Sichuan peppers add bold flavor to this tasty bok choy tofu stir fry recipe!
Guys, it’s officially a new year and I’m so excited.
I love when the calendar restarts each January because it feels like a fresh start. I go crazy the first few weeks of January and rearrange all the furniture.
So who’s ready for some food that isn’t ham + potatoes + roasted vegetables??
I spent last year as a vegetarian and during that time I developed a sincere love for tofu. I truly crave the stuff now.
It took me a bit to figure out how I like it prepared… which as it turns out is crispy on the outside, soft on the inside, and slathered in sticky sauce.
I’m absolutely in love with this simple dish of pan-fried tofu, stir-fried bok choy, and a sweet-and-spicy Sichuan pepper sauce.
You can use either regular or “baby” bok choy for this recipe. If you have a hard time finding bok choy, substitute Chinese cabbage (sometimes called Napa cabbage).
It is not hard to learn how to cook bok choy, just make this recipe once and you will be an expert!
The Sichuan peppercorns add a tongue-tingling element to the tofu and bok choy dish.
You might be able to find them in a well-stocked grocery store, but you can also find them here on Amazon.
If you’re in a pinch you could replace them with regular old red pepper flakes (or leave them out if you don’t like spicy!).
How to Cook Bok Choy Stir Fry
Assemble the ingredients. The amounts for each stir fry ingredient is in the recipe card below.
Bring three cups of water to a boil (either on the stove or in the microwave).
Whisk together all of the sauce ingredients and set aside.
Drain the tofu and cut into bite-sized cubes. Place the tofu in a colander and pour the boiling water over the top.
Pat dry with paper towels, then transfer the tofu to a plastic zipper-close bag.
Add the soy sauce, rice vinegar, and sesame oil to the bag. Seal the bag and give it a good shake. Re-open the bag and add one tablespoon of the corn starch. Re-seal and shake to coat. Repeat with remaining cornstarch, one tablespoon at a time, until the tofu is well-coated.
Heat the canola oil in a large skillet or wok set over medium heat. If you need an affordable wok, grab this wok that you see in the process photos here. Add the tofu, working in batches if necessary, and cook for one minute per side (6 minutes total) until golden brown. Transfer to a paper-towel lined plate to drain.
When finished frying the tofu, add the bok choy to the pan and cook for 2 to 3 minutes; until browned and wilted.
Give the sauce a good stir and add it to the pan along with the tofu.
Toss well and cook for 1 to 2 minutes, until thick. Serve hot.
You could absolutely serve this tofu bok choy stir fry as a main course with some steamed rice, or make a feast of vegetarian Chinese dishes.
Only half of this vegan bok choy recipe is featured in the photos because I ate the rest. My bad.
Here’s the Recipe!
Sichuan Bok Choy Tofu Stir Fry Recipe
Ingredients
For the sauce:
- 4 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
- 4 tablespoons honey
- 1 tablespoon grated ginger
- 2 cloves garlic - peeled and grated
- 2 teaspoons sesame oil
- 2 teaspoons water
- 2 teaspoons corn starch
- 1 teaspoon ground Sichuan peppercorns
For the Stir Fry
- 14 ounces firm tofu
- 2 teaspoons low-sodium soy sauce
- 2 teaspoons rice vinegar
- 2 teaspoons sesame oil
- 5 tablespoons corn starch
- 2 teaspoons canola oil
- 3 cups chopped bok choy
Instructions
- Bring three cups of water to a boil (either on the stove or in the microwave).
- Whisk together all of the sauce ingredients and set aside.
- Drain the tofu and cut into bite-sized cubes. Place the tofu in a colander and pour the boiling water over the top. Pat dry with paper towels, then transfer the tofu to a plastic zipper-close bag. Add the soy sauce, rice vinegar, and sesame oil to the bag. Seal the bag and give it a good shake. Re-open the bag and add one tablespoon of the corn starch. Re-seal and shake to coat. Repeat with remaining cornstarch, one tablespoon at a time, until the tofu is well-coated.
