Tofu and vegetable stir fry
Reviewed by Dr Namrata Bagaria, MBBS, MPH (Harvard)Last reviewed
Tofu tends to be dismissed as bland, and that is almost always a technique problem rather than an ingredient problem. Pressed properly and cooked hot enough to brown, it holds flavour well and behaves much like paneer.
It is worth having in the rotation because it gives you the protein of paneer without the saturated fat, and soy has a useful part to play if you are working on cholesterol.
Ingredients
- 200 g firm tofu, cut into cubes
- 1 onion, sliced
- 1 capsicum, sliced
- 1 carrot, sliced thin
- A handful of beans or cabbage, sliced
- 2 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1 inch ginger, chopped
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1 tbsp oil
- Salt to taste
Method
- 1
Wrap the tofu in a clean cloth, put a plate and something heavy on top, and leave it fifteen minutes. This is the step that decides whether it browns or steams.
- 2
Heat the oil in a wide pan until properly hot. Add the tofu in one layer and leave it alone for two or three minutes so it colours, then turn and colour the other side. Lift it out.
- 3
In the same pan cook the garlic and ginger for half a minute, then add the vegetables. Keep the heat high and keep them moving; they want four or five minutes and should stay with some bite.
- 4
Return the tofu, add the soy sauce, pepper and a little salt, and toss for a minute.
- 5
Serve on its own, or with a small serving of rice.
Good to know
- Pressing the tofu matters more than anything else here. Skip it and you get a pale, wet result.
- Soy sauce is salty, so taste before adding more salt, particularly if blood pressure is a consideration.
- Soy chunks, soaked and squeezed dry, work in place of tofu and are cheaper.
- Eating the tofu and vegetables before the rice blunts the rise in blood sugar.