Any kind of tofu stir fry is delicious and healthy. The sauce that is made with spices is what makes such recipes extra delicious. Actually, any vegetables can be added to the tofu stir fry. It is the sweet and savory sauce which makes all the difference and makes the tofu stir fry extra delicious.

Preparing Tofu For Stir Fry

A few varieties of tofu are available in the east, and in America the most common varieties are the soft, silken tofu and the firm pressed tofu. The water content of the silken tofu is higher, and since it is very fragile, it is generally most suitable for soups and salads. It is definitely unsuitable for tofu stir fry, as it will crumble and disintegrate.

The firm tofu is what you need for tofu stir fry, which can be cut into cubes easily. The top of the tofu block has a smooth surface, because its excess water has been extracted by pressing it. In this way the protein content per kg. of the tofu is increased. Sometimes tofu is sold packed in water, and this is the firm tofu that you need for your tofu stir fry. Now you can cut the tofu for stir-frying.

Making Soft Tofu Firm

If the firm variety of tofu is not available and only the soft tofu can be bought, you can turn it into a semi-firm form by pressing it at home. If you cut the tofu into blocks and put a firm weight on it, leaving it for about 2 hours, some of the water gets drained out. At the end of it, your soft tofu would have lost its water and can be used now for your tofu stir fry.

Since tofu does not have any taste of its own, the best way one can eat it is to cut it into very small pieces and toss it along with other ingredients in some spicy noodles. If you want to use large blocks for your tofu stir fry, it is best if the tofu is deep fried. Deep fried tofu absorbs flavors very well and hence works wonderfully in a strong tofu stir fry recipe. Also, if the tofu is deep fried, it can be used in many dishes of tofu stir fry, and then it will have a character of its own and not just have a bland taste.

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Tofu

For cooking tofu stir fry you need medium firm or firm tofu, so that it remains solid when you are cooking tofu stir fry. Soft tofu tends to fall apart and cannot be used for stir fry, but is suitable for lasagna and soups. You have to cut the tofu into cubes, which should be about half an inch thick. Since it has a lot of water in it, you have to press it to help it dry out. In this way, it will absorb any sauce or marinade that you apply on it.

This preparation of pressing all the water out of the vegan tofu before cooking tofu stir fry is important, so that it soaks well in the vegetable broth that you use. Cooking tofu stir fry is not time-consuming at all, it just needs about an hour of preparation, including the time required for pressing the water out and then cooking time is 15 to twenty minutes. That is why it is considered a quick meal, and yet nutritious and easy to make.

Vegetables And Sauces

There are some common vegetables used for cooking tofu stir fry like broccoli, mushrooms, carrots, bell peppers and onions, but it is possible to add other vegetables of your choice and availability. Sauces can also be of different varieties like teriyaki sauce, soy sauce and hot pepper sauce. Peanut sauce, fish sauce are used for chicken and meat tofu stir fried recipes.

Common Ingredients

The ingredients used for cooking tofu stir fry are typical for Chinese, Thai and Indonesian recipes. A lot of garlic and ginger is used, and sesame seeds are used as well. Orange juice and lemon juice can also be added and cornstarch is always used to thicken the sauce. Sometimes you can use asparagus, zucchini or green onions as vegetables, to add an exotic flavor.

Very little oil is used for cooking tofu stir fry and hence it is a healthy meal that you can cook for your family at a short notice. It is possible that you may not have the ingredients at home always, so if you keep them ready, you can conjure an exotic meal of a tofu stir fry with some new-found vegetable varieties and surprise your family.

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Ingredients

Peanut sauce is often used for the vegan tofu stir fry. So when you are cooking tofu stir fry you need peanut butter, soya sauce and soymilk to make the sauce. The vegetables used are carrots, green beans and bell pepper, and lemon juice is added to give it a tangy taste.

Quick Meal

A vegan tofu stir fry is generally quick, elegant and simple to make. If you are a busy person, you can use all the shortcuts, but because it has ingredients like tofu and fresh vegetables, you are not compromising on nutrition or taste. You can use a prepared stir-fry sauce and use it with different types of vegetables. Serve it over noodles or rice and the dish can be made quickly into a nourishing and satisfying supper.

The sweet cabbage vegan tofu stir fry or the pineapple and vegetable stir fry are excellent recipes for all vegans. The pineapple vegan tofu stir fry requires a preparation time of only 10 minutes and the cooking time is only another 10 minutes. Pineapple is a delicious addition in any stir fry and requires very little cooking time. The vegan tofu stir fry is sweet, crunchy and needs very little time to be made. You can make it without a sauce too.

