Easy Chinese Braised Tofu (30-min. Recipe)
Chinese Braised Tofu. Delicious soft tofu braised in a luscious gravy with colorful vegetables. Perfect as a main course over steamed rice. Ready in 30 minutes.
Ingredients
- 1 lb tofu medium texture recommended
- 3 cups broccoli cut into florets
- 1 ½ cups carrot peeled and sliced
- 1 ½ cups snap peas ends trimmed
- ½ tablespoon garlic minced
- 1 ½ cup water
- ¾ cup vegetable oil or any neutral oil
Stir fry sauce:
- 3 tablespoon oyster sauce or sub with vegetarian stir fry sauce
- 2 tablespoon regular soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 1 teaspoon Shaoxing Cooking Wine can be omitted to avoid alcohol
- 1 cup water cold
- 2 tablespoon cornstarch
Instructions
- Slice the block tofu in half into two vertical strips. Then slice the strips into 1 cm thick squares. If you're using soft soft, slice them into 2 cm thick squares. Transfer to a plate lined with paper towel to absorb excess liquid. Then transfer back onto a smooth flat plate without a lip.
- In a small bowl, whisk together your stir fry sauce ingredients. Set aside.
- Heat a wok or non-stick pan over high heat (275 degrees F) with vegetable oil. To test if oil is hot enough, place wooden chop stick in and look for bubbles. Once you see bubbles, it’s time to fry. Carefully lower the plate and gently slide tofu in with a spatula. Be careful of oil splash back.
- Fry tofu on both sides until golden crispy brown, about 5 minutes – be sure to monitor by checking the bottoms of the tofu to know when to flip. Transfer the fried tofu with a slotted spoon onto a paper towel lined plate to absorb excess oil. Set aside.
- Discard most of the vegetable oil reserving 1 teaspoon of it in the pan. Bring to medium heat high heat and add garlic, carrots, broccoli, and snap peas. Stir fry for a few minutes. Pour in all the water and let this simmer so that the greens turn vibrant and soften.
- Once the vegetables soften, gently toss back in fried tofu and allow it to sink to the bottom so it absorbs the liquids becoming soft again. Cook for 5 minutes until tofu is soft.
- Reduce to medium heat. Mix your stir fry sauce again and pour over vegetables and tofu. Gently toss until everything is incorporated.
- Increase to high heat to thicken the sauce. Monitor the sauce for desired thickness. Transfer dish to serving plate and enjoy hot!
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Nutrition
Calories: 481kcal | Carbohydrates: 92g | Protein: 28g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 0.3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0.4g | Sodium: 937mg | Potassium: 473mg | Fiber: 11g | Sugar: 15g | Vitamin A: 8957IU | Vitamin C: 105mg | Calcium: 280mg | Iron: 8mg