Garlic ginger tofu and broccoli stir-fry
Crisp tofu, bright green broccoli and a glossy garlic ginger sauce over rice, better than takeout and made in your own kitchen.
- 55 min total
- 35 min hands-on
- A little more hands-on
- Serves 2
- About $4.09 a serving
- 840 calories
- Good the next day
- Vegan
- Dairy-free
Dolly says: Make the full amount. It’s just as good for lunch the next day.
Ingredients
For 2 servings.
- 1 package extra-firm tofu, drained
- 1 cup jasmine rice
- 1 head broccoli, cut into small florets
- 1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tbsp fresh ginger, grated
- 1 tbsp maple syrup
- 1 tsp sesame oil
- 2 stalks green onions, thinly sliced
- 1 tsp sesame seeds (optional)
From your pantry
- 2 cups water, divided
- ¼ tsp salt
- 3 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tbsp rice vinegar
- 4 tsp cornstarch, divided
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil, divided
- 1 pinch red pepper flakes (optional)
Each serving has about 840 calories, 39 g protein, 110 g carbs and 30 g fat, and costs about $4.09 at typical US grocery prices. Both are estimates from what the recipe uses.
Missing something?
- No extra-firm tofu? Firm tofu works.
- No jasmine rice? Long-grain white rice or basmati rice works.
- No broccoli? Frozen broccoli works.
- No red bell peppers? Yellow bell peppers work.
- No maple syrup? Honey works.
- No green onions? Chives work.
Steps
Tap an underlined word for a quick explanation.
Wrap the drained tofu in a clean towel and set a heavy pan on top for 15 minutes to press out the water.
Timer: 15 min
Dolly’s tip: The drier the tofu, the crispier it gets.Meanwhile, the rice in a strainer, put it in a small with 1½ cups water and the salt, and over high heat.
Rinse. Rinsing means running cold water over rice or canned beans in a strainer while you swish them around. It washes off loose starch and can liquid, so rice cooks up fluffy and beans taste clean.
How you’ll know: The water running out goes from cloudy to mostly clear; it doesn’t have to be perfect.
Saucepan. A saucepan is a pot with tall, straight sides and one long handle. It’s for things that need depth, like rice, sauces or a few boiled eggs.
How you’ll know: The food fills it about halfway, leaving room to bubble without spilling over.
Bring to a boil. It means heating a liquid on high until it’s fully boiling before you move on. A lid on the pot gets it there faster, which makes it a good moment to chop something.
How you’ll know: Big bubbles break all over the surface, and they keep coming when you lift the lid.
High heat
Stir once, cover, to low, and cook 15 minutes. Then take it off the heat and leave the lid on until you serve.
Reduce the heat. It means turning the burner down, usually to medium-low or low, so food cooks gently instead of hard. Electric burners cool slowly, so lift the pan off for a moment if it’s bubbling hard.
How you’ll know: Within a minute the bubbling calms to a gentle simmer, or the sizzle turns quiet.
Low heatTimer: 15 min
While the rice cooks, cut the broccoli into small florets, the pepper into thin strips, the garlic and the ginger.
Slice. Slicing means cutting food into flat pieces of about the same thickness. Even slices cook evenly, so none are raw while others burn.
How you’ll know: Lay a few side by side: they’re close to the same thickness from one end to the other.
Mince. Mincing means chopping something into the tiniest pieces you can, smaller than a grain of rice. Tiny pieces melt into the dish, so you get the flavor without biting into a chunk of garlic.
How you’ll know: Every piece is tiny and about the same size, and the pile starts to look almost like a paste.
Grate. Grating means rubbing food across the holes of a grater to make fine shreds or flakes. It spreads cheese, garlic or ginger evenly through a dish so it melts right in.
How you’ll know: Even shreds fall off the back of the grater, and you stop while the piece is still big enough to hold.
Dolly’s tip: Stir-frying moves fast. Having everything cut and lined up before the pan gets hot is the whole trick.the soy sauce, maple syrup, rice vinegar, sesame oil, garlic, ginger, 1 teaspoon cornstarch and ¼ cup water in a small bowl.
