I’ve never thought of myself cooking stuff, more so blogging about it, but recently I’ve been experimenting on coming up with different ways to maintain a high protein diet. My body is naturally ectomorphic (slim) and I guess I want a change by adding more weight. I’ve honestly tried to eat horrendously but to no avail, my metabolism is just too fast for the calories to get a good grip. So now, I’m trying a new strategy by muscle building instead. I’ve been reading a lot of articles online and so far and I’ve discovered that to maintain optimum muscle anabolism (growth), aside from doing muscle building exercises, I’ve got to eat around  1 gram of protein per pound of body weight. Since I’m just starting, I don’t think I’m up for protein supplements (whey) yet so I decided to get protein from whole food sources like egg whites, tuna, tofu, beef, chicken, skim milk etc… for now.

Which is why I have to plan out my meals throughout the day/week and integrate those high protein sources into my diet. One of my favorite things to do is to cook a stir fry with a bunch of those ingredients with vegetables. It is something easy to do, especially for a newbie cook like me.

This is my Tuna Tofu Vegetable and Egg Stir Fry Recipe:

 

The main element of this recipe is tuna and tofu, two of my most preferred protein source of choice. Tuna is a very healthy option since it is low fat and has omega 3 fatty acid, which is good for the heart. I usually buy that big 500g Century Tuna (Tuna in Water) can sold in SM and Iloilo supermarkets and it lasts me for about a week or two. Tofu is also high protein and low fat. What I like about it is that it is a cheaper alternative (per gram of protein) than beef, chicken, or tuna. Tofu is also the most difficult to work with because you have to know how to prepare and cook it, otherwise it will taste really aweful! I’ve experienced a lot tofu failures before I finally got it to taste well enough for other people to be comfortable eating it. I buy blocks of firm tofu (tokwa) in SM and Iloilo Supermarkets, they are found in the vegetable section.

Draining and Freezing Tofu

The first thing I do is pressing and freezing the tofu. This step takes about 2 to 3 days. It takes a very long time but, as I’ve experienced, you really have to pay attention to this step to get the tofu a nice consistency for eating.

  • How to Drain Tofu – Draining the tofu means getting the water out of the tofu. I’m not sure if this step is essential before freezing the tofu, but I found it helps in giving the tofu a meatier consistency after freezing and enables the tofu to absorb the flavors of the sauce when you cook it later on.
    • Place the tofu blocks on a plate
    • Put a paper towel above and below the tofu blocks (optional)
    • Place another plate on top of the tofu blocks
    • Put some weights on the plate, enough to press the tofu lightly (make sure not to put too much weight or else the tofu will break apart)
    • Check after one hour and discard the excess water from the pressed tofu
    • Repeat until tofu is drained well
  • How to Freeze the Tofu – Freezing the tofu for a few days gives it its meaty consistency, which is better for cooking because it makes the tofu less likely to crumble due to stirring and better for eating because it feels just like eating meat.
    • Wrap the pressed tofu in plastic wrap
    • Put the tofu in the freezer and leave for at least 2 days (the  tofu can be stored in the freezer for upto a week)
  • After freezing the tofu, you have to drain the tofu again. This time, instead of placing weights on top of the tofu and waiting for hours, you can just put the tofu in between your palms and squeeze the water out of it until it is completely drained.

Here are the ingredients for My Tuna Tofu Vegetable and Egg Stir Fry Recipe:

  • Tuna (I use tuna in water but you can also use tuna in brine or tuna in oil)
  • Pressed and Frozen Firm Tofu (cut into cubes or strips)
  • Egg/s
  • Vegetables (I buy that packed mixed vegetables in SM Supermarket, the one placed on a styro with plastic wrap)
  • Oyster Sauce
  • Worcestershire Sauce
  • Soy Sauce
  • Garlic
  • Onion
  • Tomatoes

I don’t have an exact amount for each ingredient, I usually just use as much as I feel like using :)

How to Cook

  • First boil one or two eggs in water (sprinkled with salt) in a small pot over high heat and set it aside for 10-15 minutes.
  • Chop the garlic (2-3 cloves), onions (1-2 medium onions), and tomatoes (3-5 medium sized tomatoes) and set aside.
  • Mix the 3 tablespoons of soy sauce, 3 tbsp. worcestershire, and 3 tbsp. oyster sauce in a small bowl and set aside.
  • Chop the Vegetables (I usually use just 1/2 of the vegetable pack) and set aside.
    • You can use any vegetables as you wish like mushrooms, bell peppers, baby corn, etc…
  • By this time, the hard boiled egg is just about ready so I discard the water, peel the egg, and slice into bits.
  • Using the same small pot, deep fry tofu (1-2 blocks) in medium heat until golden brown in color (30 seconds to 1 minute).
  • Place the tofu on top of paper towels to drain and set aside.
  • Heat 1-2 tbsp of cooking oil in a wok. Stir fry the 1/2 cup of tuna with 1/2 of the soy sauce mixture for 2-3 minutes.
  • Set aside in a bowl or plate.
  • Using the same wok, heat 2-3 tbsp of cooking oil
  • Add the chopped garlic, onion, tomatoes, and stir fry until the garlic becomes aromatic
  • Add the sliced tofu
  • Add the chopped vegetables
  • Add the chopped eggs
  • Add the remaining soy sauce mixture and stir fry until ready (I don’t have a fixed time for this step, I just make an approximation if it is ready)
  • Add the tuna
  • Stir fry again until it is mixed well
  • Serve

That’s it. Comments and suggestions for this recipe is very much welcome. I’m just a new at this and am willing to learn if I’ve done something wrong or if there are things that I need to improve on.