Quick and easy stir fry tofu recipe with beans and red bell pepper tossed in a flavourful stir fry sauce. Made with oyster sauce or substitute with mushroom sauce for the vegan version.
Stir Fry Tofu Ingredients and Substitutions
Tofu– 700 grams per package or 2 of the square blocks of Traditional tofu, firm or extra firm. You can find this tofu in Asian grocery stores or the fridge section of your favourite grocery stores.
Garlic– base flavour and aromatic for stir fry.
Vegetables– Green beans and red bell peppers. Feel free to add or switch with your favourite vegetables like cauliflower, broccoli, snap or sugar peas, celery and carrots.
Stir Fry Sauce– you may ask if you can use a store-bought stir-fry sauce. You may but I will not recommend it. This homemade stir-fry sauce is easy to make and you can adjust the saltiness and sweetness to your liking.
Green onion or Parsley– for garnish and to add flavour
Sesame seeds– Optional garnish
Ingredients of Stir fry Sauce for Stir Fry Tofu
Oyster Sauce– use a good quality oyster sauce for the best flavour. Substitute with mushroom sauce for the vegan version.
Soy sauce– low sodium soy sauce is ideal or adjust the amount to taste.
Sesame Oil– toasted sesame oil has a strong rich nutty flavour. Add to taste or substitute with untoasted sesame oil for a milder nutty flavour. Simply omit it if you don’t like it.
Sugar– for sweetness substitute with honey
Ginger– base flavour for stir fry sauce
Cornstarch– to thicken the sauce
Broth or stock– chicken broth or mushroom stock
How to Make Stir Fry Tofu
Start by pressing the tofu to remove excess water as much as you can for a crisp result.
How do you press tofu?
Two ways to press the tofu: Gently press in between your palms to squeeze out excess water from the tofu, or wrap in a paper towel and place a heavy cast iron pan or a pot of water on top of the tofu for about 10 to 15 minutes.
Did you know you can freeze tofu? I found it easier to remove or squeeze out excess water from previously frozen tofu. So if you can freeze it then thaw it for 24 hours or overnight in the fridge.
Cut into cubes and place into a mixing bowl. Season with salt and pepper then tossed generously with cornstarch.
How to pan-fry the tofu?
Heat a non-stick wok or pan and add 1 to 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil. Pan-fry the tofu until lightly browned and crispy. Place on a plate with a paper towel to remove excess oil.
To air fry the tofu– Toss or spray with cooking oil. Air fry in the preheated air fryer at 400° F for 8 to 10 minutes or until crisp and golden. For the full procedure, check my Air fryer Crispy Tofu recipe.
To crisp up the tofu in the oven– Toss or spray with cooking oil and bake in preheated oven at 400° F for about 15 to 20 minutes or until crisp and golden.
Make the stir-fry sauce. Mix all the stir-fry sauce ingredients in a bowl or measuring cup until well blended.
How to stir-fry the tofu with vegetables. In the same non-stick wok or pan, add vegetable oil and stir-fry the beans and garlic for about a minute then add the red bell peppers. Stir-fry for about 30 seconds.
Add the stir-fried tofu and stir-fry sauce. Make sure to stir again and mix well the stir-fry sauce before adding to the stir-fried tofu with the vegetables. The tofu is like a sponge that absorbs the sauce immediately. You want to make sure the sauce will be evenly distributed and the cornstarch is not sitting at the bottom of the stir-fry sauce.
Let it simmer for about a minute or two until thickened. Remove from heat to avoid overcooking the vegetables and transfer to a serving plate.
How to serve stir-fry tofu. Garnish with sliced green onion or chopped parsley if desired. Serve the way it is or with rice or noodles.
More Stir Fry Recipes to try
Stir-fry Brussels Sprouts and Mushrooms
Stir fry tofu with beans and red bell peppers
Watch How to Make It
Equipment
- 1 Wok non-stick
Ingredients
- 1 package tofu (700 g) 2-square blocks-extra firm tofu pressed and cubed.
- Salt and pepper to season the tofu
- 2 tbsp cornstarch
- 200 g. Beans diagonal-sliced thinly
- 100 g red bell pepper sliced
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 3 tbsp vegetable oil divided
Stir-fry Sauce
- 1 ½ tbsp oyster sauce for vegan substitute mushroom sauce
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tsp sesame oil
- 1 tbsp sugar or honey to taste
- 1 tbsp cornstarch
- ½ cup water
- ½ broth Chicken or mushroom stock
- 1 tsp ginger grated or minced
Instructions
- Press the extra firm tofu. To remove the excess water in the tofu, gently press in between your palms, or wrap in a paper towel and place a heavy cast iron pan or a pot of water on top of the tofu. Cut into cubes and place into a mixing bowl. Season with salt and pepper then tossed generously with cornstarch.
- How to pan-fry the tofu. Heat a non-stick wok or pan and add 1 to 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil. Pan-fry the tofu until lightly browned and crispy. Place on a plate with a paper towel to remove excess oil.
- Make the stir-fry sauce. Mix all the stir-fry sauce ingredients in a bowl or measuring cup until well blended.
- How to stir-fry the tofu with vegetables. In the same non-stick wok or pan, add vegetable oil and stir-fry the beans and garlic for about a minute then add the red bell peppers. Stir-fry for about 30 seconds. Stir again and mix well the stir fry sauce, then add to the stir-fried tofu with the vegetables. Let it simmer for about a minute or two until thickened.
- How to serve stir-fry tofu. Garnish with sliced green onion or chopped parsley if desired. Serve the way it is or with rice or noodles.
