Vegetables
Moderate evidenceBell pepper
128 mg of vitamin C per 100 g of red pepper. The Cochrane review, though, found no reduction in colds.
Bell pepper and tofu stir-fry
The peppers go in for the last minute. Vitamin C is heat-sensitive — and it is that vitamin C which lifts the iron out of the tofu.
2 servings20 min
Ingredients
- Firm tofu1 block (300 g)
- Red bell pepper1
- Yellow bell pepper1/2
- Onion1/2
- Garlic2 cloves
- Cooking oil1 tbsp
- Soy sauce1 tbsp
- Sesame oil1 tsp
- Pepperto taste
Method
Wrap the tofu in kitchen paper and press for 10 minutes. Skip this and it falls apart in the pan.
Cut the tofu into 2 cm cubes.
Chop the garlic and leave it 10 minutes. Slice the onion thickly.
Deseed the peppers and cut into 2 cm strips.
Get the pan hot, add the oil and the tofu, and leave it alone for 2 minutes. Once the face is golden, turn and give it 2 more.
Move the tofu to a plate.
In the same pan, cook the onion 2 minutes and the garlic 30 seconds.
Add the peppers for one minute only, return the tofu, pour in the soy sauce and toss 30 seconds. Off the heat, finish with sesame oil and pepper.
Cooking note
The order here exists to protect the vitamin C. Bell pepper carries 128 mg per 100 g, and it is sensitive to heat and water; ten minutes in the pan from the start and much of it is gone.
That vitamin C has a second job. The iron in tofu is non-haem and absorbs poorly, but vitamin C in the same meal raises that absorption sharply. The pepper is here for the tofu, not for the colour.
Leaving the tofu untouched for two minutes is simple physics: turning it before a crust forms breaks it up. Pressing out the water serves the same end.
Green peppers are unripe and carry less vitamin C, around 80 mg. Red and yellow are further along.
Ingredients used here
Grains & legumes
Strong evidenceTofu
Soy protein's LDL-lowering effect is confirmed across 43 randomised trials. The size of it is 3–4 %.
Vegetables
Moderate evidenceOnion
Onion's antioxidant quercetin concentrates in the outer layers. Peeling two extra layers out of habit throws much of it away.
Vegetables
Moderate evidenceGarlic
The evidence for garlic points to a modest drop in blood pressure and cholesterol. The trick is to crush it and wait ten minutes before it hits the heat.