Mongolian Mushrooms and Tofu

Are you missing Asian food during this pandemic because we can't eat in restaurants? 

This Mongolian dish reminded me of a meal that I once ate at a vegan Asian restaurant in Chinatown, Philadelphia. And guess what ?- this recipe tastes just as good as the restaurant's dish and yet was really easy to make!!

I usually don't cook Asian cuisine, but since we have not been able to eat out during the pandemic, I had to learn to make my own or not eat any. 

I'm no expert at making Asian cuisine, but I found a recipe on an Asian blog called Viet Vegan that looked amazing, and I adapted it to meet my tastes and eating restrictions!

I Needed to Change the Recipe A Little
Although I needed to adapt/change the recipe to use the specific groceries that I had available in my kitchen at the moment, the recipe still came out delicious. 

I used tofu as my base; Viet Vegan used soy curls with some additional ingredients. I made mine low fat friendly.

 Regardless of what your base, the secret seems to be in the 
incredible sauce! I had most of the ingredients she used for the sauce, but of course my condiments are all gluten free. Although I used the sauce for tofu, it would work with beef or chicken as well.

I ate my portion of my Mongolian Tofu over  Shiritaki noodles ( affiliate link ) which are gluten free and contain almost no calories. My husband ate his portion over white rice that I have been cooking and then freezing in portions for him for exactly this type of recipe. We were both thrilled with our dinner! 

I don't make tofu very often, but since I'm forced right now to buy what's available and for longer periods of time to avoid going into the market, I bought more tofu than usual. Last week I made crispy baked tofu cutlets  which didn't have a sauce, but were also well seasoned and very good. 

1 Point on WW 
Interestingly, I was able to make this recipe very WW (Weight Watchers) friendly. I calculated about 2 points for the entire recipe on the blue or purple plan.  My noodles were zero points, the mushrooms and tofu were zero points and the sauce - well I calculated 1 point per serving. If you add in the optional suggestions of sesame oil or honey, re-calculate your additional points.

Immune Boosting Foods
Who doesn't want to try to boost their immunity, especially now. This recipe has lots of immune building antioxidants, so I felt good eating it.  

Fresh garlic-contains allicin which is touted for it's antibiotic properties
Fresh ginger- has lots of immune boosting benefits because it contains antioxidants that are thought to be antibacterial, antiviral, and anti-inflammatory. 
Fresh mushrooms- Mushrooms provide vitamin D

Where is Mongolia Anyway?
Mongolia is located in Central and East Asia and was at one time actually part of China. However, in 1921 Mongolia gained its sovereignty and became an independent state. China and Mongolia are neighbors but their culture, background and lifestyles are very different. Despite their differences, I found this Mongolian sauce very similar to Chinese sauces!

This entire recipe took me about 8-10 minutes prep and about 6 minutes to cook! 
Again, it was delicious!

Author of Gluten Free A-Z Blog: Judee Algazi
Recipe adapted from Viet Vegan's Mongolian Beef Recipe
Prep time: 8-10 minutes
Cook time: 6 minutes
Serves: 2 good size portions; 3 lighter eaters

Ingredients: 

1 8 ounce container of white or baby bella mushrooms, cleaned and cut into quarters
1 package of firm tofu, drained and cut into cubes
Avocado oil or olive oil spray
1/2 teaspoon Himalayan salt 
1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder
3 tablespoons of sliced scallions
1 cup of cooked rice or 1 cup of cooked gluten free shirataki tofu noodles

Sauce
1/2 cup of gluten free soy sauce (or GF Teriyaki sauce) 
1/4 cup of warm water + 2 teaspoons of NON- GMO cornstarch mixed well.
2 inches of fresh ginger, washed and grated 
2 cloves of fresh garlic , peeled and grated
Pinch of hot pepper flakes (to taste)-
1/2 teaspoon liquid stevia (or 2 teaspoons of sweetener of your choice-honey, coconut sugar, -adds points)
optional: 1 teaspoon of sesame oil (if you are not oil-free; adds points on Weight Watchers)


Directions: 

Prepare sauce by mixing all ingredients in a small bowl, stir until smooth, and set aside. Add cut tofu and mushrooms to a medium sized bowl. Mix well with salt and garlic powder and set aside. 

Spray a large skillet with oil spray on medium heat. Add drained mushrooms and tofu mixture to skillet sautee until mushrooms begin to soften, stirring to prevent burning for about 4 minutes.  Pour sauce over the sautee and stir and cook for an additional 1 -2 minutes. Serve over rice or heated Shirataki noodles (affiliate link) and sprinkle with scallions. 

How I prepare my tofu shirataki noodles (affiliate link)

I know!! When you cut open the package of noodles, the liquid has an odor. 

Here is the solution: 

Pour off the liquid from the package, and then pour the noodles into a bowl. Soak the noodles in clean water for about 1-2 minutes, then wash the noodles a few times (Use a mesh colander if needed). That should eliminate most of the odor. Drain well and heat in a skillet for about 3 minutes. I like to add salt and seasoning to the noodles while they are heating up. 



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