Primary (in a Good Approach!) Broccoli Tofu Stir Fry

June 26, 2024

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This vegan broccoli tofu stir fry is primary in the easiest way attainable! It’s made with easy components and doesn’t require a cornstarch coating for the tofu. Miso, ginger, and garlic are the predominant taste notes on this easy, adaptable, and nutritious weeknight recipe.

An overhead image of a broccoli tofu stir fry, which has been served over a bed of brown rice.

There are some recipes that I made each single week once I was first educating myself to cook dinner. Broccoli tofu stir fry was certainly one of them.

This meal was straightforward and nutritious. The leftovers saved nicely, so it fed me for a couple of nights, and it was straightforward to pair the recipe with several types of grains: rice, barley, quinoa, or soba noodles.

As my cooking repertoire expanded, I moved additional and additional away from a few of these easy meals that had primarily sustained me in my first 12 months or two as a vegan.

I welcomed extra complicated vegan foremost dishes into my life. I discovered methods to uplevel the straightforward meals that I used to be accustomed to.

Because of this, my modest stir fry dinners morphed into extra elaborate skillet dinners and one-pot recipes.

A pair weeks in the past, once I was feeling a bit of burnt out, I made a decision to revisit the broccoli tofu stir fry that I used to cook dinner on a regular basis.

It was as primary as ever, and I imply that as a praise!

Primary how?

Within the context of recipes, primary is commonly an excellent factor.

All dwelling cooks want some “fundamentals” that they will depend upon. My vegan fundamentals embrace unfussy vegetable facet dishes, good sauces, and easy plant proteins.

As well as, all of us want primary recipes. Regardless of how a lot one likes to cook dinner, there’ll at all times be nights when a recipe with a brief ingredient record and an uncomplicated technique known as for.

“Primary” definitely doesn’t imply missing in taste. The broccoli tofu stir fry that I’m writing about at this time is kind of boldly flavored, due to strategic use of garlic and a savory sauce.

Likewise, primary recipes can nonetheless be mightily nutritious, and this dish is a shining instance. It’s filled with plant protein, due to mighty bean curd.

Broccoli, in the meantime, gives a bit of little bit of calcium and iron, together with quantity of Vitamin B6 and a complete lot of Vitamin C.

Easy elements, ample nutrient density.

The very last thing I’ll say about primary recipes is that they reduce down on fuss.

For instance, I do know lots of people like to drudge tofu in cornstarch for crispy texture. The ensuing crispy edges are nice within the second, however in the event you ask me, cornstarch-coated tofu turns into form of gloopy on the next day.

That, plus the added step, makes the addition of cornstarch not worthwhile in my guide.

What makes this broccoli tofu stir fry basic-in-a-good-way is that it comes collectively in a streamlined sequence of steps.

You’ll crisp up some tofu cubes, then pan-steam broccoli florets to vibrant inexperienced, crisp-tender perfection.

Whisk collectively an umami-rich sauce, add it to the skillet, add some white miso, and warmth every little thing by. Dinner is served.

Tips on how to make a simple broccoli tofu stir fry

Step 1: Collect and prep your components

You need to use both further agency or tremendous agency tofu for this recipe.

Tremendous agency tofu can also be typically labeled as “excessive protein” tofu. Primarily, it’s a kind of tofu that’s been pressed so totally that it takes on an additional dense texture.

Alongside the best way, all the tofu’s vitamin, together with its protein content material, turns into concentrated.

Tremendous agency tofu has develop into my tofu of selection for a lot of sorts of recipes, together with my baked smoky tofu and lemon-marinated, baked tofu slices. I like how agency it’s, with none want for urgent.

In case you can’t discover tremendous agency tofu, although, it’s no huge deal. I can vouch for the truth that further agency tofu will work completely nicely within the stir fry!

Upon getting your tofu on the prepared, reduce it into 3/4-inch / 2cm cubes. You must get about 32 cubes in whole.

Equally, reduce the broccoli—about 2 crowns, or 12 ounces / 340g—into bite-sized florets and items.

Step 2: Whisk the sauce

Subsequent, you’ll whisk collectively the principle sauce that brings this recipe collectively. It’s a easy mixture of soy sauce, vinegar, syrup, garlic, ginger, and crushed purple pepper flakes.

You possibly can modify these components a bit in an effort to fit your tastes.

Step 3: Brown the tofu

It’s time to place a bit of colour and crispiness onto your tofu!

