe to try. It's also a great way to introduce people to tofu because it is fried and wonderfully flavored. You could also use chicken in place of the tofu. No matter how you put this together it will be tasty, but I wish I had streamlined a bit and not made so many dirty dishes. I'm going to describe how to put this dish together in the order I wish I had done it, rather than the way I really did it.
This dish uses parboiled broccoli (and their stems) so they are bright and colorful and still crunchy. It also features bean thread noodles which you can find at your local Asian market really cheap, and shiitake mushrooms either dried or fresh. The recipe calls for dried shiitakes, so that's what I did, but it seems like it would be even easier to use fresh. If you're using fresh, you will need to add a little water to replace the soaking water from the mushrooms in the recipe.
First, start a big pot of water to boil. Make sure you have twice as much water as you need for cooking a pound of broccoli. Toast 1/4 cup sesame seeds and set aside to cool. Get out 3 medium to large bowls and a colander. If you use nesting bowls, they'll be easier to fit into the dishwasher. Also get out soy sauce, roasted sesame oil, mirin (japanese rice wine), and light sesame oil or peanut oil for frying. You can use 1 1/2 T. brown sugar in place of the mirin, if you don't have that in your cupboard, or if it is too expensive to buy. In the largest bowl, probably the one you will serve the finished dish in, put 2 fistfuls bean thread noodles (about 5 ounces). In the next bowl put 8 dried shiitake mushrooms. In the 3rd bowl, put 1 carton firm tofu, sliced into 3/4 inch cubes. Pour 2 T. soy sauce and 2 t. roasted sesame oil over the tofu, toss to combine and let them marinate.
Separate the broccoli into florets. Peel the broccoli stems and slice them into coins. Set them aside on your chopping board.
As soon as the water boils, use a ladle to transfer boiling water to the noodles (enough to cover) and the mushrooms (1 cup or so - enough to cover and rehydrate them) and set aside to soak. Salt the remaining boiling water and put the broccoli in to cook for 1 minute. Drain them in the colander and rinse with cold water. Don't wash the big pot. You will need it in a minute.
On your cutting board, slice 4 scallions, mince 2 garlic cloves, and mince a 1 1/2 inch knob of ginger. Set aside in one big pile
Heat 2 t. light sesame or peanut oil. Add the tofu. Cook without stirring until it begins to brown on one side. Nudge the pieces and turn them so they brown on all sides (or most sides). Add any remaining marinade to the pan to glaze the tofu, season with salt and set the tofu aside on a plate. Rinse or wipe out the skillet.
While the tofu is cooking, remove the mushrooms from the soaking water and set them on your chopping board. Strain the soaking water into the big pot (you'll need it soon) and rinse the bowl. In the bowl, combine 4 T. soy sauce and 2 T. mirin (or 1 1/2 T. brown sugar) and set aside. Remove and discard the stems from the mushrooms. Slice the mushrooms and add them to the soaking water.
Heat 2-3 t. oil in the skillet. Stir fry the scallions, garlic, and ginger for 30 seconds, then add the mushrooms with their soaking water. Cook for 2-3 minutes. Add the broccoli, the noodles, and the tofu. Pour the sauce over everything. When heated through, toss with the toasted sesame seeds and drizzle with a little more roasted sesame oil. Serve with a dry Pinot Blanc.
Things I'd do differently next time: I'd like to try this with fresh shiitakes instead of dried. Next time I will use a full pound of broccoli and have friends over or have more leftovers.
Approximate cost to prepare:
1 carton tofu - $1.50 (more or less depending on where you buy it)
5 ounces bean thread noodles - $.50
1 pound broccoli - $1.00
6 T. soy sauce, 4 t. roasted sesame oil, 2 T. mirin - unknown. The roasted sesame oil and the mirin are a bit expensive but you use them sparingly. I was going to buy mirin, but it was almost $10 for a bottle at my local market. I'll see if it is cheaper at the Asian market. Remember you can use brown sugar in place of the mirin to keep the cost down.
2 T. peanut oil - negligible
8 dried shiitake mushrooms - $3.00 (I don't know how much they would cost fresh)
1 1/2 inch knob of ginger - $.30
2 garlic cloves - negligible
4 scallions - $.30
1/4 cup sesame seeds - $.30
TOTAL - $6.90 for 4 people, plus investing in the sesame oil and mirin if you don't already have it.
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