Moo Shu Tofu

Growing up, I always loved Chinese food. My all time favorite dish was Moo Shu Pork and since I'm no longer eating animal meat, I wanted to try a vegetarian version of my favorite dish. It came out absolutely amazing! I will definitely be cooking this dish again.

This was fairly simple to make. The thing that took the longest was the prep work of all the yummy vegetables. If you're a Chinese food lover like I am, I definitely recommend trying this dish out.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 oz. dried Chinese black mushrooms (also known as black fungus or wood ear mushrooms; I found these pretty easily at my local Asian market)
• Tofu. Patted dry and cut into strips
• 3 Tbsp. coconut or soy aminos
• 2 Tbsp. hoisin sauce
• 1 Tbsp. Shaohsing rice wine
• 2 Tbsp. sugar or honey
• 1 tsp. Asian toasted sesame oil
• 4 large egg whites, lightly beaten
• 1 tsp. fresh ginger, minced
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1/4 tsp. ground white pepper
• 4 scallions (white and green parts), thinly sliced on diagonal
• 10 oz. Napa cabbage, shredded
• 4 oz. fresh shiitake mushrooms, stems discarded and caps thinly sliced
• moo shu pork wrappers (you can find these at your local Asian market)
• Additional hoisin sauce, for serving

To Prepare the Stir-Fry

In large bowl, toss together the tofu, 2 Tbsp. aminos, 3 Tbsp. rice wine, white pepper, and cornstarch. Let marinate 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, combine dried black mushrooms and enough boiling water to cover. Let stand until tender, about 10 minutes. Drain, squeezing out excess liquid, rinse to remove any grit, discard stems, and slice mushroom caps. Set aside

In another small bowl, stir together the 3 Tbsp. soy sauce, remaining 1 Tbsp. rice wine, 2 Tbsp. hoisin sauce, and sugar. Set aside. (I whisked in a little cornstarch to this mixture because I was cooking it separately from the pork, which had cornstarch on it to thicken the sauce.)

In small sauté pan over moderate heat, heat the 1 tsp. of sesame oil until hot but not smoking. Add eggs and scramble until softly set, about 1 minute. Transfer to small bowl and set aside.

To Cook the Moo-Shu

In wok or heavy large sauté pan over moderately high heat, heat the peanut oil until hot but not smoking.

Add ginger, garlic, half of scallions (reserve remainder for garnish), and stir-fry until vegetables are soft. Add black mushrooms, cabbage, and shiitake mushrooms and stir-fry until vegetables are tender.  Add eggs, tofu and aminos-rice wine-hoisin sauce mixture and stir-fry until heated through, about 1 minute.

Toss in the remaining scallions at the end and transfer to a serving bowl.

Serve with the warm pancakes and additional hoisin sauce.