Tofu with Rice and Peanut Sauce

INSTRUCTIONS

• 1
  First, cook the rice: Rinse the rice under cold water, put it in a pot, pour in 350 ml of water, and bring to a boil over high heat. Once the water starts boiling, reduce the heat to low to medium, cover the pot with a lid, and cook for 15 minutes.
• 2
  Meanwhile, prepare the vegetables: Peel the carrot and cut it into thin slices. Clean the green beans and remove the ends. Peel the onion and cut it into thin slices. Remove the seeds from the bell pepper and also cut it into thin slices. Cut the broccoli florets into smaller pieces. Finely chop the coriander and spring onion.
• 3
  Once the rice is cooked, remove it from the heat and let it sit covered for another 5–10 minutes.
• 4
  Cut the tofu in half lengthwise and then cut each piece into 4 triangles, making 8 pieces of tofu. Place the prepared tofu in a sealable container, add 1 tablespoon of canola oil, cornstarch, 1 tablespoon of soy sauce, salt, and pepper, close the container, and shake to coat the tofu in the mixture.
• 5
  Next, prepare the sauce: Peel the garlic, press it into a small bowl, and mix with brown sugar, vinegar, water, soy sauce, and peanut butter to create a smooth mixture. Season the sauce with salt and pepper and set aside.
• 6
  Now take a large pan and heat the remaining tablespoon of canola oil over medium heat. Once the oil is hot, add the seasoned tofu to the pan and fry until golden brown, 1–2 minutes on each side over medium heat.
• 7
  Then add the sliced carrot, onion, and bell pepper to the fried tofu and sauté for 2–3 minutes. Next, add the sliced broccoli and cleaned green beans to the pan and sauté for another 2 minutes. Pour the prepared sauce over everything and cook for 3–4 minutes over medium heat.
• 8
  After cooking, remove the mixture from the heat, add the chopped coriander and spring onion, mix, and serve with the cooked rice.