The tofu can be marinated in a sauce of red wine vinegar and oil and fried till golden brown. Other vegetables used are broccoli, green cabbage and onion. The sweet cabbage vegan tofu stir fry can be made the same way and also requires very short cooking time.

Simple Recipe

The simple vegan tofu stir fry with ginger is a simple recipe in Chinese-style. It is actually a vegetable stir fry with tofu in a ginger sauce. Any vegetables can be added to it like broccoli, carrots, onion, bell pepper, snow peas or mushrooms and it is an easy stir-fry recipe. The ingredients are typically Chinese like soy sauce, lemon juice and ginger and they are made into a marinade. The tofu should be extra firm, well pressed and cut into one-inch cubes and marinated in the sauce for at least one hour. It is generally eaten with rice.

For all vegans, adding tofu to their diet is a boon, especially because of its nutritional value. It contains protein and is a much healthier substitute for meat.

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In a vegetarian tofu stir fry chicken broth is often used, whereas if it is a vegan tofu stir fry, only vegetable broth can be used. The recipes are simple and quick to make and can be combined with noodles or rice.

Chinese Ingredients

The tofu used for vegetarian tofu stir fry has to be extra firm; otherwise it cannot be cut into cubes and will crumble. The oil used is often canola oil or olive oil and the quantity is very little. Scallions and bok choy are often used as ingredients in the vegetarian tofu stir fry. If scallions are not available, any other green onions such as ramps or Egyptian onions can be used. Bok choy is a kind of Chinese cabbage. For garnishing, peanuts can be used.

Vegetables And Sauce

The vegetarian tofu stir fry can be made in a simple manner by using common vegetables, like mushrooms, bell peppers, carrots or beans and with ginger as one of the ingredients. Stir-fry recipes with tofu generally have ginger and garlic, and some sauces like soy sauce or teriyaki sauce. The light ginger sauce lends a sharp taste to the vegetarian tofu stir fry and can be used to marinate the tofu.

Two Special Recipes

Chili and mint are often added to give the vegetarian tofu stir fry a distinct flavor. Tofu and Vegetable Stir Fry with Chili and Mint has lots of fresh mint and jalapeno peppers. You can add thinly sliced bamboo shoots to it to give it an extra crunch. If you want to make it a little sweet, just add some diced pineapple towards the end of the cooking time. This is both a vegetarian tofu stir fry as well as a vegan tofu stir fry.

The Broccoli Tofu Stir Fry has the special hoisin sauce and the main sauce of the vegetarian tofu stir fry is made in combination with rice vinegar and soy sauce. Broccoli, scallions and bell peppers are the vegetables used and the tofu has to be cut into one-inch cubes and fried a golden brown. The whole recipe does not take more than 20 minutes, and should be served immediately. It can be served over rice or pasta, whatever the family prefers. The calories per serving are only 290 and the fat content is very low.

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For any type of tofu stir fry, whether it is vegetarian tofu stir fry or chicken tofu stir fry, the vegetables used should be fresh and not canned. Chicken breast is best for chicken tofu stir fry and the other vegetables used in it are celery, onion, bell pepper, pea pods, bean sprouts, cabbage and scallions. The tofu should be firm and cut into cubes. Besides the sauces and curry paste, you need chicken stock and some sherry.

You need not use all the vegetables mentioned above, but a few of them of your choice. Vegetables like broccoli, sweet red peppers or carrots could be used as well. The proportion of chicken and tofu should be the same, so that one can taste both. Besides, it is better to take a combination of not more than 3 vegetables at one time. The chicken tofu stir fry can be served with rice or noodles. The crispy Chinese noodles make a very attractive garnish for this meal.

Just remember to use a variety of vegetables for the chicken tofu stir fry, but don’t overdo it. Although chicken is used in the chicken tofu stir fry, it can easily be replaced by beef or pork. Since tofu is rich in protein, you can use less meat if you like. You can actually add your favorite spices or herbs for extra flavor and enjoy the meal the way you like.

Extras

Besides ginger and garlic, mint or fresh coriander leaves can be used for cooking. Plum sauce or chilly sauce can be used in addition to soy sauce and vinegar. Marinating the tofu is also not necessary always, but it can lend that extra flavor to the chicken tofu stir fry.

Classic Stir Fry

Let us take a look at the classic chicken tofu stir fry served with brown rice. The chicken breast is less in quantity than the organic tofu that is used. All the ingredients used are fresh and organic like ginger, garlic, water chestnut, carrot, broccoli, snow peas and bok choy. The chicken broth used is organic as well, the soy sauce and the brown rice too.