Whisk. Whisking means beating quickly with a whisk or a fork to blend things together. It smooths out lumps and mixes eggs, oil or sauces evenly.
How you’ll know: It all looks one even color and texture, with no streaks or lumps.
Cut the tofu into ¾-inch and them with 1 tablespoon cornstarch until coated.
Cube. Cubing means cutting food into chunky, even squares, usually three quarters of an inch to an inch. Same-size cubes cook at the same speed and brown on every side.
How you’ll know: Your pieces look like a handful of sugar cubes, a little bigger than diced, all close to the same size.
Toss. Tossing means gently lifting and turning food so everything gets coated, like pasta in sauce or vegetables in oil. It coats every piece evenly without mashing anything.
How you’ll know: Every piece looks glossy or evenly coated, with no dry spots hiding underneath.
Heat 1 tablespoon vegetable oil in a large nonstick over medium-high heat until it . Cook the tofu, turning every few minutes, until and , about 10 minutes, then move it to a plate.
Skillet. A skillet is a frying pan: wide and flat with low, sloped sides. The shape lets steam escape, so food browns instead of stewing.
How you’ll know: It’s the pan you’d fry an egg in, and a 10 or 12 inch one handles most recipes.
Shimmering oil. Oil shimmers when it’s hot enough to cook: its surface looks rippled and wavy, like heat over a road. That’s your cue to add the food, just before the oil would start to smoke.
How you’ll know: The oil looks wavy and runs thin like water when you tilt the pan, with no smoke yet.
Golden brown. Golden brown is the color of good toast, somewhere between yellow and light brown. It means the outside is cooked and crisp but not burnt.
How you’ll know: It looks like toast and smells toasty; dark brown with a bitter smell means it went too far.
Crispy. Crispy means the outside is dry, firm and crunchy. It comes from high heat, a little oil and room in the pan, because crowded food steams and goes soft.
How you’ll know: It sounds crunchy when you tap or bite it, and it doesn’t flop when you lift it.
Medium-high heatTimer: 10 min
Dolly’s tip: Leave each side alone until it lets go of the pan. Moving it early tears the crust.Food safety: Tofu is safe to eat straight from the package; cooking is only for texture and flavor.
Add the rest of the oil, the broccoli, pepper and 2 tablespoons water. over high heat until the broccoli is bright green and , 3 to 4 minutes.
Stir-fry. Stir-frying means cooking small pieces fast over high heat in a little oil, stirring almost constantly. It moves quickly, so have everything chopped and ready before the pan gets hot.
How you’ll know: It sizzles loudly the whole time, and the vegetables turn bright and tender-crisp in minutes.
Tender-crisp. Tender-crisp means vegetables cooked until just tender but still with a little snap. They keep their bright color and crunch instead of going soft and dull.
How you’ll know: A fork goes in with slight resistance, and the color is bright, not olive or gray.
High heatTimer: 3 min 30 sec
Dolly’s tip: The water steams the broccoli through while the pan stays hot. It should sizzle loudly the whole time.to medium-high, return the tofu, stir the sauce, and pour it in. for 1 to 2 minutes, until it bubbles, turns glossy and coats everything.
Reduce the heat. It means turning the burner down, usually to medium-low or low, so food cooks gently instead of hard. Electric burners cool slowly, so lift the pan off for a moment if it’s bubbling hard.
How you’ll know: Within a minute the bubbling calms to a gentle simmer, or the sizzle turns quiet.
Toss. Tossing means gently lifting and turning food so everything gets coated, like pasta in sauce or vegetables in oil. It coats every piece evenly without mashing anything.
How you’ll know: Every piece looks glossy or evenly coated, with no dry spots hiding underneath.
Medium-high heat
Dolly’s tip: Cornstarch sinks to the bottom, so stir the sauce right before it goes in.Fluff the rice with a fork, spoon the stir-fry over it, and top with the green onions, sesame seeds and red pepper flakes.
Plan this in Dollop, and get the grocery list
Dollop puts this dinner on a night that suits your week, lists only what you still need to buy, and walks you through each step while you cook.
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