Ground Tofu, Green Beans With Basil In A Spicy Soy Sauce

Don’t hate on the tofu y’all. This dish was outstanding, and easy and quick to prepare. It’s a definite keeper, and will be a quick go to dinner prep. I literally made this recipe up as I went, and it turned out perfect! The basil, garlic, and chili peppers are all from our back garden, which brought a natural sweetness and vibrancy to the dish. From start to plate, this recipe took approximately 25 minutes to prepare.

Serve over steamed fragrant jasmine, or basmati rice, rice noodle or pasta.

Course Brunch, dinner, Lunch, Main Course, Side Dish, small plate

Cuisine Asian fusion, European Fusion

Keyword crispy tofu, Stir fry tofu, tofu, Tofu crumbles

Prep Time 12

Cook Time 13

Total Time 25

Servings Servings

Calories 197kcal

Author Dr. Wendy Dearborne

Equipment

1 wok or medium size skillet
1 medium size bowl
1 fork
1 measuring jug
1 small bowl
1 set measuring spoons

Ingredients

1 16oz firm or extra firm tofu crumbled

Sauce

1 tbsp soy sauce low sodium
1/2 tsp seasoning sauce optional
2 tsp dark soy divided
1 tbsp light soy
2 tbsp honey
2 tbsp rice wine vinegar or white wine vinegar
1 tsp sesame oil
1/2 tsp white pepper
1/4 tsp mushroom powder
1/4 tsp bouillon vegetable, or your choice
1/3 cup water

Slurry

1 tsp potato starch/ cornstarch
1 tbsp cold water

Marinade

1 tsp white pepper
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder

Other Ingredients

1 cut of green beans cut into 1/3’s
1 medium red onion chopped
1 tsp finely grated ginger
4 cloves of garlic minced
4 stalks green onions, whites cut into 1” pieces, and green chopped
1/2 large red bell pepper chopped
1 large fresh red chili pepper sliced
1/4 cup basil leaves
1 tsp sesame seeds
3 tbsp homemade chili oil

Instructions

Rinse and pat tofu to remove excess water. Place the tofu into a medium size bowl. Using a fork, crumble the tofu into pieces. Note: You are not making a paste.
Marinade with white pepper, garlic and onion powders. Mix well making sure all the tofu has the marinade on it. Set aside for 10 minutes.
In a small bowl, mix potato starch and water together and set aside.
In a measuring jug, add all the sauce ingredients listed above. Mix until fully incorporated and set aside.
In a large skillet or wok, over medium heat add 1 tbsp of chili oil. Add crumbled tofu and cook until some pieces have browned. Remove and set aside.
Rinse and dry wok. Over medium heat add 2 tbsp of chili oil. Sauté red onions until translucent. Add garlic, ginger, and chili peppers. Cook for 2 minutes.
Add green beans to the wok, and sauté for 2 - 3 minutes. Add bell peppers and whites of green onions. Sauté for 30 seconds.
Add browned tofu and premixed sauce to the wok. Mix well and bring to a boil, add the premixed potato slurry. Mix well and allow the sauce to thicken.
Once the sauce has thickened, remove the wok from the heat. Add green onion tops and fresh basil. Fold aromatics in.
Sprinkle with sesame seeds and serve over steamed rice.

Notes

Substitutions

Potato starch can be substituted with corn starch.

Vegetables

Green beans can be substituted with the following: Broccoli, snow peas, sugar peas, celery, bok choy, carrots, cucumber, even corn. Or leave the veggies out completely.

Other Proteins

A soft homemade paneer can be substituted for the crumbled tofu. In fact, you can use any protein of your choice as long as it can be ground or finely minced.

Aromatics

Basil can be replaced with flat leaf Italian parsley.

Sweeteners

Honey can be substituted with agave or sugar.

Oil

Chili oil can be substituted with a high temperature cooking oil.

Nutrition