Tofu and Vegetable Stir fry is our family’s favorite dinner. I make it once in 2-3 weeks for dinner and we have enough leftovers for lunch the next day. I love the look on my daughter’s face and the twinkle in her eyes when she asks me what’s for dinner tonight and I answer “Regular stir fry”. Note that I say regular here because I make stir fry a few different ways but this version of Tofu and Vegetable Stir fry is hands down the family favorite.
The recipe here has the vegetables that we most use in this stir fry, but the options are endless. Some other veggies that we like are asparagus, orange pepper, and mushrooms. You just have to keep in mind the cooking time of the veggies and the order they would go in the wok. For the tofu, I have pan fried it here but you can use it as is, just pressed to remove any excess water. Another great option is to use Trader Joe’s Sriracha tofu. It already has the moisture removed and is very flavorful.
Stir fry Sauce
I do not like to buy pre-made stir fry sauces. They are full of sodium and it is honestly so easy to just make it at home with a few pantry ingredients. You can customize the sauce to what you like and have available at home. I like to make it less spicy so everyone in the family can enjoy. I like a little heat so just serve myself some extra chili garlic sauce on the side 😊 Also the soy sauce here provides enough sodium for our taste, so there is no additional salt added. You can taste the sauce at the end and add salt if needed. I like to use vegetable broth for extra flavor but you can use water instead. For the sweetness you can add honey, agave or maple syrup.
Key Features of Tofu and Vegetable Stir fry
Quick week night dinner- The dish comes together in under 30 minutes. You just have to press the tofu earlier in the day.
Tofu and Vegetable stir fry is Vegan and Gluten- free.
You can serve it with starch of your choice- white or brown rice, quinoa and farro are some options.
I just love the rainbow of colors in this dish and know that I am feeding my family a healthy, delicious and well rounded meal.
If you like Asian style stir fry dinners, try my sweet and tangy recipe of Pineapple and Tofu Stir fry.
5-6
servings15
minutes20
minutesIngredients
1 medium zucchini
1 medium yellow squash
1 medium or 2 small carrots
1 medium red pepper
1 medium green pepper
1 medium head of broccoli (about 2 heaping cups of florets)
14 oz of extra firm or firm tofu, packed in water
2 tbs toasted sesame seeds (optional)
2 tbs vegetable or any flavorless oil
- For the sauce:
½ cup low sodium soy sauce or tamari
2 tbs corn starch
1 tbs honey or agave or maple syrup
1 tsp toasted sesame seed oil (optional)
2 piece piece of ginger
2-3 cloves of garlic
1 tbs sambal sauce or chili garlic sauce or any Asian style hot sauce
2 tbs lemon or lime juice
2 cups vegetable stock
Method
- Drain the tofu and press it down for about an hour to remove the extra water.
- Combine all the ingredients for the stir fry sauce in a blender and blend for a minute till you don’t see pieces of ginger and garlic anymore and everything is well combined. Set aside.
- Prepare the vegetables by cutting the red and green pepper in about 1 inch square pieces. Cut the zucchini, yellow squash and carrot at a angle cutting it in ¼ inch thickness. Prepare the broccoli florets in about 1 inch pieces. Cut the tofu in 1 inch square pieces.
- Heat 2 tbs oil in a wide pan or wok. Once heated, add the tofu pieces and fry turning it once or twice till light golden brown. Remove from the pan and keep aside. You can skip this step if you prefer raw tofu.
- In the same pan without adding any additional oil, add the peppers and carrots. Stir fry it for about 2 minutes. Add the zucchini and squash with the peppers and carrots and stir fry it more for another 2 minutes. Now add the broccoli and cook for additional 2 minutes.
- At the end, add the tofu and the stir fry sauce. Let the sauce come to a boil and let it cook for 3-4 minutes. Turn off the heat and sprinkle the whole pan with toasted sesame seeds. Serve hot with white rice or an grain of your choice.
