A quick, vegan recipe for sweet and sour tofu with broccoli and sesame seeds. Serve over any kind of noodles or rice.
BROCCOLI TOFU STIR FRY
Another quite healthy dish, perfect for a January lunch or dinner, very easy and quick to make: broccoli florets and tofu cubes in a sweet and sour sauce, a very tasty vegan dish, which you can make as hot as you want by adding more chilies or chili flakes.
I have a soft spot for dishes made with pantry/freezer ingredients.
I like shopping for food but it is often the case that although I only need a few fresh ingredients or one or two missing things, I end up spending way too much on things I don't immediately need and which usually find their way directly to the pantry/cellar/freezer.
All of these places are overcrowded most of the time, so I am always happy to find recipes that allow me to use several of these stacked goods in one go.
This sweet and sour tofu with broccoli is one of those recipes.
INGREDIENTS FOR SWEET SOUR TOFU
Tofu:
- Although we are not vegan or vegetarian, we try to eat that way most days of the week and we love tofu, so I have at least one package of tofu in the fridge most of the time. Well, I happen to have three right now: plain, smoked and almond tofu.
- I pan fry it or bake it and use it for sandwiches, add it to salads, I make stir-fries or I add some to soups.
- Tofu might be pretty neutral in taste, but it is like a sponge for other flavors. Although I do love pure smoked tofu, pan-fried and sprinkled with some salt and pepper...
- But otherwise, I always take the time to marinate the tofu or at least make sure that it is covered in a good sauce.
Sauce:
Like this sweet and sour sauce. A hot, sweet and sour mixture of ingredients, a Chinese inspired one.
All you have to do is to mix the sauce ingredients together, add it to the almost finished broccoli tofu stir fry and coat the ingredients with it. So good!!!
What you need for the sauce:
- Tomato paste – thick tomato paste, not tomato sauce.
- Ketchup – to make the sauce slightly sweeter
- Light soy sauce
- Rice vinegar – it can be replaced with the same amount of white wine or apple cider vinegar + ½ teaspoon sugar.
- Hoisin sauce
- Chili sauce – I use Sriracha or Sambal oelek, I am not very particular about it. Whatever I happen to have in the fridge.
- Sesame oil – you will only need a small amount, as sesame oil has a very strong flavor.
- Sugar
- Chili – use to taste, you can make this dish as hot as you like. I normally use red chili flakes (often Korean chili flakes, because I bought a huge bag last year and half of it is still full...).
The list of ingredients might seem long as it is often the case with Asian recipes. But they are all ingredients that are pretty much available everywhere (even here in the super rural part of Germany where I live).
And they are all cheap ingredients, with a very long shelf life.
What else do you need?
- Broccoli – one broccoli weighs about 500 g/ 1 lb in Germany. I tend to use the florets to make this broccoli and tofu stir fry and keep the stem for making soup. But nicely chopped broccoli stems are perfectly delicious as well, they will just not look as nice as broccoli florets.
- Garlic
- Fresh ginger
- Scallions/green onions
- Sesame seeds
TIPS FOR MAKING A GOOD STIR FRY
Make sure that all the ingredients are prepared before you start cooking. Making a stir fry is all about quickly frying a list of ingredients, and you don't want to overcook one ingredient because you are not finished with chopping the next one.
Before you start cooking:
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil and blanch the broccoli florets for about 2 minutes. They should remain very crunchy, so don't cook them any longer. Drain, let some cold water run over the broccoli, it helps the broccoli retain its bright green color. Drain very well again.
- It is recommendable to pat the broccoli dry with some kitchen paper. An excess of water might make the sauce watery, so I actually always take one minute to pat dry the broccoli.
- Press the tofu with kitchen paper to remove as much water as possible. Cube the tofu.
- Mix the ingredients for the sauce in a small bowl.
- Finely chop the garlic and the ginger. Finely slice the green onions.
- Now you can heat the vegetable oil in a wok or a large pan and stir fry the ingredients.
HOW TO SERVE?
- Serve the sweet and sour tofu immediately.
- You can reheat the leftovers and they will still taste good, but a stir-fry should not be cooked in advance.
- Serve over rice or any kind of Chinese noodles.
MORE TOFU RECIPES?
VEGAN POTATO CURRY WITH TOFU - An easy and quick vegan recipe for potato curry with tofu and peas.
SILKEN TOFU TAHINI SPREAD - Velvety, soft silken tofu spread with tahini, a vegan delight that even meat-eaters will love.
SOBA NOODLES TOFU SOUP - Quick, vegan soup with noodles, tofu, kale, and carrots to keep you warm on a rainy day.
PIN IT FOR LATER!
