16 oz tofu

2 Tbs soy sauce

2 Tbs corn starch

2 Tbs olive oil

For the Orange Sauce

1c orange juice

2 tsp orange zest

2 tbs maple syrup

2 tbs soy sauce

4 cups broccoli

1 medium red pepper

1tbs rice vinegar

2 cloves garlic, minced or grated

1 tsp ginger, grated

4 cups cooked rice or other grain

3 tbs green onion tops

Method

Prepare the tofu. Drain the tofu and place it on double layers of paper towels. Add another paper towel on top of the tofu and weight it down for 15-30 minutes to be sure it is dry. Tear the tofu into bite size pieces. toss with t tbs soy sauce and 2 tbs corn starch.

Stir fry the tofu. Heat 2 tbs olive or corn oil over medium/high heat. When the oil begins to sizzle, add the tofu and separate the pieces as much as possible. Cook for 8-10 minutes turning it gently to be sure it is browned on all sides. Once browned, removed from pan and set aside.

Into the same skillet, add broccoli and red pepper and stir to mix. Add 1/4 of water and cook for about 3 minutes or until the broccoli is tender. Remove the cover and let any remaining water evaporate.

in a separate bowl or larrge measuring cup, mix the orange juice, 2 tsp orange zest, 2 tbs maple syrup, 2 tbs soy sauce, 1 tbs rice vinegar, 2 cloves of garlic (grated), 1 tsp ginger (grated), and 1 tbs corn starch. Stir until the cornstarch has emulsified. Once the sauce is well mixed, add it to the skillet and cook ok for 1-2 minutes or until thick.

Service over rice (white or brown) or any other grain of your choice.

For the Crispy Tofu:

1/4 cup Low Sodium Light Soy Sauce

2 teaspoons Hoisin Sauce

2 tablespoons Rice Vinegar

1 tablespoon Toasted Sesame Oil

1 teaspoon Chilli Flakes

1 tablespoon Cornflour

1/4 cup Water

For the Stir Fry:

1 tablespoon Oil

4 Garlic Cloves, finely chopped

1 inch Ginger, peeled and finely chopped

1 Whole head of Broccoli, stems removed and cut into florets (approx 600 grams)

Toasted Sesame Seeds and chopped Green Onions for topping

Method

Dab the tofu with a kitchen towel or paper towel to get rid of any extra moisture. Cut into 1/2 inch cubes and toss them in a mixture of cornflour, salt and pepper.

Whisk together all the ingredients for the sauce and set aside.

Heat oil in a non stick pan. Spread the tofu pieces out so that they are evenly layered on the pan. Cook each side till it is a light golden brown and remove from the pan. Don’t worry if the tofu pieces stick to each other a bit. You can easily pull them apart once they are cooked and crispy.

Heat oil in the same pan and once its hot, add garlic and ginger. Saute for a minute and add the broccoli florets. Cook them for a minute and pour the sauce into the pan. Stir fry for a minute or two on high heat to let the sauce thicken and then add the tofu. Quickly toss everything together and turn off the flame. Top with sesame seeds and green onions and serve.

There were two primary ways we ventured from MIT to the House of Roy at 12a Tyler Street in east Boston.  Mostly, we went on the T, Boston’s subway system.  We walked across the MIT campus to Kendall Square, which at the time was at the border between the east campus of MIT and the slums of East Cambridge.  We took the Red Line from Kendall Square to Washington Street (now called Downtown Crossing) and then switched to the Orange Line.  (One of the denizens at Washington Street came up me and my MIT friends in the T station and interjected a famed phrase, “zip, zap, zoop”.) At other times, we arrived by car, whether Joel Berez’s or others.

The House of Roy was a weekly staple of this MIT crowd on weekends.  (Note that the MIT dining system in this time and era did not serve food to students on weekends!) Check out an advert by House of Roy on page 4 of the 13 November 1959 edition of The Tech!  Wow!  I started eating at House of Roy around 1972!

The usual question once we sat down (and we rarely needed to glance at the menu) was: “n or n minus 1?” To translate: do we want to order main course dishes for everyone, or one less?

House of Roy was located on Tyler Street, not far from the infamous (in its time) Combat Zone in downtown Boston.  Boston in the 1970s designated some areas as its red light district, for prostitutes and others, and it was called the Combat Zone.

Since many of our memories of House of Roy are just that, only memories, here are some other memories of House of Roy to help us out here:

• http://criticalpalate.blogspot.com/2008/03/house-of-roymmmm-special.html
• http://www.nesfa.org/History/HouseOfRoy.htm

All that said, this seems to only be a first step in the door to this history. Looking forward to more!

– Rick