This tomato tofu recipe is a delicious homemade vegan and vegetarian Chinese stir-fry. The Chinese love tomatoes, mixed with eggs, beef or in soup. Here we pair it with soft and silky tofu.
Lots of tomatoes, scallions, and a few key pantry seasonings make the perfect tomato sauce over rice!
A vegan tofu recipe
This is a vegan/vegetable recipe. However, if you prefer, you can also make it with non-vegan umami-boosting ingredients, such as regular oyster sauce instead of vegetarian oyster sauce. Use it as a project to suit your tastes!
This is a pretty light dish, so we recommend making it as a light lunch or dinner, or pairing it with one or two other dishes to complete a full Chinese meal.
Tip!
If you prefer, instead of soft or silky tofu you can also use firm tofu cut into cubes or coarsely crumbled. However, we think the creamy texture of the soft tofu really works here!
Important notes on tomatoes!
As for what type of tomato to use, this recipe is pretty forgiving: You can use any ripe, sweet tomato you can find. We used medium cherry tomatoes and also cherry tomatoes. Both worked well.
Fresh, seasonal tomatoes are best for this dish, but you could use frozen tomatoes or even canned tomatoes if needed.
If you have a non-reactive stainless steel wok collecting dust on the back of your cabinet (carbon steel is the preferred wok material), now is the time to break it out.
Cooking a large amount of tomatoes this way actually creates quite a bit of acidity, which can react with the carbon steel of standard woks, giving the dish a slightly metallic flavor and taking away the wok’s patina.
That said, you can just use a regular stainless steel, nonstick, or ceramic pan for this recipe. If you end up using the carbon steel or cast iron wok, immediately remove the food from the wok and wash it immediately after you finish cooking.
Be sure to follow our wok seasoning protocols to start restoring the patina after cooking sour tomatoes!
Seasoning is key to tasting here!
This dish isn’t as flavorful as its egg counterpart, but it’s an easy and healthy way to cook soft tofu when you’re full of tomatoes!
That said, tomatoes can vary widely in flavor and quality. The key to a tasty result is to make sure there’s enough sugar to cut through the tanginess of the less sweet tomatoes and enough salt to flavor the tofu, so be sure to taste it before serving and season it to your liking.
Note:
Although sugar is a key ingredient in this dish, the amount needed depends on the tomatoes. Tomatoes vary in acidity and sweetness, depending on the variety and growing season. Taste your tomatoes as they cook and add a little more or hold back to suit your taste! If you use ripe summer tomatoes, you may need less sugar!
Tomato Tofu Recipe Instructions
Heat the wok or non-reactive stainless steel skillet over high heat and add the neutral oil along with the white parts of the shallots. After about 15 seconds add the cherry tomatoes.
Stir-fry for 2 minutes, then add the Shaoxing wine around the perimeter of the pan.
Add water (or broth), sugar, salt, vegetarian oyster sauce, light soy sauce, sesame oil and white pepper. Bring to the boil and cook for 1 minute, until the tomatoes begin to wilt.
While this is happening, prepare the cornstarch slurry. Stir the cornstarch into the sauce, letting it thicken for a few seconds.
Then add the tofu. Stir several times, partially submerging the tofu in the sauce. Be careful not to break it too much.
Reduce the heat to medium, cover and cook for 2 minutes, until the tomatoes are completely softened and the sauce has thickened. (If it’s still too wet, add more cornstarch slurry to reach the desired consistency.)
Uncover and add the shallots.
Add salt to taste, adjust the amount of sugar if necessary and serve with jasmine rice. (OR quinoa rice!)
Tomato tofu
This tomato tofu recipe is a delicious homemade vegan and vegetarian Chinese stir-fry, with plenty of sauce to pour over steamed rice!
serve: 4
Preparation: 10 minutes
Cooked: 10 minutes
Total: 20 minutes
Instructions
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Heat the wok or nonreactive stainless steel skillet over high heat and add the neutral oil along with the white parts of the shallots. After about 15 seconds add the cherry tomatoes. Stir-fry for 2 minutes, then add the Shaoxing wine around the perimeter of the pan.
-
Add water (or broth), sugar, salt, vegetarian oyster sauce, light soy sauce, sesame oil and white pepper. Bring to the boil and cook for 1 minute, until the tomatoes begin to wilt.
-
While this is happening, prepare the cornstarch slurry. Stir the cornstarch into the sauce, letting it thicken for a few seconds. Then add the tofu. Stir several times, partially submerging the tofu in the sauce. Be careful not to break it too much.
-
Reduce the heat to medium, cover and cook for 2 minutes, until the tomatoes are completely softened and the sauce has thickened. (If it’s still too wet, add more cornstarch slurry to reach the desired consistency.)
-
Uncover and add the shallots. Add salt to taste, adjust the amount of sugar if necessary and serve with jasmine rice. (Or rice with quinoa!)
nutritional values
Calories: 201kcal (10%) Carbohydrates: 16G (5%) Protein: 8G (16%) Fat: 12G (18%) Saturated fats: 1G (5%) Polyunsaturated fats: 4G Monounsaturated fat: 6G Trans fats: 0.03G Cholesterol: 1mg Sodium: 638mg (27%) Potassium: 657mg (19%) Fiber: 2G (8%) Sugar: 10G (11%) Vitamin A: 1448UI (29%) C vitamin: 24mg (29%) Soccer: 58mg (6%) Iron: 2mg (11%)