- Heat the canola oil in a large skillet or wok set over medium heat. Add the tofu, working in batches if necessary, and cook for one minute per side (6 minutes total) until golden brown. Transfer to a paper-towel lined plate to drain.
- When finished frying the tofu, add the bok choy to the pan and cook for 2 to 3 minutes; until browned and wilted. Give the sauce a good stir and add it to the pan along with the tofu. Toss well and cook for 1 to 2 minutes, until thick. Serve hot.
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Yummy. Simple and delicious
too much cornstarch used and too much honey .. The meal becomes finally too much sweet and too sticky. I don’t like it!
The sauce has good flavor but it had a grainy feel from the cornstarch. Difficult to know what “well-coated” meant for the addition of cornstarch, and I’m sure I added all 5 tbsps until each cube of tofu was coated and separated from each other. I deep fried the cubes which browned beautifully. I found that the sauce ingredient measurements could have easily doubled, as it really wasn’t enough “sauce” to serve with the rice.
Thank you, this was beautiful although we wanted more sauce with the rice as the soy etc were sucked up by the other ingredients!
Quick and Easy Family Recipes
I always double the sauce in this one 😉
I didn’t have any tofu in the fridge, but I did have tempeh! So I used that and it was delicious. Like many others who have commented, I only needed about 1-1/2 T of cornstarch. And of course, I didn’t need to pour boiling water over the tempeh. Hubs also loved it. If I make it with the tofu, (and I plan to), I think I’ll use an air-fryer instead of wok or skillet. I’ve made cornstarch crusted tofu in the air-fryer before and the result is great. Less oil and no grease spatters.
Thanks so much for the recipe, fellow Texan.
Tessa,
Thanks for sharing your changes and glad you loved it!
– Linda
Hello! We made this tonight and it was delicious! We didn’t have a big enough bag so we put the tofu in a Tupperware container… put the lid on and it was very easy to shake… we had less cornstarch left than we thought, only ended up using like 1 1/2 to 2 tablespoons of corn starch for tofu and that was great! We pan fried it with a non stick pan and let them fry for longer than the recipe. We got them nice and crispy on the outside but not burnt! Long story short… very good! We just did a couple things differently (:
Hi Chantel,
Thanks for sharing your love for this recipe and your changes.
– Linda
We just enjoyed this tonight! So quick and very tasty. Thank you!
Delicious! I have eaten plant-based for a while but the family is just getting interested in it, so I have not cooked with tofu a lot. Husband and ten-year-old twins loved it. I served it with basic brown rice cooked in the rice cooker and added Sriracha to mine (because I love spicy).
Thank you for a great recipe!
Hi Lauren,
Glad your family loved this flavorful dish!
– Linda
So I made this and have a few comments, especially regarding cornstarch, quantaties and size of pan.
First off, this is a tasty recipe! I mixed it up a bit as I had some shiitakes and finished with black sesame seeds.
I think the tofu “shake” needs far less cornstarch. First time I made, it was gooey. Next time I used my largest wok…heated first, then added oil, then tofu to keep each nugget with space to brown. Used far less cornstarch than suggested for the tofu. I also pressed the tofu to drain it of water which helped. When browning tofu, I used medium high heat on a gas stove.Make sure its hot in advance.
I like spice, so added a touch to the sauce. Also threw in some green onions at the finish of wilting the Bok Choy. With these adjustments, I’d definitely make again. (ps, a little squirt of lime juice complimented all flavors and added brightness)
Hi Hadley,
Thanks for sharing your adaptations!
– Linda
I shaked the bag with the tofu… result is a fluid subsistance ?
How do you shake without smashing the bites
Hi Britt,
It sounds like you might have gotten soft or medium tofu. You really need firm tofu. Here is a link with much more info on the different tofu types: https://www.seriouseats.com/2014/06/shopping-cooking-guide-different-tofu-types.html
– Linda
This was delicious, but I had problems with the tofu sticking and the crust getting stuck to the pan. Next time I think I’ll bake the tofu instead of frying. Also, it was a little on the sweet side so I’ll reduce the honey and maybe increase the Sichuan peppercorns