This Spicy Stir Fried Tofu with Bok Choy is the perfect healthy and delicious meal the whole family will love!
The other week I realized that I don’t often cook with tofu. I’m not exactly sure why since I actually like the stuff and think it’s a great alternative to meat. Plus (and this is probably my favorite part) I don’t have to wash my hands or clean the countertops if I come in contact with the stuff- unlike with meat.
Because, seriously, when I make chicken I probably wash my hands at least two dozen times throughout the cooking process.
So, I added some tofu to my shopping list and picked up some of the firm stuff while shopping the other afternoon.
This recipe could not be easier! You can prepare it as a meal with rice or as part of a larger meal. In any case, it takes less than 30 minutes and is super delicious.
Now, I love spicy food. So, naturally, I made this tofu super spicy. If having your mouth on fire isn’t your thing, just dial back the gochujang sauce and you’ll be good to go.
Anywho, I got back late Thursday night from the most awesome 3 days spent with Pacific Coast Producers, dietitians and other bloggers learning how fresh fruit and tomatoes go from field to can…all within a few hours. Thanks to this awesome experience, I learned the truth behind canned produce and how it’s bad reputation is largely false propaganda.
This weekend I will be playing catch-up, but can’t wait to share with you everything I learned during my time away- as well as a pretty awesome recipe or two debunking the belief that canned fruit is “bad for you”.
Spicy Stir Fried Tofu with Bok Choy
Ingredients
FOR THE SAUCE
- 5 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce
- 4 tablespoon honey - or brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon fresh ginger - minced
- 3 cloves garlic - minced
- 2 teaspoon sesame oil
- 2.5 tablespoon gochujang sauce - use less if you’re sensitive to spicy food
- 2 teaspoon water
- 2 teaspoon corn starch
- Fresh ground black pepper
FOR THE STIR FRY
- 14 ounces firm tofu
- 3 teaspoon low-sodium soy sauce
- 3 teaspoon rice vinegar
- 2 teaspoon sesame oil
- 5 tablespoon corn starch
- 1 tablespoon canola oil
- 4 cups bok choy - roughly chopped
Instructions
FOR THE SAUCE:
- In a medium bowl whisk together all the ingredients for the tofu sauce and set aside.
FOR THE TOFU:
- Bring 3 cups of water to a boil. While the water boils drain the tofu and cut into bite size cubes. Transfer the tofu to a colander and carefully pour the boiling water over the top. Pat the tofu dry with a paper towel and transfer to a large zip-lock bag.
- Add the soy sauce, rice vinegar, and sesame oil to the bag. Seal the bag and shake to evenly coat the tofu.
- Open the bag and add 1 tablespoon of corn starch. Re-seal and shake to coat. Repeat with the remaining cornstarch, 1 tablespoon at a time, until tofu is well coated.
- In a large skillet over medium high heat add the oil. Working in batches, cook the tofu for approximately 1 minute on each side or until golden brown. Transfer the cooked tofu to a plate lined with a paper towel and repeat with any remaining tofu.
FOR THE STIR FRY:
- Once the tofu has finished cooking, add the wok choy to the same skillet and cooking for approximately 2 minutes, or until just wilted.
- Add the set aside prepared sauce to the pan with the bok choy and stir well. Add the tofu back to the pan and gently toss well to coat. Cook for 1-2 minutes or just until sauce thickens.
- Best served hot over rice or noodles.
Nutritional Information
(Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and specific brands of ingredients used.)
Planning to make this tonight, appears delicious!
However I could not find the quantity of rice vinegar I should be adding to the tofu along with the soy sauce! Would appreciate a response!
Thank you!
Per the recipe instructions at the bottom, 3 tsp of rice vinegar 🙂
Loved it! Followed the recipe as is, except for the gochujang sauce, decreased the amount!
Will be making this again, possibly with more bok Choy! Thank you
We loved this, we are in our mid eighties and trying to cook with more veggies than meat. Of course it took me a long time to prepare and I had a problem cooking the tofu because I had only half the amount of tofu left from another recipe and had to alter the liquid measurements which meant I had trouble browning the tofu because of sticking (too much liquid in the bag and had to use a ton of corn starch). We had never had Bok Choy but now we are converts—it is far superior to cabbage. So delicious!!
Thank you for taking the time to write the delicious feedback Dorothea 🙂
Thanks for this deliciously spicy recipe! What does boiling water do for the tofu?
I skipped that step and did as I always do with pressing the moisture out. I only had dark soy sauce which gave the dish a very sexy dark color. I added green beans and mini green peppers. This was my first time using gochujang and now understand why everyone loves it.
Good question Lori! Boiling tofu is another way to reduce moisture in tofu(I know its counterintuitive) , just like pressing 🙂
The tofu sauce was very tasty and the ingredients blended well together. When I make stir fry, I usually sauté my ginger and garlic in the hot oil first to cook off the intense flavor. But this recipe called for adding the minced garlic and ginger into the tofu sauce, then adding the sauce at the end just to coat the tofu. This wasn’t enough time to cook the ginger and garlic, and both tasted raw.
I loved this recipe! I had to improvise and adjust the recipe as I went. 0I didn’t have tofu ( and quite honestly I really don’t like it), but I had chicken thighs. What I ended up with was amazing dish that I could eat all by myself. The sause had a good balance of sweet, salty, and sour, which isn’t always easy to achieve. Loved it!
Thanks for the kind feedback Margartia!
Five stars!!! Maybe 6!
This is outstanding! Many layers of flavors, and easy to prepare!
Sounds good. Will try tonight. Try black rice with it for an interesting twist to the flavor. Just discovered black rice myself recently but love the taste and texture. Supposedly healthier than brown rice too.
Loved! The sauce is perfect!