Tofu! Can I get a what-what? Perhaps you cook tofu at home all the time, and you don’t need to be sold on it. Perhaps you have made cooked tofu at home with less than exciting results.

Maybe you’ll have it at a restaurant, possibly part of a stir fry, and thought a) eh, these little bland soft cubes are kind of boring, or b) gee, these crispy on the outside tender on the inside tofu cubes are awesome, and how can I make those at home? Well, here’s your answer!

Serve the veggie tofu stir-fry over Perfect White Rice, Perfect Brown Rice or Yaki Udon. If you want to make it part of a larger vegetarian Chinese stir-fry spread, serve it up with Stir-Fried Vegetable Rice or Kimchi Fried Rice (hold the bacon).

Simple Stir Fried Crispy Tofu and Vegetables: Nuggets of tender but chewy tofu and a slew of vegetables become a perfect vegetarian stir fry.

Ingredients

• Extra-firm tofu – Protein-rich tofu is made from soy milk that has been condensed into blocks. Using the extra-firm version allows the tofu to hold its shape when stir-fried, and brown up nicely on the outside, but still provides a creamy and tender interior.
• Vegetable oil
• Shiitake (or other) mushrooms – Earthy mushrooms adds textural variety to the stir fry.
• Broccoli florets – Cut the broccoli in one-or-two-bite size pieces.
• Red bell pepper – Bell pepper, whether red, yellow, or orange, adds color and sweetness to the stir-fry.
• Zucchini or summer squash – I love the way that zucchini melts down in the pan and soaks up all of the delicious sauce.
• Scallions – These green, lean flavor machines lend an oniony flavor.
• Finely minced garlic – Did you know that the finer garlic is minced, the stronger its flavor will be? It’s all due to the increased surface area in the pan!
• Fresh ginger – When ginger and garlic are combined in the pan, your kitchen will smell like heaven. Peel the ginger, then grate it on a microplane, or chop it finely.
• Hoisin sauce – Made from fermented soybean paste, hoisin sauce provides a tangy sweetness to this dish.
• Soy sauce – The staple ingredient of all Asian cooking, soy sauce adds the salt to this dish, bringing out all of the other flavors.

Variations and Substitutions

• Don’t have hoisin sauce on hand? You can swap in oyster sauce or a store-bought teriyaki sauce.
• Any variety of vegetables will work well with this dish. Other veggies I’d recommend here are baby corn, sugar snap peas, and bok choy.
• For a spicy kick, add in red pepper flakes when cooking your ginger and garlic. Or add a squirt or two of your favorite hot sauce when you finish the sauce. My favorite for this stir-fry is sriracha.

How to Cook Simple Stir-Fried Crispy Tofu and Vegetables

1. Press the tofu: See below for in-depth instructions on how to press your tofu.
2. Cut the tofu into pieces: Drain off the liquid, and cut the tofu into 1-inch cubes.
3. Sauté the tofu: Heat the oil in a wok or a large skillet. Add the tofu and sauté, stirring every 2 minutes or until the tofu is lightly browned, about 8 minutes. Transfer to a plate.
4. Sauté the veggies: Sauté the mushrooms for 3 minutes until they start to turn tender and golden. Add the broccoli, bell pepper, and zucchini, and stir-fry for 5 minutes until they start to soften.
5. Add the aromatics: Add the scallions, ginger, and garlic and stir-fry for 2 more minutes until everything is almost tender, then add ¼ cup water and cover the pan. Steam for 2 minutes until the vegetables are crisp and tender.
6. Toss in the sauce: Remove the lid, add the hoisin sauce and soy sauce, and stir to combine everything well. Serve hot.

Pro Cooking Tips

Tofu is sold packed in water, so it’s a challenge to get it to really brown in a skillet. There are a couple of things that can help. Pressing it to drain out excess moisture will allow it to brown and crisp up more, yielding a texture some people find more appealing (even extra-firm tofu is pretty soft).

How to Press Tofu

• Place the block of tofu on a large flat plate, and place a second plate on top, with the bottom against the tofu (use plates flat enough to lie cleanly against the top and bottom of the tofu).
• Place a heavy book or a big can of beans or tomatoes or such on top of the top plate and let drain for about 45 minutes.
• Drain off the liquid that has seeped out onto the bottom plate, and cut up the tofu according to the recipe. You can leave the tofu for longer, but not much more liquid will be released.

How to Cook Crispy Tofu

• Make sure the water has been pressed out of the tofu, then cut it into the desired shapes (in this stir-fry, it’s 1-inch cubes, but that pertains to crispy tofu cut into slices or other sized pieces as well).
• Heat a wok or a large skillet over high heat. Add some vegetable oil, not a ton, but enough to coat the bottom of the pan. When the oil is hot, add the tofu and let it sit, undisturbed for a couple of minutes. Flip the tofu around so that the crispy side is on top.
• You can keep going until all of the sides are browned and crisp, or just make sure a few of the sides have browned — either is fine. The important part is not to stir too often. Let the tofu sit against the hot pan undisturbed and allow it to caramelize. Don’t fiddle with your food!

Storage and leftovers

You can keep leftovers for up to 4 days covered in the fridge. Heat in a pan on the stove over low heat until hot throughout, or microwave until your desired temperature is reached.

What to Serve With Simple Stir-Fried Tofu and Vegetables

Vegetable Stir-Fried Rice

Kimchi Brussels Sprouts

Vegetable Yaki Udon

More Asian-Inspired Vegetarian Recipes

• Vegetable Stir-Fried Rice
• Simple Stir-Fried Vegetables
• Orange Tofu
• Air Fryer Tofu with Sticky Chinese BBQ Sauce
• Spicy, Sweet, and Nutty Tofu