SAUCY TOFU STIR FRY
This saucy tofu stir fry has a secret ingredient, which makes a quick, easy and flavoursome sauce. Read on to find out more. A great Chinese fakeaway!
I love a good Chinese takeaway loaded with sauce and noodles! I’ve packed some tofu and extra veggies into this homemade version, but you could easily swap the tofu for your meat of choice.
What helps to make this tofu stir fry so saucy? A generous helping of sugar free cola! As it cooks, the fizzy cola flavour disappears and it reduces down to a nice thick, sticky sauce.
Using sugar free cola helps to keep the calorie content down, but full sugar cola will work too if you prefer. I think ginger beer might be a good alternative, but haven’t had a chance to try it yet.
The spring onions and sesame seeds are optional, but visually they help to lift what is otherwise a very brown looking meal!
SAUCY TOFU STIR FRY
This saucy tofu stir fry has a secret ingredient, which makes a quick, easy and flavoursome sauce. Read on to find out more. A great Chinese fakeaway!
Ingredients
STIR FRY
- 300 g firm tofu (10.6oz)
- 1/4 cup brown rice flour (30g)
- 1 tsp Chinese five spice
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/8 tsp black pepper
- 200 g button mushrooms (7oz)
- 100 g sugar snap peas (3.5oz)
- 1 green capsicum
- 1 small brown onion
- 3 cloves garlic
- 4 tsp peanut oil
- 1 tsp finely grated ginger
- 400 g can whole corn kernels (14oz)
- 1 vegetable stock pot (28g)
- 350 g pre-cooked wholegrain noodles (12.3oz)
- 2 spring onions (optional)
- 1 Tbsp sesame seeds (optional)
SAUCE
- 2 Tbsp soy sauce
- 1 1/2 Tbsp tomato paste
- 1 Tbsp apple cider
- 1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1 1/3 cups sugar free cola (330ml)
Instructions
PREPARE TOFU AND VEGGIES
Slice tofu into strips (roughly 5-10mm/0.3in thick and 4cm/1.5in long). Combine flour, Chinese five spice, salt and pepper in a medium-sized resealable bag or container. Add tofu strips and shake gently to coat.
Gently wipe mushrooms clean and cut into quarters. Trim ends off sugar snaps and thinly slice capsicum and onion. Crush garlic.
MAKE SAUCE
Whisk together soy sauce, tomato paste, vinegar and Worcestershire sauce. Whisk in cola.
COOK STIR FRY
Heat 2 teaspoons oil in a large wok on high heat. Remove tofu from bag/container, discarding excess flour. Add tofu to wok and fry for 1-2 minutes each side, until golden brown (you may need to do this in a couple of batches). Remove onto a plate.
Add remaining 2 teaspoons oil to wok, then add mushrooms, sugar snaps, capsicum, onion, garlic and ginger. Stir fry for 2-3 minutes, until veggies start to soften. Stir in drained corn kernels, then add sauce. Bring to the boil and stir in stock pot. Simmer rapidly for 10 minutes, until sauce has thickened.
Meanwhile, thinly slice spring onions, if using.
SERVE
Add noodles and tofu to stir fry. Gently toss until well coated with sauce and warmed through. Divide stir fry between individual serving bowls and garnish with spring onions and sesame seeds (if using).
Recipe Notes
WINE MATCH: A fruity Pinot Noir. Or a glass of leftover cola!!
GLUTEN-FREE OPTION: If you can’t find a gluten-free stock pot, use two gluten-free vegetable stock cubes dissolved in 1/4 cup boiling water instead. Use rice noodles (the thicker style is best - you will likely need to pre-cook them, follow instructions on packet). Use gluten-free soy sauce and Worcestershire sauce.
INGREDIENT SWAPS / NOTES: For a non-vegetarian meal, you could use 400g / 14oz diced chicken thighs or tenderloins. Follow the same process as for the tofu (just cook for longer). You can swap out the vegetables for whatever you have on hand - throw in some of the cabbage from the oven fried chicken meal if you like! Beans or broccoli are a good replacement for the sugar snaps or capsicum. Wholegrain noodles can be replaced with Singapore noodles. If you dislike sugar free drinks, the sugary versions work as well. For an alternative to cola, try ginger beer (I haven’t tested this though!).
MAKE IT VEGAN: The stock pots I used contained milk extracts. Make this meal vegan by swapping the stock pot for two vegan stock cubes dissolved in 1/4 cup boiling water.
STORING AND REHEATING: Store individual portions in containers in the fridge and reheat in the microwave. Keep garnishes separate and add just before serving.
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