Stir-Fried Tofu With Cabbage, Carrots and Red Peppers
Updated Feb. 1, 2023

- Total Time
- 20 minutes
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
- 12ounces firm tofu, sliced about ¼ inch thick
- 1tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce (more to taste)
- 1tablespoon Shao Hsing rice wine or dry sherry
- 2teaspoons dark Asian sesame oil
- ¼teaspoon salt (more to taste)
- ¼teaspoon ground pepper, preferably white pepper
- ¼teaspoon sugar
- 2tablespoons peanut oil or canola oil
- 1tablespoon minced garlic
- 1tablespoon minced ginger
- 1medium carrot, cut in ¼-by-2-inch matchsticks (about 1 cup julienne)
- 1medium red bell pepper, cut in ¼-by-2-inch matchsticks (about 1 cup julienne)
- 1pound cabbage, cored and shredded
- ¼cup coarsely chopped cilantro (optional)
Preparation
- Step 1
Place the tofu dominoes on paper towels. Place another paper towel on top and prepare the remaining ingredients.
- Step 2
In a small bowl or measuring cup combine the soy sauce, rice wine or sherry, and the sesame oil. Combine the salt, pepper and sugar in another small bowl. Have all the ingredients within arm’s length of your pan.
- Step 3
Heat a 14-inch flat-bottomed wok or 12-inch steel skillet over high heat until a drop of water evaporates within a second or two when added to the pan. Swirl in 1 tablespoon of the oil by adding it to the sides of the pan and swirling the pan, then add the tofu. Reduce the heat to medium and stir-fry 1 to 2 minutes, until the tofu begins to brown. Add the garlic and ginger and stir-fry for no more than 10 seconds.
- Step 4
Swirl in the remaining oil and add the carrots, red pepper and cabbage. Turn the heat to high and stir-fry for 1 minute, or until the vegetables begin to soften. Add the salt, pepper and sugar, toss together and add the soy sauce mixture. Stir-fry for 1 to 2 minutes, until the vegetables are crisp-tender. Stir in the cilantro, and serve with grains.
Private Notes
Comments
This is a great recipe, but we prefer more sauce. I tripled the sauce ingredients and added a heaping teaspoon of cornstarch to make a sauce with more body and just plain more! That makes it five stars in our opinion!
I did as suggested and tripled the sauce. Also added peanuts at the same time as the garlic and ginger. Yum!
This came together quickly but I don't think I'll make it the same way again. I found myself wishing it were a little more complex. I added soy sauce and sriracha at the table. Maybe crushed peanuts and diced red jalapeños would have been better? I used dry sherry because I didn't have rice wine. Maybe that was the problem? The vegetables were bright and crunchy. I'll keep working on it!
Doubled vegetables and sauce and added a couple bundles of guanmiao noodles. Sauce needs a big punch. Maybe 4x the sauce for 2x the vegetables? Maybe add doubanjang? Chili oil? It's pretty plain and can't stand up to the other ingredients, especially if you add noodles, like I did.
Made according to the recipe and we agree with others that the flavor is lacking. Either double the sauce recipe or serve with soy sauce and chili crunch at the table (or do both!). This was also not enough for four servings. Two of us got a healthy helping each, plus one smaller portion for lunch leftovers.
Added a small serrano pepper and doubled the sauce base. Cooked the tofu a little longer than recommended. You might want to brown it on both sides then set it aside and stir it back in later. Really good recipe.
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