This Bok Choy Tofu Stir Fry is my go-to on weeknights when I’m short on time but still want something healthy. Tender bok choy (青菜) is tossed in a hot wok with chewy, savoury squares of marinated tofu (豆干).
Even Kevin (generally a vegetable-hater and not big on tofu either) gave his approval for this dish. In his words:
It’s actually pretty good.
Background
Stir-fried greens with bean curd is one of those dishes that exists in some form in practically every Chinese household, but you won’t find it in restaurants, because ngl it’s kind of boring. In Mandarin it falls under the umbrella of xiǎo chǎo (小炒, literally “small stir fry”). This refers to the everyday, home-cooked style of dishes that many of us grew up eating. Quick to whip up with not too many ingredients.
Believe it or not, the type of stuff people order at Chinese restaurants is not what we eat on a daily basis. Chinese home cooking is a lot simpler, and less heavy on the stomach. A typical dinner will consist of rice (or congee), a protein-based main (such as hongshao doufu or fried soft tofu) a stir fried veggie side dish like this one.
What You’ll Need
A few important notes on some of the ingredients used in this Bok Choy Tofu Stir Fry recipe:
Toasted sesame oil: This is doing two jobs at once by being both the cooking fat and a flavour booster. Typically you would only use sesame oil as a finishing oil, to be drizzled when the dish is complete, because prolonged heat will cook out the aromatic sesame flavour. But in this case the entire stir fry is done in like 5 min so the sesame oil works perfectly as the cooking oil. Kadoya is my go-to brand.
Baby bok choy: Full-sized regular bok choy is fine if that’s all you have, but the baby ones cook faster and have a more tender stem which works better in a quick stir-fry like this one. Shanghai bok choy also works. Make sure to wash them well. I snap off each “petal” and rinse them individually because they tend to hide dirt at the bottom. After washing, chop them into bite-sized pieces (roughly 2-inch segments). You can keep the leaf pieces bigger than the stems because the leaves are much faster to cook.
Did you know: In China bok choy is often just referred to as qīngcài (青菜, “green vegetable”) or báicài (白菜, “white vegetable”). You might have noticed while grocery shopping that bok choy stems can come in two colours: green or white. Hence the names. But they taste identical.
Marinated tofu: The full name of this type of tofu is “five spice bean curd” (五香豆干). It may also be labeled as “spiced tofu,” “seasoned tofu,” or “flavoured bean curd”. The texture is similar to super-firm tofu but smoother, with a bouncier chew, not crumbly at all. The best part is, it comes already seasoned with soy sauce and spices, so no extra soy sauce is needed for the stir fry. (To be honest, more than once I’ve snacked on marinated tofu straight out of the package… it’s delicious ok.) Look for it in the refrigerated tofu section at any Chinese supermarket.
Tip: If you can’t find five spice tofu, the next best option is smoked tofu. Failing that, slice up some extra-firm tofu and splash a bit of soy sauce over top. It won’t taste quite as flavourful but it’ll do in a pinch.
Fresh ginger: Half a thumb-sized knob, peeled and smushed or grated into a paste. Powdered ginger does not work here.
Garlic: Again, use fresh garlic cloves pls. I usually do the ginger and garlic together in a mortar and pestle because I hate biting on chunks of whole garlic or ginger. You can also use a microplane to grate it into a fine paste.
Mushroom bouillon powder: This is the not-very-secret weapon of vegan Chinese cooking. Mushroom bouillon is the veg alternative to the ubiquitous “chicken bouillon” (which is mostly MSG, salt, and sugar) that makes every Chinese stir fry taste fantastic. LKK makes a good one, so does Totole, and recently I even used one from Costco (forgot the name, it was a Western brand, but it worked just fine). If you don’t have this, just use regular salt.
For a full list of ingredients and quantities, refer to the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
Step-by-Step Process
Step 1: Pour sesame oil into a wok or deep skillet on medium-high heat.
Step 2: Add crushed ginger and garlic and let it sizzle until golden.
Step 3: Throw in the chopped bok choy and toss to coat in the aromatic oil. Cook until it starts to soften.
Step 4: Add sliced tofu and stir to combine. The tofu just needs to warm through since it’s already cooked.
Step 5: Add the mushroom powder and toss until it’s mixed evenly with the tofu and greens.
Step 6: The stir fry is ready when the bok choy is deep vibrant green and slightly wilted. Plate immediately and serve!
Meal Prep & Storage Tips
My top tip is just to eat this dish right after cooking. It’s not really meant for meal prep. The bok choy will go a bit wilty after a night in the fridge. Also my mom, who is the type to call me whenever she reads a slightly-concerning health article online, has informed me there are potentially concerns with reheating bok choy and other leafy veg… but you’re all adults here, you can make that risk assessment for yourself.
If you do have leftovers, refrigerate them for up to 2 days in an airtight container. Microwave to reheat. Do not freeze.
What to Serve with Bok Choy Tofu Stir Fry
This stir fry is meant to be a side dish, so here are some of my favourite sides and mains to serve alongside it:
Recipe FAQs
Absolutely. Just slice it into roughly the same size segments and add the thicker white stems to the wok a minute before the leaves because they need a bit longer to cook.
Use extra-firm plain tofu, slice it into planks, and add half a tablespoon of soy sauce (or tamari for a gluten-free option) along with the mushroom bouillon. If you have time, marinating the tofu in the soy sauce overnight is best, but no worries if you haven’t planned ahead. The tofu won’t be as flavourful as using ready-made five-spice marinated tofu, but the dish will still turn out excellent.
Yes, yu choy, choy sum, gai lan (Chinese broccoli), or even napa cabbage will all work. You might also be interested in my Tofu Skin Stir Fry recipe which uses either spinach or pea shoots (dau miau).
More Chinese Tofu Recipes
Recipe Card
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Bok Choy Tofu Stir Fry
Equipment
- Wok or skillet with high sides (I recommend a flat-bottomed wok like this one if you don't have a gas stove)
- Metal spatula
Ingredients
Switch between volume vs weight measurements:
- 1 tbsp sesame oil
- 12 oz bok choy around 3/4 lbs
- 2 squares marinated tofu around 1/2 lb
- 1 inch ginger
- 2 cloves garlic
- ½ tbsp mushroom bouillon powder
Instructions
- Use a mortar and pestle to mash 1 inch ginger and 2 cloves garlic into a fine paste. Alternatively, use a microplane to grate them really fine.
- Roughly chop 12 oz bok choy into bite-sized pieces (around 2-inch segments) and thinly slice 2 squares marinated tofu (the thinner the better).
- Bring a wok or deep skillet to medium-high heat and drizzle in 1 tbsp sesame oil.
- Add the ginger-garlic paste and let sizzle until starting to turn golden at the edges.
- Throw in the chopped bok choy and cook until glistening and beginning to soften. Make sure to scrape the bottom of the wok with your spatula to bring up any stuck bits of ginger and garlic (you don't want them to burn).
- Add the sliced tofu and stir fry for another minute or so. You just need to warm the tofu through since it's already cooked.
- Add 1/2 tbsp mushroom bouillon powder and toss until it's mixed evenly with the tofu and greens. The stir fry is ready when the bok choy is deep vibrant green and slightly wilted. Plate immediately and serve!