Fried pak choi with crispy tofu from the pan. Fried pak choi is one of my favorite vegan dishes. Often just fried in a pan and deglazed with a little soy sauce, done. With this quick meal, all you need is a few spices, scallions, soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, and brown sugar to whip up a flavorful sweet and savory sauce.
Cooking is quick, easy and uncomplicated. In Asian cuisine, it is advisable to always prepare all the ingredients before actually cooking. The pak choi is fried until lightly browned but still crisp, giving it a great texture. The rich and crispy fried tofu absorbs the sauce well and tastes almost a little meaty. This vegan dish is a great way to get a good dose of healthy greens into your weeknight dinner.
tofu
If you have never tried fried tofu, I recommend you give it a try. In Chinese cuisine, fried tofu is usually served as an alternative to meat. So tofu is a great way to make otherwise meaty dishes vegetarian or vegan.
It might appear a bit greasy, but it works like magic with veggies in both stir-fries and stews. The fried tofu acts as the meat and adds richness to a light dish. Because of its fluffy texture (I’m talking about tofu from the Asian market) it also absorbs a lot of flavor from the sauce. That’s why tofu tastes even better than chicken in a vegetarian noodle soup.
pan or wok?
Asians grow up with the wok, in which this dish, for example, is also prepared at very high temperatures. However, if you prefer a regular pan on your home stove, I recommend a non-stick pan. But since non-stick pans can’t handle high heat for very long, we’re going to lower the heat a bit, increasing the cooking time a bit. Also, we move slower than with a wok because the pan is flatter and we have to stir more carefully.
Always watch and listen carefully when cooking. If you see too much smoke over the pan or the food is browning too quickly, you need to lower the heat. On the other hand, if the sizzling sound goes away, switch it back to the higher heat.
Roasting is an art that takes time to master. But once you get the hang of it, you’ll be amazed that you can fill your plates with tasty flavorful food in a very short time.
if you like our vegan sweet potato pancakes, you might also be interested in these recipes:
- Tofu filled wholemeal wrap
- oriental fried oat flakes with vegetables
- Spelled barley salad with vegetables
- Zoodles with fresh mushrooms in a creamy sauce
- Cauliflower steaks from the oven
- even more stir-fries
Fried pak choi with crispy tofu
Equipment
Ingredients
vegetable stir-fry:
- 8 pc Baby bok choy or 4 big ones
- 8 mushrooms brown or white
- 2 spring onions
- 3 Garlic cloves
- 1 red chili pepper
- 3 tbsp. rice wine vinegar*
- 5 tbsp. Soy sauce*
- 4 tbsp. water
- 2 tbsp. Brown sugar
- 3 tbsp. vegetable oil
- white sesame* roasted
Crispy Tofu:
- 300 grams tofu nature
- 2-3 tbsp. food starch
- 3 tbsp. Sesame oil*
- kosher salt*
Side dishes:
- basmati rice* cooked for serving
- Chinese noodles without egg*
- udon noodles*
- Instant Ramen Noodles*
Instructions
Preparations:
- Wash the pak choi, drain well, cut off the stalk and halve lengthwise. Quarter large pak choi.
- Wash the spring onions, pat dry and cut diagonally into rings. Set aside the white and green separately.
- Clean and quarter the mushrooms. Smaller ones maybe just halved.
- Peel and finely dice the garlic.
- Deseed the chili pepper and cut into fine rings.
Crispy Tofu:
- Pat the tofu dry with paper towels and squeeze out the liquid with a little pressure. Then cut the tofu into bite-sized cubes.
- Season the cornstarch with a little salt. Roll the pieces of tofu in the mixture
- Heat the sesame oil in a large pan over high heat and fry the tofu cubes until crispy, about 4 to 5 minutes. Lift the cooked tofu out of the pan and drain on kitchen paper.
Quickly prepare the sauce:
- In a bowl, stir together the rice wine vinegar, soy sauce, water, and brown sugar until the sugar has dissolved.
Preparation:
- Heat vegetable oil in a pan or wok over medium heat.
- Add the bok choy, mushrooms, spring onion whites, garlic and chili to the pan and sauté for about 5 minutes.
- Add the tofu to the pan to reheat. Deglaze with the prepared sauce and let it boil down a bit.
- Serve fried pak choi vegetables and tofu over rice or noodles, sprinkled with toasted sesame seeds.
