Don’t you love a good marinated tofu stir-fry? In this recipe which is inspired by your everyday stir-fry recipe, the home-made tofu is marinated in shrimp stock, sesame oil, light soy sauce and then stir fried with vegetables.
Tofu is not everyone’s cup of tea. Some say its chalky and others say it has no flavour. If you try this recipe however, it'll change your mind. This gorgeous, mouthwatering bowl of tofu stir-fry is a must try.
The main issue people seem to have with tofu is that it has no distinct or memorable taste which is not a necessarily bad thing. Think of a blank sheet of paper. After that, think of tofu as a canvas on which you can build on to produce a colourful culinary masterpiece.
Other quick stir fry recipes you will enjoy if you really do not like tofu are this stir-fry udon, this chicken cashew stir-fry or this fantastic seafood fried rice.
Ingredients
Tofu is a curd made from soybeans and is a great source of plant protein. This recipe requires fresh tofu which you can either buy or make yourself. I recently discovered how easy it is to make tofu from scratch. I found the perfect recipe on Alpha Foodie and adjusted it slightly to make my own tofu.
All you do is soak the soybeans overnight or at least 6 hours, blend the following day with some water, bring to a boil, add your curdling agent and then press in a mould. The process is very simple and straightforward to follow.
There are a number of recipes for making tofu online, many of which require Nigari, the curdling agent. Unfortunately Nigari is not easy to access (for me) and so I use lemon juice which has worked every time.
Apart from the tofu, some vegetables are also needed for this dish.
Making the marinated tofu stir fry
The first step in this stir fry is to cut the tofu into cubes and then marinate it. For a full list of the ingredients for the marinade check the recipe card. While the tofu cubes are marinating, cut the vegetables and the onions.
The marinade also contains a shrimp stock. I usually get fresh shrimp with the shell and the head on, and then I turn the shells into a rich stock or paste, greatly improving the flavour of many meals.
Next step is to fry the tofu in hot oil until golden brown. Resist the urge to turn the cubes around too much - if you have tofu which is not firm, it will scatter and turn into scramble. We don't want that.
One the tofu cubes are brown, add the vegetables, the rest of the marinade and then turn off the heat.
Variations
- Broccoli or Cauliflower - if you have any other vegetables that you typically like to add to your stir fry like broccoli, cauliflower or any others then you can add that.
- Sauce - if you want more sauce, extend the marinade slightly by adding more stock or some water before finally adding to the stir fry.
- Vegetable Stock - The shrimp stock is easily replaceable with vegetable stock if you want to make the dish vegetarian and also vegan friendly.
Marinated Tofu Stir-Fry Recipe
Ingredients
- ½ tablespoon sesame oil
- 2 teaspoons ginger paste
- 1 teaspoon black peppercorns crushed
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 150 millilitres shrimp or vegetable stock
- ½ tablespoon cornstarch
- 200 grams firm tofu cubed
- 2 garlic cloves grated or chopped
- 1 large onion cut into squares
- 1 bunch of spring onions cut into long strips
- 2 small carrots cut into strips
- 3 small bell peppers (red, green, yellow) cut into thin strips
Instructions
- Mix sesame oil, ginger paste, black pepper, soy sauce, and cornstarch together in a bowl and let tofu cubes marinate in them for 15 minutes.
- Heat a wok over high heat and fry tofu cubes until golden brown and then set aside.
- Return wok to stove and fry rest of ginger, garlic and spring onions and stir for a few seconds.
- Add onions, carrots and then bell peppers. Cook for a further 2-3 minutes and make sure the vegetables don't become mushy.
- Add tofu to the contents of the wok, stir for an additional 1 minute and then add rest of the marinade to the stir fry.
- Cook for another 2 minutes and then turn off the heat.
- Serve with rice.
[…] have raved about tofu enough in my tofu stir-fry recipe and this a good source for making your own tofu and so there is no point repeating […]