Szechuan Tofu With Mushrooms

Does this dish look familiar? It should! It's very similar to my Sweet and Spicy Tofu With Mushrooms recipe. The only thing that's really different is the sauce. I guess you'll have to try both recipes to see which flavor you prefer. I wouldn't consider this authentic Chinese food (i.e. ketchup?!), but it sure is tasty! Next time I will add some broccoli to give this dish some color and crunchy texture.

1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 15-ounce package firm tofu, drained and pressed and cut into 1-inch cubes
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup ketchup
2 tablespoons reduced sodium soy sauce
1 tablespoon and 1 teaspoon cornstarch
2 teaspoons agave nectar (or honey)
1 teaspoon red chili flakes
1/2 teaspoon minced ginger
4 green onions, ends trimmed and finely diced (leave some for garnish)
10 dried shiitake mushrooms, rehydrated in water and diced (stems removed)
8 cloves garlic, minced

Heat oil in large non-stick pan on medium-high heat and add tofu cubes. Lightly fry the tofu (turning gently every couple minutes) for a few minutes until lightly brown. While the tofu fries, in a medium bowl mix together the sauce ingredients (water through ginger) and set aside. Drain tofu on paper towels and remove oil from the pan, leaving only about 1 tablespoon. To the pan add the garlic, green onions and mushrooms and saute for 4 minutes on medium heat. Add the tofu back in the pan along with the sauce. Sauce will bubble and thicken quickly. Stir until ingredients are heated through and sauce is at desired thickness. Yield: 4 servings