Generically Chinese fast weeknight dinner

When I'm tired after work and don't want to think too hard about what to make for dinner, and I don't want to do complicated shopping, this is often what I do. A fair amount of the things I have in the house already, and so I always know exactly what I need to grab at the store, which makes for a very fast shopping trip. It's yummy and leaves enough for leftovers for lunch the next day. It's also good with a cold beer. :) I'll just write out what I do and include ingredients as I go.

Chop a knob of ginger, a couple of cloves of garlic, and the white part of a bunch of green onions. Put on a small plate.

Chop the green part of the green onions and put on a small plate with a handful of peanuts or cashews.

Chop a small head of broccoli (or Chinese greens - much better but not easy to get for me), put on a plate.

Dice a cake of extra-firm tofu (or firm would be okay too), put half on a plate, and put the other half in a ziploc to freeze for next time. (Be super-industrious and squeeze in some oyster sauce into the ziploc, and squish it around, so the tofu marinates as it freezes and thaws next time you make this dish.) I guess you could substitute some chicken or other meat if you prefer that to tofu.

Preheat your wok (or frying pan). Pull out of the fridge: soy sauce, Chinese cooking sauce of your choice (e.g. oyster sauce, black bean sauce, hoisin sauce), sesame oil.

Now the wok is hot. Add some vegetable oil and some sesame oil, and the garlic, ginger and onion whites. Stir around while they sizzle. When they smell fragrant but haven't burned, throw in the tofu. Add a splash of soy sauce to deglaze and to add moisture and flavour. If you want to be really fancy, you could add a splash of dry sherry (equivalent for Chinese cooking wine) for a nice flavour. Let cook for a few minutes. Add a couple of tablespoons of the cooking sauce you want (hoisin or whatever), and add the broccoli. I usually add a bit of water too at this point (no more than a couple of tablespoons), to help the sauce thin out and to steam the broccoli a bit. Stir around till the broccoli is cooked how you like it. I do it till it's a vibrant green colour and has a bit of crunch to it still. Turn off the heat, and add a splash of sesame oil, the greens of the green onions, and the nuts. Stir it all around. You're done!

I serve with either rice or with a package of fresh Chinese noodles (I get them from the same case as the tofu at the store), cooked according to package directions.

Note about the Chinese sauces: In my town in the States Lee Kum Kee sauces can be found at the one Asian specialty grocery store. If you live in a bigger town this brand might be easier to find. Fred Meyer and Albertson's don't carry it here, but maybe Safeway does - I'm not sure. It's definitely the best, but I have also used Sun Luck which seems to be more common in the States. It's okay, but definitely use Lee Kum Kee if you can find it.

Also, sometimes I add a can of baby corn or a can of bamboo shoots to the stir-fry, along with the tofu. It's really yummy and adds a third texture and colour to the dish.