Broccoli and Tofu Sweet Sour
Equipment
Ingredients
- 12 oz broccoli florets
- 1 lb extra-firm tofu
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 tablespoon ketchup
- 2 tablespoons light soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 2 teaspoons hoisin sauce
- 2 teaspoons chili sauce
- 2 teaspoons sesame oil
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil divided
- dried chilies or dried chili flakes to taste
- 2 garlic cloves
- 1 small piece of ginger
- 2 scallions
- 1 teaspoon sesame seeds
Instructions
- Cook broccoli: Bring a pot of water to a boil and blanch the broccoli florets for 2 minutes. Drain in a colander and rinse with cold water. Let drain very well. Pat the broccoli dry with kitchen paper. This step is not entirely necessary, but it is recommendable. Too much water would thin down the sauce.
- Dry tofu: Place the tofu between two layers of kitchen paper and press down with the hand to absorb as much moisture as possible. Repeat the procedure a couple of times with new kitchen paper. Finally, cut the tofu into 2.5 cm/1-inch cubes and set them aside.
- Sauce: whisk the tomato paste, ketchup, soy sauce, rice vinegar, hoisin sauce, chili sauce, sesame oil, and sugar. Set aside.
- Chop: Finely mince the dried chilies, the garlic cloves, and the ginger. Slice the scallions into thin rings, keeping the white and the green parts separated. Set aside.
- Cook tofu: Heat 1 tablespoon of the vegetable oil in a wok or a large pan. Add the tofu and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring, until golden brown all over. Transfer to a plate.
- Stir fry spices: Heat the remaining oil. Add the chilies, garlic, ginger, and the white scallion parts to the wok and stir fry for 30 seconds.
- Add the sauce and stir until thickened, about 1 minute. Add the tofu and stir to coat. Add the broccoli and mix carefully but thoroughly to coat everything with the sweet-sour sauce.
- Serve: Sprinkle the dish with sesame seeds and the green parts of the scallions. Serve immediately.
Chris Scheuer says
All I would need is the tofu. It sounds wonderful! And so pretty!
Adina says
Thank you, Chris. 🙂
Thao @ In Good Flavor says
I am so guilty of stocking up on things I don't need. What is sad about it is I often times have to throw them out because they have long passed their expiration date. This dish looks delicious! I would be perfectly content with a platter of this and bowl of white rice. So good!!
Adina says
Thank you, Thao. I have to throw away things as well sometimes, no matter how much I try not to forget them somewhere on a shelf, it really makes me angry with myself.
Denise Browning@From Brazil To You says
What a great meatless dish, Adina! It is also a complete meal packed with soy protein and yummy Asian flavors.
Adina says
Thank you, Denise, it is great when something so healthy tastes sooo good, isn't it?
Monica says
This looks so, so good, Adina! I'm getting ready to cook dinner with some tofu tonight too. Love this sweet/sour combo and I can imagine the tofu soaking up all that flavor.
Adina says
It is a good combination indeed, I have made it a few times lately, using other vegetables...
sue|theviewfromgreatisland says
I LOVE spicy tofu recipes, this looks so pretty, too!
Adina says
Thanks, Sue!
Angie@Angie's Recipes says
A fantastic tofu recipe, Adina. I love the sweet sour flavour.
jo@jocooks.com says
Oh I love these kind of dishes! I just happen to have some tofu in my fridge, might make this for dinner tonight. 🙂
Jess @ Sweetest Menu says
This looks lovely! The perfect week night meal and so much better for you than take out! Great photos!
Kathryn @ Family Food on the Table says
I really love tofu but my family is so-so... I think this recipe might help change their minds! I'll definitely spice it up for the adults and keep it a little more mild for the kiddos. Can't wait to try this! Pinning!
Marsha | Marsha's Baking Addiction says
I've haven't tried tofu yet, but I've been meaning to! This meal looks absolutely delicious, and healthy!
allie @ Through Her Looking Glass says
What a delicious and beautiful dish, Adina! I have everything on hand except the hoisin and tofu. You have a real winner here and I wish this was on my dinner plate stat! Well done.
marcela says
YUM! It looks scrumptious! Love your dish, Adina!
Meghan | Fox and Briar says
I love recipes that use ingredients that I have on hand! No matter how hard I try, I often forget to plan dinner ahead of time, so this is perfect. Also I am a huge fan of asian meals, and the fact that it is vegetarian makes it even better!
Evi @ greenevi says
This is the type of food I absolutely love! So many flavours and colours, beautiful!
Definitely gonna have to make soonish, pinned 🙂
Tessa | Natural Comfort Kitchen says
I LOVE tofu! Cannot say the same for my husband, but he travels often for work which is when I get my tofu fix. Will be pinning this for next time he's away!
Adina says
Thank you, Tessa. It would be great if you tried it and I hope you like it if you do.