Tofu Stir Fry, my latest weeknight obsession

My daughter in lawas is Mongolian. She was raised in the city but lived with her nomadic relatives in the summers. Nomads do not grow vegetables. Mongolians are heavy meat eaters. I made this dish when I was visiting them and saw the discomfort when I doubled the tofu content (5 adults). My son was raised vegetarian. Long story short, after searching the fridge for left overs the next day (there were none) she asked me for the recipe. Thank you, as do many animals.

That face when you started shaking the sauce 😂

My non-vegan and very-hard-to-impress Chinese mother just told me this is the single best vegan dish she’s ever had. Then she made me teach her how to make it. Then we had it 3 nights in a row.

I just made this recipe today for lunch (not the first time I make it). I gotta say, that sauce DELIVERS! It's super flavorful and the most complex stir fry one I've ever made. Whenever I'm making a stir fry, I always come back to this sauce, it's that good!

Nisha if you made a cookbook I would buy it in a heartbeat!! At this point I eat solely off your recipes 😂 You need a cookbook, your own show, the whole nine yards! 🤩

This is possibly my favorite stir fry ever! Get the printable recipe here: rainbowplantlife.com/tofu-stir-fry/

Great recipe! Added tip: if you add snap peas and broccoli like I did, let it simmer covered for about 7 mins before adding the peppers.

I love the way the tofu is thin, but in squares, rather than cubes! The whole recipe looks delicious! ♥

Alternate Tofu Technique: That's an interesting trick with pre-freezing the tofu. I learned something new (thank you). Ive been using a different technique (from classic chinese mapo doufu) called "hot shocking" to accomplish the same goal (of weakening the tofu's structure to encourage it to shed water that in turn enables it to better absorb the sauce you serve it in) ... so im definitely looking forward to trying freezing.

Anyway, hot shocking involves covering your diced tofu with boiling hot water (just enough to cover), returning it to a brief boil, then covering it and letting it stand off the heat for a couple minutes, then draining all the water and then let it stand (still covered) for another 10-15 mins til it's needed ... then draining off all the liquid that weeped out of the tofu while it rested, which can be upto a quarter of its weight or more. Different technique, similar result. However, I suspect freezing may have an advantage because youre able to weight it.

This is why I enjoy seeing how different culinary traditions approach the same ingredients differently ... its insightful. For example, I can already see how this would be really handy for dishes like seared tofu.

Cheers ! 😊

I love how you infuse humour and quirky soundbites into the show. And, well, the food speaks for itself. You are incredible!

It is fun and heart-warming to learn new hints and tips. I have cooked stir-fry for a long time, but I learned a few new things. The idea of freezing and thawing tofu to increase the surface area is genius! Also, I learned that adding the corn starch slurry at the end s better than my method of adding it in the sauce. Thanks! I made these tweaks to the recipe when I cooked it today: I added some MSG to the sauce and spice mix. Instead of using a neutral oil, I used toasted sesame oil, a Chinese stir-fry staple which adds a ton of toasty goodness. I had trouble mixing the spice mix in the tofu because tofu is so delicate. I think next time I will either use extra firm tofu or sprinkle the spices over the tofu while it is in the pan. Alternatively, I may also add spices to the sauce or the oil (after lowering the heat). This is the wonderful science and art of cooking!

Love these week night videos! I've attempted a few of your more involved dishes and they were delicious 😋 but it's great to have something that doesn't take long. And I usually have these ingredients lying around.

reading the comments on your videos is always so heartwarming, Nisha! THANK YOU for what you do!

I hope to see your samosa some day. My meat eating family just had dinner with tofu curry from your channel. This is the third time I'm making it, and everyone loves this meal! We live in Bulgaria, but we like indian kitchen a lot. Thank you for your positivity!

Just made it for my husband's lunch box with white rice. Delicious!!!! Thank you for the recipe

Terrific idea & recipe that looked simple to cook! I most definitely will incorporate the ingredients that you used to make it look tasty and presentable. Lastly, I love how the colors of the vegetables made it very yummy visually!! ❤🫶🏽👍🏾🙌🏾

This looks so good! Since I moved home, I've been making a lot more tofu for my parents. Can't wait to try this out!

Just cooked this and we absolutely loved it! The tofu came out so well!! We added some crispy kale on top!

I made this for my family tonight and we all LOVED it (even my dad, who usually prefers meat-based dishes)! Thank you Nisha!! 😄

I've just cooked this despite my part being resistant to the tofu. Oh WOW both of us loved this. Tasty, tangy, sticky loveliness. Definitely one I will cook again and again. Thank you 😊❤