Because she used to request it every time she came to visit, I named this tofu stir-fry after my niece, Jennifer. Now she doesn’t even need to request it; it’s automatically part of the meal when she’s over for dinner. Jen is half-Chinese, and her father is Jewish, so she grew up with the best of 2 really great food worlds.
During her high school years, she worked part-time at a McDonald’s. One day, the four of us decided to surprise her and pay her a visit at work: our not-so-good excuse to have a Big Mac and some fries. The second she saw us come through the door, she pointed at us and jumped up and down like a bouncing ball, loudly exclaiming to her co-workers: “I told you I was Chinese! I TOLD you!” Her told-ya-so shriek was so sudden—so loud and hysterical—that it stopped everyone in their tracks. Sales stopped, chattering stopped, chewing stopped…fry racks paused in mid-air. Jennifer took no notice. With us there, she finally got the proof that she needed.
Jen, thank you for that memorable moment. This one is for you. Now you can make it yourself, any time you want! You’ll need:
For the Marinade:
- 1 teaspoon shaoxing cooking wine
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
- ½ teaspoon sesame oil
- ½ teaspoon soy sauce
- A pinch of white pepper
For the dish:
- ½ cup of thinly sliced lean pork
- 1.5 cup thinly sliced spiced tofu
- 1.5 cup of thinly sliced long hot green peppers or bell peppers (use the long hot green pepper if you can take the heat)
- 1 cup of thinly sliced celery
- 4 tablespoons oil
- Salt
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 2 tablespoons cooking wine
- White pepper
- 1 teaspoon soy sauce
Combine the marinade ingredients with the pork and allow to sit for 15 minutes while you prep the other ingredients. Slice the tofu, peppers, and celery.
In the wok, heat 1 tablespoon oil over high heat. Stir-fry the spiced tofu for a couple minutes until browned slightly. Set aside.
Heat another tablespoon of oil and stir fry the peppers for about a minute. Dish out and set aside.
Repeat this process with the celery…
Add another tablespoon of oil to the wok, keeping it over high heat. Stir-fry the marinated pork until brown.
Then add in cooked tofu, peppers, and celery. Immediately add salt to taste, 1 teaspoon of sesame oil, 1 tablespoon of cooking wine, white pepper, and a teaspoon of soy sauce. Stir-fry everything together for another couple minutes until combined.
Plate and serve this lively five spice vegetable tofu stir-fry with rice!
Jen's Tofu Stir-fry
Ingredients
FOR THE MARINADE:
- 1 teaspoon shaoxing wine
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
- ½ teaspoon sesame oil
- ½ teaspoon light soy sauce
- 1/8 teaspoon ground white pepper
FOR THE DISH:
- ½ cup lean pork (thinly sliced)
- 1 1/2 cups spiced tofu (thinly sliced)
- 1 1/2 cups long hot green peppers or bell peppers (thinly sliced; use the long hot green pepper if you can take the heat)
- 1 cup celery (thinly sliced)
- 4 tablespoons oil
- Salt
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 2 tablespoons Shaoxing wine
- 1/8 teaspoon ground white pepper
- 1 teaspoon light soy sauce
Instructions
- Combine the marinade ingredients with the pork and allow to sit for 15 minutes while you prep the other ingredients. Slice the tofu, peppers, and celery.
- In the wok, heat 1 tablespoon oil over high heat. Stir-fry the spiced tofu for a couple minutes until browned slightly. Set aside.
- Heat another tablespoon of oil and stir fry the peppers for about a minute. Dish out and set aside. Do the same with the celery.
- Add another tablespoon of oil to the wok, keeping it over high heat. Stir-fry the marinated pork until brown. Then add in cooked tofu, peppers, and celery. Immediately add salt to taste, 1 teaspoon of sesame oil, 2 tablespoon of Shaoxing wine, white pepper, and a teaspoon of light soy sauce. Stir-fry everything together for another couple minutes until combined. Plate and serve with rice!
Nutrition
Cristian says
OK, now that I tried the dish, I can say I was not impressed. Seemed to be lacking in aromatics and a bit dry, lacking the usual sauciness of Chinese dishes. After watching other recipes online I will probably try to improve by adding aromatics and maybe a cornstarch slurry to coat the ingredients better with the sauce.
I appreciate that others may like it more than I did, that’s just my “two cents” on this recipe.
Thank you for providing it!
Judy says
Thank you, Cristian, I can understand what you are talking about! You should try a better version of this dish: Dry Fried Sichuan Beef.
Cristian says
By the way, it would have been nice to have the ingredients amounts indicated as grams or ounces too, since the store packaging indicates weight and not volume.
For example, how many grams weighs one cup of spiced tofu? No idea whatsoever…
Very difficult to plan a meal without actual weights of ingredients indicated in the recipe.
Judy says
Hi Crsitian, you are right, we will do better going forward.
Cristian says
Hi,
The ingredients list mentions 2 tablespoonfuls of cooking wine, while the instructions mention just one tablespoonful. Which one is it? (I am not sure it makes a big difference)
Thanks
Judy says
HI Cristian, it should be 2 tablespoons Shaoxing wine. I just updated it and thank you so much for pointing it out.
Deborah says
Nice recipe. My kids never liked celery but now that they are out of the house, I am always on the lookout for good and easy ways to cook it. Tried this today and loved it. There is something about the taste of celery that tells you that it is healthy!
Judy says
That’s great! If you like celery, you should try Chinese celery. I prefer Chinese celery, because it’s more fragrant. I used it in our Sichuan Dry Fried Sichuan Beef recipe. Have a look! ;-)
emily says
i love this recipe–it reminds me of a dish my nana used to make every night for dinner.
Judy says
Hi Emily, this is one of my go-to stir-fries too. If I want it to be vegetarian, I just eliminate the pork.
Alice says
Thank you for your recipes! I’ve been cooking based on your recipes and it has always been a success in terms of getting the right flavor and also keeping it as authentic as I can remember like my parents’ cooking. Your website is my go-to guide for great authentic Asian cooking!
Judy says
Thank you so much for your high praise, Alice! Happy wokking!
Carlton Yee says
Cute Story about Jenn being half Jewish and half Chinese. My siblings are mostly mixed marriages. We called ourselves saffron and rice teams.
Judy says
hahahaha…how fun!