Tofu sheet stir fry with bok choy is a healthy vegan dish using fresh bean curd sheets, also called tofu sheets, a by-product of tofu. The special thing about this dish comes from the combination of texture and flavor between firm, slightly chewy tofu sheets and juicy, crunchy bok choy.
What is Tofu Sheet (Fresh Bean Curd Sheet)?
I believe that everybody knows tofu, the white block with a soft texture made from soybeans. A coagulant agent is added to boiled soy milk to solidify it into “bean curds”. Then, a square or rectangle mold is used to press the curds together, forming tofu.
But what if we don’t press the bean curds into a block, but into a sheet? That’s it; you’re making fresh tofu sheet, or fresh bean curd sheet (dòufu pí, 豆腐皮). Some people also call it “tofu skin”.
However, all these names are usually used to refer to another by-product of tofu, produced using a different technique. When you boil soy milk and allow it to cool down, a film forms on the surface. This film, a soy protein-lipid complex, can be gently removed from the soy milk and becomes bean curd sheet (tofu skin). To avoid confusion while reading my posts, I’ll continue to call this “tofu skin”, and the pressed tofu “tofu sheet”.
So, what’s the difference in texture and taste between tofu sheet and tofu skin? Fresh tofu sheet is usually yellow, thicker than tofu skin, opaque, and marked with a crosshatch pattern from the tofu pressing process. It’s slightly chewy and firm. Tofu skin can be slightly transparent to opaque, taking many forms such as knots, sticks, rolls, or leaves, and is very thin. When boiled, it becomes soft but is chewier than fresh tofu sheet; while fried tofu skin is very crispy.
Ingredients
In fact, you can make tofu sheet stir fry with many types of vegetables and meats. I chose bok choy to create a vegan dish, but you can experiment with various ingredients. Here’s my recipe:
- 200g (7 oz) fresh tofu sheet
- 300g (10.5 oz) bok choy
- 5g (1 tsp) chopped garlic
- 5g (1 tsp) chopped shallot
- 1 stalk of spring onion
- 1/2 tbsp soy sauce
You can purchase fresh tofu sheets at physical or online Asian grocery stores, typically found in the refrigerated section. They may be labeled as “fresh bean curd sheets,” “tofu sheets,” or “soy tofu sheets.” Be sure to check their appearance to avoid confusion with other types of tofu by-products.
Making Tofu Sheet Stir Fry with Bok Choy
This is a very easy recipe which takes you only 15 minutes to get it done. Let’s make it:
Step 1. Preparation
- Fresh tofu sheets are often big, square sheets, so you must cut them into smaller form to stir fry. Cut fresh tofu sheets into long pieces, from 0.5 to 1-inch width, depending on your preference. You can even cut them small like noodles, they’ll offer you an interesting texture while eating.
- Wash bok choy thoroughly and then cut it into bite-sized pieces. Finely chop the green onion heads, garlic and shallot, ready for stir frying. With the rest spring onion, wash it and also chop it into small pieces and set aside.
Step 2. Stir Fry Tofu Sheet
- Firstly, turn on medium heat and sauté garlic, shallots, and green onion heads in a saucepan/skillet with a tbsp of oil until fragrant.
- Secondly, when the oil is boiling and you smell the aroma from garlic & shallot, add all fresh tofu sheets and soy sauce into the pan. Stir evenly for about 2-3 minutes to let the soy sauce mix into the tofu sheets finely.
Step 3. Stir Fry Bok Choy
- Once the tofu sheets are slightly cooked with soy sauce, add bok choy and stir evenly for about 2-3 minutes more. Remember that you should add bok choy after tofu sheets as vegetables are likely to be cooked quickly. If you add it together with tofu sheets from step 2, it might lead to overcooking the vegetables.
- Finally, adjust seasoning to taste. Adding seasoning like salt, soy sauce and sesame oil little by little until the taste of the dish meets your taste preference.
What to Enjoy with Tofu Sheet Stir Fry?
This dish can be enjoyed either as a standalone vegan side dish or paired with cooked rice and other dishes for a complete meal. Personally, as an Asian, I love pairing stir fry dishes with rice and soup.
Since it’s a stir fry dish with vegetables, I recommend enjoying it as soon as possible to savor its freshness. It’s best not to leave any leftovers. However, if you must store the dish for later, do so within a day. Vegetables can spoil quickly, and the quality of the dish may deteriorate if stored for too long.
Tofu Sheet Stir Fry With Bok Choy
Ingredients
- 200g (7 oz) fresh tofu sheet
- 300g (10.5 oz) bok choy
- 5g (1 tsp) chopped garlic
- 5g (1 tsp) chopped shallot
- 1 stalk spring onion
- 1/2 tbsp soy sauce
Instructions
- This is a very easy recipe which takes you only 15 minutes to get it done. Let's make it:
Step 1. Preparation
- Fresh tofu sheets are often big, square sheets, so you must cut them into smaller form to stir fry. Cut fresh tofu sheets into long pieces, from 0.5 to 1-inch width, depending on your preference. You can even cut them small like noodles, they'll offer you an interesting texture while eating.
- Wash bok choy thoroughly and then cut it into bite-sized pieces. Finely chop the green onion heads, garlic and shallot, ready for stir frying. With the rest spring onion, wash it and also chop it into small pieces and set aside.
Step 2. Stir Fry Tofu Sheet
- Firstly, turn on medium heat and sauté garlic, shallots, and green onion heads in a saucepan/skillet with a tbsp of oil until fragrant.
- Secondly, when the oil is boiling and you smell the aroma from garlic & shallot, add all fresh tofu sheets and soy sauce into the pan. Stir evenly for about 2-3 minutes to let the soy sauce mix into the tofu sheets finely.
Step 3. Stir Fry Bok Choy
- Once the tofu sheets are slightly cooked with soy sauce, add bok choy and stir evenly for about 2-3 minutes more. Remember that you should add bok choy after tofu sheets as vegetables are likely to be cooked quickly. If you add it together with tofu sheets from step 2, it might lead to overcooking the vegetables.
- Finally, adjust seasoning to taste. Adding seasoning like salt, soy sauce and sesame oil little by little until the taste of the dish meets your taste preference.
Nutrition
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Cool recipe for vegan, easy to make too. Thanks for sharing
Im looking for a recipe for my newly bought tofu sheet this morning. Cool one, I’ll give it a try.