Health Tip

Tofu is rich in phytoestrogens and stir frying is a cooking technique for which you use low fat. Besides, fresh vegetables are always a healthy source of food and the chicken tofu stir fry is a quick meal with a short preparation time, it is easy to make and fun too.

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Garden Vegetable Stir Fry

The tofu vegetable stir fry is eaten in combination with brown rice. A garden tofu vegetable stir fry contains a lot of vegetables like zucchini, snow peas, carrots, water chestnuts and bell pepper. The tofu should be firm and fat-reduced and cut into small cubes. The sauce is made of vegetable broth, soy sauce, rice vinegar and thickened with cornstarch.

The preparation of any tofu vegetable stir fry does not take more than 10 minutes, as tofu cooks very fast and just needs to be stir fried until golden brown, and the other vegetables should be gently fried and then cooked in the broth for not more than two minutes. The nutritional value is high, especially because it is cooked fresh just before the meal. You can add and delete the vegetables of your choice, so that every time the recipe takes on a different flavor.

In Indonesia

In Indonesia the dried shiitake mushroom is a special ingredient of the tofu vegetable stir fry. Besides, chicken stock and rice wine are used to marinate the mushrooms, even dry sherry can be used. Sesame seeds are common as an ingredient, along with ginger and garlic. Vegetables of the east like fresh bean sprout, green onion, snow peas, yellow bell pepper, and cauliflower are put into this special tofu vegetable stir fry. Sabal oelek is used for the sauce, which is a delicious Asian chilly paste, but it is very hot. So use it carefully, just a little bit the first time. Fine rice noodles can be eaten with it.

From The Chinese Kitchen

The Chinese version of the tofu vegetable stir fry is loved by all because it is simple and healthy. The Chinese tofu vegetable stir fry enables you to serve a protein which even the vegetarians can enjoy. This stir fry is served with rice for a colorful and healthy kosher dinner.

The preparation time is 20 minutes and you can cook the tofu vegetable stir fry in about 15 minutes. For the sauce you need soy sauce mixed with sugar and the vegetables are carrots, onions, red bell peppers, mushrooms, string beans and bamboo shoots. All the vegetables have to be cut into fine strips, so that it looks beautiful on the bed of rice. The tofu is marinated in the soy sauce and then all the vegetables are stir fried with it one by one till they are crisp.

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Basic Recipe

The basic tofu stir fry recipe has some vegetables in it, combined with the typical ingredients of the east like mushrooms, ginger root, garlic, bamboo shoots and maybe water chestnuts. Vegetable broth or chicken broth may be used, and the sauce is generally made of soy sauce, dry sherry, mustard and red pepper and thickened with cornstarch.

The tofu is cut into large pieces, in fact it is always cut a size above the other vegetables, so that it stands out as the main ingredient of the tofu stir fry recipe. The stir fry is served on a bed of rice and garnished with cashews and red pepper.

The ingredients mentioned earlier make up a basic tofu stir fry recipe, and can be made even simpler by not adding any fancy vegetables or chicken. Just two varieties of vegetables can be used, whatever is available, like broccoli and carrots. No oil is used at all, just stir fry the vegetables in a wok with 2 teaspoons of water. The sauce acts like a coat and is made of dry sherry, soy sauce, sugar, ginger, seasoning and cornstarch for the rest of the ingredients, and gives it a special taste.

With Broccoli

The sauce for this Broccoli tofu stir fry recipe has a subtle yet addictive taste. If you want to reduce preparation time, you can use precut broccoli florets. The sauce also contains soy sauce, oyster sauce and rice vinegar. The oil often used is sesame oil. It is possible to prepare this recipe within 15 minutes, because the tofu is cooked in oil for about 8 minutes and then the broccoli is boiled until crisp and tender for only 4 minutes. Another 2 minutes are required to mix them with the sauce and can be eaten with brown rice.

Crispy tofu stir fry

In this tofu stir fry recipe the tofu is pan-fried with a rice flour coating. This changes the texture of the tofu and can be ideally combined with a sweet and sour sauce. It is possible to marinate the tofu for even more flavor before you fry it, which you can do if you have no time constraints. This procedure makes the bland tofu a little interesting and tasty. The crispy tofu stir fry can be served with rice, or with any Asian noodle.

The ingredients include the vegetables used in the basic tofu stir fry recipe like mushrooms, broccoli, carrots and bell pepper. Onions, ginger, garlic and soya sauce are common too. But here there is fish sauce, brown sugar, lime juice, peanuts and fresh cilantro which make the difference. The tofu has to be firm, and if it is a soft variety, the water should be drained. Preparation time is about one and a half hours and crispy tofu stir fry can be served with toasted peanuts, a sprinkling of red pepper flakes and cilantro leaves on top.

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