Here's a quick and easy Chinese-style veggie stir-fry, packing the spicy heat and potent garlic-and-ginger whack that make Sichuan-style cuisine a delight.The procedure was quick and simple: For two, cut a head of broccoli into florets (saving the stems for another use), and whack a small-to-medium sweet onion into slivers. Take half a block of firm or extra-firm tofu and cut it into 1/2-inch dice. Mince garlic and ginger to taste, and flavor them with dried red-pepper flakes and black pepper. Make a flavor mix with 2 tablespoons Chinese black beans and garlic, 1 teaspoon sambal oelek, a tablespoon of soy sauce, a tablespoon of lemon juice, and 1 1/2 teaspoons brown sugar, with enough water to bring the liquid total up to 1/2 cup. Make a slurry with 2 teaspoons cornstarch dissolved in 4 tablespoons water.
Blanch the broccoli in boiling salted water for 3-4 minutes or until crisp-tender, drain and set aside.
In a wok with a little peanut oil or coconut oil, brown the onions, then add the seasoned garlic and ginger. When it's aromatic, reduce heat to medium low, stir in the broccoli florets and the tofu, stir to mix, then add the seasoning mix and simmer for a few moments; Add the cornstarch, stirring, a little at a time and only as much as needed to thicken the sauce slightly. Serve with steaming white rice.