This 15 minutes Tofu Broccoli stir-fry with the umami sticky savory sauce is a straightforward weeknight meal. We paired with rice, but it will be amazing with noodles too.
Tofu is a great source of protein
For the longest time I didn't enjoy tofu until very recently, and now I look for easy quick ways to introduce tofu in our daily meal. My family now enjoys tofu.
Tofu is a great source of protein for vegetarian and non-vegetarian diet. It is not expensive and can be prepared in several different ways. Based on the kind of cuisine you eat more often, you can incorporate tofu with your choice of spices and herb.
Once you get the hang of cooking tofu properly, you will find it extremely easy to whip up a quick meal using tofu! Once of my fav way is to air fry tofu
Ingredients for Tofu Broccoli Stir Fry
Firm Tofu - For any kind of tofu stir-fried dish, I always use firm tofu or extra firm tofu. I also press out all the excess water by covering it with kitchen towel. If you don't like tofu, you can make this with paneer too.
Broccoli - I like to use fresh broccoli, but you can use frozen ones too.
Shallots and garlic - Apart from finely chopped shallots and garlic, you can use green onions too.
The sticky sauce is a mix of mirin, white vinegar, soy sauce, oyster sauce, water and sugar.
Sesame Seeds - Sesame seeds not only adds as a fantastic garnish, it also adds a lovely nutty bite.
Ingredients note - If you don't have some of those ingredients under the list of what you need for sauce, you can also keep it simple with just soy sauce, sugar, water and vinegar.
You can definitely add more veggies to the dish and substitute broccoli with eggplant too if you like.
Steps to prepare Tofu Broccoli Stir Fry
1 - Press the firm tofu with a dry kitchen towel to release excess moisture. Slice the broccoli into bite size cubes.
2- Coat the sliced tofu cubes evenly with corn flour. This will create a crispy texture on the tofu when you fry in the pan.
3 - In a heavy bottom pan add little oil and when the pan is hot layer the tofu pieces and let it sizzle for few minutes, before you toss it around.
4 - Once the tofu pieces are crispy, add the thinly sliced shallots and toss it around until the shallots are softened a little.
5 - Next add the chopped garlic. I like to add a lot of garlic, but you can reduce the quantity based on your liking.
6 - Add the broccoli bites and toss it around. Don't overcook the broccoli. You want it to have a bite.
7- Prepare the sauce by mixing everything mentioned in the ingredients list of the sauce.
8- Pour the sauce to the pan and mix it around for the flavor to blend. Cook the sauce for a couple of minutes.
9- To the bowl when you had mixed the tofu with the corn flour, add a little more corn flour and water to clean the bowl and pour the water to the pan.
10- As the sauce cooks, it will turn glossy, and thick. Turn off the heat and sprinkle sesame seeds on top.
I love to pair tofu broccoli stir-fry with rice, but it is equally amazing with noodles. I also like to pair this with burnt garlic fried rice or kimchi fried rice
A great recipe to introduce to a kid for them to get used to broccoli is Broccoli mac & Cheese
Based on your liking, you can make it more gravy by adding more water. I keep it sweet and umami flavored, but occasionally I drizzle some chili oil on top while serving.
FAQs
I don't blanch it as I love the crunchy bite, and it cooks very fast. But if you are making a big batch, then blanching will definitely fasten the process.
You need firm tofu and just wrap it with a kitchen towel for 30 minutes, so the excess water gets release from the tofu.
Yes! It will taste delicious with paneer too.
Tofu Broccoli Stir Fry
Ingredients
- 14 oz Firm tofu block
- 8 oz Broccoli
- 2 Shallots
- 3 Garlic cloves
- 1 tablespoon Sesame seeds
- 2 tablespoon Oil
- 3 tablespoon Corn flour
For the sauce
- 1 tablespoon Mirin
- 1 tablespoon White Vinegar
- 2 tablespoon Soy Sauce
- 1 teaspoon Oyster Sauce
- 2 tbsp Water
- 1 tablespoon Brown or white sugar
Instructions
- Drain the tofu from the water and press it with a clean kitchen towel to remove all the excess water. Leave it aside for 15 minutes.
- Prep the vegetables in the meantime. Finely chop the garlic, thinly slice the shallots and slice the broccoli head into bite size.
- Prepare the sauce by mixing everything mentioned under the sauce ingredients in a glass.
- Slice the tofu into bite size cubes and add 2 tablespoon corn flour to it. Toss it around to coat the corn flour.
- Place a heavy bottom skillet on medium heat and pour the oil. Once the oil heats up, layer the tofu bites and let it fry for 2 minutes before you toss it around and let it fry for 2 more minutes.
- Then add the shallots and let it cook for a minute.
- Add the garlic and broccoli and toss it around. Sprinkle a little salt, cover the pan and let the broccoli cook for 3 minutes.
- Add the prepared sauce and toss it around. Let the sauce sizzle for 2 minutes.
- In the meantime, mix 1 tablespoon corn flour with 1 cup water and pour to the skillet. It will start to bubble and thicken the sauce.
- Enjoy the warm tofu broccoli stir-fry with rice or noodles.
