When you see a recipe for a tofu dish, and it conjures images of healthy, bland hippy food, that’s because you’ve never tried this tofu and broccoli stir fry with hoisin sauce. You’ve love how easy this stir fry is to make, and the deep-fried tofu packs serious flavor.
If you’re looking for new types of tofu to explore, you’ll love this deep-fried tofu. It pairs well with hoisin sauce which adds a sweet and savory coating to the tofu. Not only is this stir fry recipe very easy to make, but you can also customize it to your tastes.
RELATED: Learn the basics of stir frying and how to put your spin on this tofu stir fry.
I love this fried tofu because the outside is flavorful and offers a chewy texture. Meanwhile, the inside is tender and soft. The contrast in textures is what gives this dish a pop on your first bite.
Tips For Success
- Not a fan of broccoli? Substitute it with green beans, snow beans, cauliflower, or even sliced cabbage.
- The hoisin sauce is typically a sauce that everybody loves. I add hoisin sauce to stir fries because Alex loves it (especially with Beijing roast duck).
- The hoisin sauce may be overly sugary for some tastebuds. If that’s the case for you, you can balance out the sweetness by cutting the hoisin sauce in half and replacing it with soy sauce.
- Or skip the hoisin sauce entirely and substitute with soy sauce if you’re avoiding sugar.
- If you can’t find fried tofu at your grocery store, you can substitute with five-spice tofu. If you can’t find five-spice tofu, you can use firm brick tofu but be sure to press it to remove excess water.
Stir Fry Tofu and Broccoli With Hoisin Sauce
Ingredients
- 12 oz. (350 g) Tofu, Deep-fried tofu from your Asian grocery store
Stir Fry Vegetables
- 8 oz. (260 g) Broccoli, Washed and trimmed
Instructions
- Chop the end off the ginger and cut 2 thick slices.
- Crush and roughly chop the garlic.
- Chop each triangle of fried tofu in half.
- Preheat the wok on the highest heat possible.
- Add the canola oil to the preheated wok.
- Add the aromatics to the hot wok (garlic and ginger). Wait to sizzle, about 1 minute.
- Add the tofu to the wok. Use a spatula to turn a few times. Keep an eye on it to make sure it doesn't burn. Allow the tofu to heat up, about 1 minute.
- Add the broccoli to the tofu in the wok. Stir to evenly cook the broccoli.
- Add 1 tablespoon of water. Cover immediately with a lid to allow the broccoli to steam 1 minute.
- While waiting for the broccoli to cook, add 1 tablespoon of water to the tapioca starch. Stir to mix.
- Periodically turn the stir fry to prevent the broccoli from burning. Give the broccoli about 30 seconds more of heat.
- Swirl in the hoisin sauce. Stir to mix evenly.
- Stir the tapioca starch if it has hardened in the water. Make sure the mixture is liquidy. Pour the tapioca starch into the wok.
- Turn off the heat, and stir quickly until the tapioca starch creates a gravy. Plate the stir fry. Add additional soy sauce if you find the stir fry needs extra salt.
- Enjoy your tofu stir fry!
