I’ve written an updated and improved version of this recipe, please take a look at: Re-imagined Honey Soy Stir Fry

I began cooking when I was in highschool. I grew up a chubby kid, but when I reached highschool I joined the ultimate frisbee team. I went from essentially doing no exercise to two hour practices five days a week. In the process, I lost a bit of weight and became interested in maintaining a healthy lifestyle. I started reading books about how to eat well and about the modern food industry as a whole. 

Soon, I had cut red meat out of my life and was contemplating going vegetarian. The environmental impact of the meat industry weighed heavily on my conscious and I decided to make the plunge into vegetarianism. I was the only one in my family to go vegetarian (I am now happy to report that most of my family is now also vegetarian) and thus I ended up having to learn how to cook around the same time. 

A stir fry was one of the first meals I began making regularly. It was simple, delicious and healthy. I’ve never stopped making stir-frys, however I think my stir-frys have gotten substantially better. Think of this recipe as a guide, it can be modified to your liking. A note here is that I use the instant pot to prepare the brown rice, but cook by package instructions if not using instant pot. Prefer different vegetables, change ’em! Prefer noodles instead of rice, go for it. I hope you enjoy this nostalgic dish!

Active time: 30 minutes

Cook time: 20 minutes

Ingredient:

Tofu, marinade and rice

• 1 block extra firm tofu
• ⅓ cup soy sauce
• 1 tbsp white miso paste
• 1 tbsp sriracha
• 1 tsp ginger paste
• 1 tbsp honey
• 1 ½ cups brown rice
• 1 ¾ cups vegetable broth (if using instant pot)
• ½ tsp, if broth is unsalted

The rest:

• 8 oz mushrooms (I recommend shimeji or oyster mushrooms)

• 2 red bell peppers
• 1 medium yellow onion
• 1 head broccoli
• 1 bok choy
• Neutral oil, for cooking
• 4 cloves garlic

• ⅓ cup soy sauce
• 1 tbsp miso paste
• 1 tbsp sriracha
• 1 tsp ginger
• ⅓ cup sesame oil
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tbsp lime juice
• 1 tbsp ginger paste
• 1 tbsp honey
• 5 cloves garlic, minced
• ½  cup finely chopped cilantro
• Green onions & sesame seeds, to top

1. Press the tofu for about half an hour, if you’re pressed for timethis can be done for only 15 minutes. Start to cook your brown rice. Combine the rice, the salt and the vegetable broth in the instant pot and pressure cook on high pressure for 23 minutes. Let it natural pressure release for 10 minutes and then release the pressure by switching the valve to venting. 
2. In the meantime prepare the marinade. Whisk together the soy sauce, miso paste, sriracha, ginger paste and honey. Once the tofu has been pressed, cut it into small cubes and marinate it in a shallow dish. 
3. Cut the vegetables. We want everything to be in small pieces. So, if you’re using larger mushrooms cut the mushrooms in slices, dice the bell peppers and the onion, cut the broccoli into small florets, and separate all the individual bok choy leaves. 
4. Heat a large skillet skillet on medium heat (I use a large le creuset for this recipe as combining  it all at the end yields a lot of food). Add enough oil to the bottom to thinly cover the whole surface. Add the tofu cubes without dumping the marinade in the pan. Cook, flipping occasionally for about 10 minutes until there is a nice crisp layer on the outside. Set aside in a large bowl. 
5. In the same pan, add another drizzle of oil and add the mushrooms. Cook the mushrooms, stirring occasionally, until soft.. The amount of time required to cook will depend on the mushrooms you use. Set aside with the tofu. 
6. Now another touch of oil and add the rest of the vegetables. Add a sprinkle of salt over them, however be cognizant of the fact that the sauce will be salty due to the soy sauce. Cook, stirring occasionally for about 7-9 minutes. We want the vegetables to be soft, but still with a bit of crunch. I like to cover them with the lid for 3-4 minutes in the beginning to help steam them a bit. 
7. While the vegetables are cooking make the sauce. Combine the sesame oil, soy sauce, lime juice, ginger paste, honey and the garlic and stir to combine. 
8. Once the vegetables are cooked to your liking, add the mushrooms and the tofu back into the same pan. Pour the sauce over and combine over medium low heat. Add the rice and the cilantro in as well, and stir to combine. Serve in large bowls with thinly sliced green onions and sesame seeds to top. Enjoy!