Brown the tofu with some sesame oil, sautéing and flipping it round in order that the cubes have an opportunity to cook dinner on all sides. When this course of is completed—4-5 minutes—you possibly can switch the tofu to a plate for holding.

An image of a bowl with lightly browned, golden tofu cubes. — Pan sautéing the cubes of tofu on their very own, with out the broccoli, ensures that they crisp up with out a crowded pan.

Step 4: Steam sauté the broccoli

In case you cook dinner the tofu and broccoli concurrently, even in a roomy sauté pan, the cooking floor will get crowded. This will have an effect on the completed texture of each components, so it’s smart to cook dinner them one-by-one.

Broccoli comes subsequent. You’ll add your reduce florets and items to the (lidded) skillet, then steam cook dinner them with the lid on for about two minutes. This tenderizes the broccoli.

Subsequent, uncover the broccoli and cook dinner it with out the lid for an additional minute or two.

Broccoli florets are being cooked in a cast iron skillet. — As soon as they’ve been steam-sautéed, the broccoli florets might be tender but retain their firmness. They are going to be vibrant inexperienced in colour.

The florets must be crisp-tender when completed.

Step 5: Add the tofu and sauce to the skillet

Now, it’s time so as to add the cooked tofu and ready sauce to the skillet. Stir every little thing nicely, and permit it to simmer, uncovered, for a minute or two, or till warmed by.

An overhead image of a black cast-iron skillet, filled with tofu cubes and broccoli florets. — Simmering the tofu and broccoli collectively, in your easy sauce, will permit the components to get sizzling and flavors to meld.

Step 6: Add the miso

Lastly, you’ll add some white miso to the skillet. This imparts savory taste and provides the broccoli tofu stir fry a bit of richness.

So as to add miso, you’ll create a slurry: this is so simple as whisking white miso paste with two tablespoons of water.

An overhead image of a miso slurry, which has been whisked together in a small ceramic bowl. — Including miso to the stir fry by itself will make it troublesome to disperse into the components, however making a easy slurry with water makes it straightforward to distribute.

Pour the slurry over your heat broccoli and tofu, then stir every little thing collectively gently. Simmer over low warmth for an additional couple minutes, to let the sauce thicken.

Style the tofu stir fry, modify purple pepper flakes as wanted, and serve.

Tips on how to serve broccoli tofu stir fry

Talking of serving, I almost at all times serve my stir fry over a mattress of cooked rice.

A broccoli tofu stir fry has been plated and served over cooked rice. — Brown rice is an ideal car for serving the broccoli tofu stir fry, however noodles and different cooked grains may also work nicely.

The rice will absorb a few of your sauce and add satiating, energizing complicated carbohydrates to the meal.

In case you don’t have rice, you would serve the stir fry over cooked barley, quinoa, or millet as an alternative. I additionally wish to serve it with or on high of a mattress of noodles.

What about toppings? Crunch, and so on.?

I almost at all times high my portion of stir fry with a wholesome quantity of toasted sesame seeds, vegan furikake, or roasted, salted, and chopped peanuts.

Chopped inexperienced onion tops make a terrific final touch as nicely. For many who love a bit of warmth, a beneficiant squeeze of sriracha or gochujang sauce could be good, or else simply add an additional pinch of crushed purple pepper flakes.

The Vegan Week

Embrace the enjoyment of consuming home made meals daily with the hearty and healthful recipes in The Vegan Week.

Whether or not you’ve three, two, and even only one hour of time to spare, The Vegan Week will present you learn how to batch cook dinner diverse, colourful, and comforting dishes over the weekend.

Storing and freezing broccoli tofu stir fry

As soon as made the broccoli tofu stir fry will be saved in an hermetic container within the fridge for as much as 4 days.

And sure, it may be frozen, too! I don’t love the feel of frozen and defrosted tofu, however that doesn’t imply I let saved parts go to waste.

Freeze the stir fry leftovers for up eight weeks, then defrost them in a single day within the fridge and reheat as you’re prepared.

An overhead image of a white bowl filled with cooked noodles, raw carrot and red cabbage, tofu, and a sauce.

Extra primary recipes for busy days and nights

In case you’re trying to get again to fundamentals (in a great way) in your kitchen currently, this recipe is a pleasant place to begin.

However I’ve a couple of others that may offer you that magical components of massive payoff with low effort. Right here they’re:

For now, right here’s a stir fry recipe to tuck into your proverbial again pocket.