Stir Fry Tofu Recipe

Tofu is healthy, good for you, and a good substitute for meat as a source of protein. So usually in American cuisine, if tofu is used, no other meat ingredients are around. However, what’s ironic is that in Chinese cuisine tofu dishes are usually accompanied by some meat ingredient to kick up the flavor of the tofu. (Is this sacrilege, tofu fiends?)

Well, I guess by my own observation, this stir fry tofu recipe is un-American. And what makes the stir fry tofu even more Chinese is the pickled mustard tuber ingredient. (Err…wha?) No need to freak out. You don’t absolutely need the pickled mustard tuber to stir fry your tofu. It just spices up the dish by adding a bit of spiciness and sourness. Pickled mustard tuber is basically preserved mustard vegetable. Not really sure what vegetable, but the brand recommended by my mentor chef (mom dearest) is posted in the photo below. It tastes great, so I’ve just stuck with it.

Alternatively, to add to this stir fry tofu recipe, you can use shiitake mushrooms instead of the pickled mustard. Or if you really want, you can do both. (Don’t be a chicken — just try it out and see what you like!)

And one more thing, if you would still prefer tofu without the meat, skip the ground pork. Honestly, I haven’t tried this stir fry tofu recipe without the ground pork, so I’m not sure how that may affect the tofu. It may become somewhat bland–but again, you can try it!

Stir Fry Tofu Recipe

Ingredients

Yield: 4 servings

• 12 oz firm tofu, sliced
• 1/2 lb ground pork, thawed
• (Optional) 2.5 oz pickled mustard tuber, or some sliced shiitake mushrooms
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tsp soy sauce
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tbsp oyster sauce
• 1/2 cup water, lukewarm
• white pepper
• sesame oil
• cornstarch
• vegetable oil

Directions

1. Add a bit corn starch (to moisten the meat), bit of soy sauce, dash of white pepper, and drizzle of sesame oil to the ground pork. Mix well. Let this sit for at least 30 minutes.
2. (Optional) Rinse the pickled mustard and set aside. Or you can substitute with sliced shiitake mushrooms.
3. Heat a large skillet over medium high. Grease the pan with some vegetable oil.
4. Add in garlic and saute until golden brown.
5. Add in ground pork. Crumble it as it browns. Cook until well done, for about 8 minutes.
6. Add in measured soy sauce, salt, oyster sauce, and water. Let it boil for about 5 minutes.
7. Add in tofu and pickled mustard or shiitake mushrooms. Let it cook for about 10 minutes, stirring (very carefully) occasionally.
8. (Optional) To thicken the sauce, mix a bit of corn starch with a drizzle of lukewarm water into the tofu. Cook for a few minutes.
9. Serve over rice, or brown rice (to keep it in the ‘healthy’ family).