Black Bean Tofu, Cabbage & Broccoli with "Pickle" Rice

Last Night's Dinner (20 January 2013):

per tin's suggestion, it started with a solid foundation: tofu & rice.

A few weeks ago, after polishing off another massive jar of pickles, we asked ourselves what one might do with the delicious "juice" left over -- we don't like to throw food away. I know that most people don't look at the pickle juice and think of food, but you should, because for the true pickle-lover, it's the perfect liquid for a super-special pot of rice. Depending upon just how much you love pickles, you can use as much or as little of the leftover vinegar/mustard seed/pepper/etc. mixture as you want.
tin & I really, really like pickles. So when we make our pickle rice, we eliminate the water component completely and use just the pickle juice & rice in a 2:1 ratio. Put both in a pot, bring to a boil, cover & simmer until all of the liquid has been absorbed. Don't uncover it* and poke around in there, worse yet, stir -- just trust the cooking process.
*There's vinegar in there, and it's trying to cook off. You don't want to inhale it, trust me, because you'll ruin what could have been a perfectly delightful meal, coughing. It's not pleasant, so really, seriously, resist the temptation to stir.

While the rice was cooking, I chopped up a medium-size white onion and cubed some tofu. I had some leftover savoy cabbage (about half of a large head) and some broccoli. I started the tofu & onions on their own in a non-stick pan -- after about 2-3 minutes, I added a tablespoon of black bean garlic sauce. One of my personal favorites -- you can definitely find it at any Asian food market and I'd say pretty much every grocery store by now. Add enough water to get a good puff of steam (I like to use leftover "pasta water" -- the water everybody pours down the drain after cooking spaghetti). Cover quickly & cook on low for about 2 more minutes. Uncover, add the cabbage and broccoli, and another splash of water. You don't want to make a liquid-y sauce, but you also want to make sure that everybody in the pan is getting in on the action from the black bean garlic paste. At this point, I added the grated rind of 1/2 a lime and the juice of the same half to the pan, along with a few grinds of fresh black pepper. Cover again and cook on low until the cabbage & broccoli meet your desired crunch level -- I like mine to stay fairly crispy (about 2-3 minutes).

Spoon the rice into the bottom of a bowl; top with tofu & vegetables. Serve with soy sauce and fresh basil.