Spicy Thai Basil Stir Fry with Tofu and Cashews

Who doesn't love a fast dinner that utilizes the best of what you have growing in your garden (or local farmer's market)? That about sums up this dish that I put together  for dinner with the hubs last week. We love stir fry, but I feel there's only so many ways you can mix together citrus, soy sauce, cilantro and veggies before it gets boring. So to spice things up literally and figuratively, I pulled a few ingredients that are at right at their peak in my Minnesota garden to create a fresh take on classic stir fry.


So what exactly is Thai basil and why am I cooking with it? Authentic Thai food will always have a balance of hot, sour, salty and sweet flavors, so in this dish I'm using the Thai basil to complement the heat from the hot peppers. I wouldn't exactly call this dish authentic, but you get the idea. Thai basil is nothing like Italian basil; it's actually a member of the anise family so it has a sweet, licorice-like flavor but isn't so overpowering that it distracts from the other flavors in the dish. I always grow Thai basil in my garden because it's a beautiful plant and easy to grow, but you can also find at farmer's markets. My other tip is I've been known to venture to my local greenhouse in late summer to see what fresh herbs are on clearance, and you can usually score fresh herbs for a fraction of what you'd pay at the store. To achieve the right amount of heat, I used a combination of dried Tien Tsin peppers, sriracha hot chili sauce, and jalapeno peppers. Now, before you panic, even with all those ingredients this dish still isn't overly hot, and you can always reduce the amount of hot ingredients you use or use just two of the three spicy ingredients. If I compared it to the Thai spice scale in Thai restaurants in Minnesota, I'd call this 3 out of 10 heat. The heat also mellows a bit when added to the the vegetables and lime juice. To round everything out the salty flavors come from vegetable broth and soy sauce, and sour from a little fresh lime juice.

Just like all my recipes calling for tofu, I pressed the tofu ahead of time to avoid that soggy, eggy texture that so often plagues tofu dishes. Here's a little tutorial in case you need a refresher. You could also look for brands of tofu that advertise themselves as having no extra water to save time; in my experience they taste the same but require zero pressing. If you're not a fan of tofu, you could easily substitute chicken breast or shrimp but I would encourage you to give that humble little block of soy a try. I opted to marinate it for about 15 minutes prior to cooking to give it a little extra flavor.

For me the real hero of this dish is the snow peas - I just love them! They require minimal prep, are easy to find fresh, and have a natural sweetness that is pretty irresistible. You can save money by avoiding the bags of pre-washed snow peas and buying them from your grocer's bulk produce section. To clean snow peas, just pull each corner and tear away the little fibrous stem. As a veggie, they're an excellent source of nutrients including fiber, vitamins A, B6, C and K, thiamin, folate, and riboflavin with only 40 calories per cup. At that rate you can munch on these while making dinner for you family without a shred of guilt. As written, this recipe comes in at 218 calories and 12 grams of fat per serving. Serve this with a side of brown jasmine rice and you have a nutritious and complete meal faster than any takeout restaurant I know. Enjoy!

Spicy Thai Basil Stir Fry with Tofu and Cashews, Serves 6
1 package extra firm tofu, pressed
3 T reduced sodium soy sauce
1/2 c. reduced sodium vegetable broth
3 T sriracha chili sauce or other hot chili sauce
Juice from 2 limes
1 T cornstarch
2 T canola oil
2 tsp minced garlic
2 tsp minced ginger
6-8 dried Tien Tsin chili peppers, or other dried hot chili peppers
1 bell pepper, sliced in 1/8" slices
2 red jalapeno peppers, in 1/8" slices
2 c fresh snow peas
1/2 c roasted unsalted cashews
1 handful Thai basil, chopped

Slice the tofu into two large "steaks" and place into a shallow bowl. Mix soy sauce, vegetable broth, sriracha, lime juice, and cornstarch; pour over top of tofu to marinate while you prepare your remaining ingredients.

Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add 1 T oil to the pan, heat until it just shimmers. Remove tofu steaks from marinating liquid, reserving the liquid for later. Fry tofu for 4-5 minutes per side until crisp and browned. Remove from pan, chop into 1" pieces and set aside. Heat remaining 1 T of oil in the pan, add garlic and ginger, stirring constantly until fragrant, about 20-30 seconds. Add bell pepper, jalapenos, and dried chilies; fry for 2-3 minutes. Add snow peas and marinating liquid and cook for an additional 2-3 minutes until liquid just thickens. Return tofu to pan, add cashews and Thai basil, and continue cooking until heated through. Remove dried chili peppers before serving.