Stir-Fried Tofu and Bok Choy
By America's Test KitchenPublished on October 16, 2019
Time
55 minutes, plus 20 minutes draining
Yield
Serves 4
Ingredients
Sauce
½ cup vegetable broth ¼ cup soy sauce 2 tablespoons Chinese rice wine or dry sherry1 tablespoon sugar 2 teaspoons cornstarch 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oilStir-Fry
14 ounces extra-firm tofu, cut into 1-inch cubes⅓ cup cornstarch 3 scallions, minced3 garlic cloves, minced1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger 3 tablespoons vegetable oil 1 small head bok choy (1 pound), stalks and greens separated, stalks sliced thin and greens cut into 1-inch pieces2 carrots, peeled and cut into 2-inch-long matchsticksBefore You Begin
In order for this recipe to be gluten-free, you must use gluten-free soy sauce or tamari. Serve with rice.
Instructions
- Whisk all ingredients together in bowl.
- Spread tofu out over paper towel–lined baking sheet and let drain for 20 minutes. Gently pat tofu dry with paper towels, then toss with cornstarch in bowl. Transfer coated tofu to strainer and shake gently over bowl to remove excess cornstarch.
- Combine scallions, garlic, ginger, and 1 teaspoon oil in bowl; set aside. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in 12-inch nonstick skillet over high heat until just smoking. Add tofu and cook until crisp and well browned on all sides, 10 to 15 minutes; transfer to bowl.
- Add remaining 2 teaspoons oil to now-empty skillet and return to high heat until shimmering. Add bok choy stalks and carrots and cook until vegetables are crisp-tender, about 4 minutes. Clear center of skillet, add garlic mixture, and cook, mashing mixture into skillet, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir garlic mixture into vegetables.
- Return tofu to skillet. Stir in bok choy greens. Whisk sauce to recombine, then add to skillet. Cook, stirring constantly, until sauce is thickened, 1 to 2 minutes. Serve.
for the sauce
for the stir-fry
Time
55 minutes, plus 20 minutes drainingYield
Serves 4Ingredients
Sauce
Stir-Fry
Ingredients
Sauce
Stir-Fry
Ingredients
Sauce
Stir-Fry
Why This Recipe Works
Tofu stir-fries make a quick and satisfying vegetarian meal, but we wanted to avoid a lack of flavor, limp vegetables, and a gummy sauce. We found several key techniques to achieve creamy tofu with a browned crust and crisp-tender vegetables, all lightly coated in a flavorful sauce. Removing as much of the tofu's moisture as possible by letting it drain on paper towels helped it brown in its relatively short cooking time. Coating the pieces in cornstarch further helped in creating a crispy crust while keeping the interior creamy, and it also made a craggy surface that held on to the sauce nicely. We stir-fried the tofu in a skillet over high heat, and then we cooked the vegetables until just crisp-tender. We cleared a space in the skillet and sautéed the aromatics, added back the tofu with quick-cooking bok choy greens, and poured in a garlic-ginger sauce lightly thickened with cornstarch so that it clung to the tofu and vegetables without being gloppy.
Before You Begin
In order for this recipe to be gluten-free, you must use gluten-free soy sauce or tamari. Serve with rice.
Instructions
- Whisk all ingredients together in bowl.
- Spread tofu out over paper towel–lined baking sheet and let drain for 20 minutes. Gently pat tofu dry with paper towels, then toss with cornstarch in bowl. Transfer coated tofu to strainer and shake gently over bowl to remove excess cornstarch.
- Combine scallions, garlic, ginger, and 1 teaspoon oil in bowl; set aside. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in 12-inch nonstick skillet over high heat until just smoking. Add tofu and cook until crisp and well browned on all sides, 10 to 15 minutes; transfer to bowl.
- Add remaining 2 teaspoons oil to now-empty skillet and return to high heat until shimmering. Add bok choy stalks and carrots and cook until vegetables are crisp-tender, about 4 minutes. Clear center of skillet, add garlic mixture, and cook, mashing mixture into skillet, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir garlic mixture into vegetables.
- Return tofu to skillet. Stir in bok choy greens. Whisk sauce to recombine, then add to skillet. Cook, stirring constantly, until sauce is thickened, 1 to 2 minutes. Serve.
for the sauce
for the stir-fry
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