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🥗 Salads & bowls

Tofu stir fry

Restaurant-ish, saucy, crisp-tender, and weeknight-friendly

⏱️ Time estimate: about 45 minutes

Frozen-then-thawed tofu gets crisp and chewy in the pan, then joins glossy vegetables in a sauce built from soy, hoisin, Shaoxing wine, rice vinegar, and chili-garlic sauce.

Colorful tofu stir fry with vegetables

Ingredients

Tofu

  • 1 (14-ounce) block extra-firm tofu, ideally previously frozen and thawed
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon white pepper
  • 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
  • Heaping 1/4 teaspoon Chinese five spice powder, optional
  • 3 tablespoons cornstarch or arrowroot powder
  • 3 to 4 tablespoons neutral high-heat oil, divided

Sauce and stir fry

  • 1 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce or tamari
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons rice vinegar
  • 2 tablespoons hoisin sauce
  • 2 tablespoons Shaoxing wine, mirin, or dry sherry
  • 1 tablespoon brown sugar
  • 1 to 2 tablespoons chili-garlic sauce or sambal oelek
  • 3 tablespoons vegetable broth or water
  • 2-inch piece ginger, finely chopped
  • 4 garlic cloves, chopped
  • 14 to 16 ounces vegetables of choice, such as bok choy, bell peppers, broccoli, carrots, mushrooms, or snap peas
  • 1 teaspoon cornstarch mixed with 1 tablespoon cold water
  • 2 teaspoons sesame seeds
  • 2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
  • 3 to 4 cups cooked rice, for serving
  • 3/4 cup chopped cilantro

Instructions

  1. Press and season the tofu. Press the tofu for 10 to 15 minutes. Cut into bite-sized rectangles or squares. Mix the salt, white pepper, garlic powder, five spice, and cornstarch, then toss with the tofu to coat.
  2. Mix the sauce. Stir together the soy sauce, rice vinegar, hoisin, Shaoxing wine, brown sugar, chili-garlic sauce, and broth or water.
  3. Fry the tofu. Heat a wok or large skillet over medium-high heat, add most of the oil, and cook the tofu until golden brown and crisp on both sides. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate.
  4. Cook the aromatics and vegetables. Return the pan to the heat with the remaining oil. Stir-fry the garlic and ginger for 20 to 30 seconds, then add the vegetables and stir-fry until crisp-tender.
  5. Sauce it up. Pour in the sauce and stir-fry for a couple of minutes. Add any especially tender greens at the end. Stir in the cornstarch slurry and cook until glossy and slightly thickened.
  6. Finish. Off the heat, add the tofu back in along with the cilantro, sesame seeds, and toasted sesame oil. Toss well and serve over rice.

The frozen-then-thawed tofu trick is a bit fussy but very worth it if you want that chewy, spongey, sauce-loving texture.