Beef Tofu Stir Fry is one of those things on a Cantonese restaurant menu that is always calling out to me–usually when I'm stopping in a Chinatown takeout place for a quick lunch. Beef Tofu Stir Fry always seems to make it to the lunch table or car whenever the four of us are together and passing through Manhattan. And for good reason––this dish is beefy, saucy (Sarah is the family gravy addict), and just plain delicious!
Even at home, Beef Tofu Stir Fry is one of those dishes that we make over and over again. People think food bloggers never eat the same thing, because they always experiment and cook huge volumes of food, and, yes, that is true some of the time. But we usually get together just a couple days a month to cook for the blog, and that's when we cook a large volume of dishes with much discussion and planning! It's also when some of our neighbors get unsolicited care packages of freshly photographed food. We also pack things up for weekday lunches and dinners.
But when we're not blogging, what are we eating?
Well, this Beef Tofu Stir Fry is definitely on the list, along with other easy, homey recipes like Oyster Sauce Chicken and Yu Choy. Food bloggers need lazy weeknight meals, too! But as usual (and as the women of the family are always quick to remind me of), I digress.
Tender beef, soft tofu, some scallions, and just the right amount of sauce over a bed of white or brown rice is a quick, and totally satisfying meal for any day of the week!
For the beef & marinade:
- 10 ounces flank steak, sliced ¼-inch thick
- 1 tablespoon water
- 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
- ½ teaspoon cornstarch
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon soy sauce
For the rest of the dish:
- 2 tablespoons vegetable or canola oil
- 3 thin slices ginger
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 scallions, cut at an angle into 1-inch pieces, white and green portions separated
- 2 teaspoons Shaoxing wine
- ¾ cup beef or chicken stock
- 2 tablespoons oyster sauce
- 1 teaspoon soy sauce
- ½ teaspoon sesame oil
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground white pepper
- ¼ teaspoon sugar
- 1 block regular or soft tofu, cut into 2-inch squares, 1/2-inch thick
- Cornstarch slurry: 1 tablespoon cornstarch mixed with 1 tablespoon of water
For the beef & marinade, combine the beef, water, vegetable oil, cornstarch, baking soda, and soy sauce in a medium bowl. Let the beef marinate for 20 minutes.
Heat the wok until smoking and spread 2 tablespoons of oil around the perimeter. Sear the beef for 20 seconds on each side. You want the beef seared on the outside and about 80% done.
Transfer back to the marinade bowl, and set aside. You may have noticed that our instructions often include adding partially-cooked meat back to the marinade bowl, because in Chinese cooking, foods are often cooked twice in the wok before the dish is finished, and why wash yet another bowl?!
Add the ginger, and let caramelize for 20 seconds. There should be oil in the wok from searing the beef, but add another tablespoon of oil if needed. Next, add the minced garlic and the white portion of the scallions. Stir fry for 10 seconds, and add the Shaoxing wine.
Stir again for 10 seconds, and add the chicken stock, oyster sauce, soy sauce, sesame oil, white pepper, and sugar. Stir-fry until combined, and then gently slide the tofu into the wok. Be careful––the pieces are delicate and will break up easily without proper handling!
Let the tofu and the sauce come up to a boil, and drop in the green portions of the scallions and the seared beef, including any juices from the marinade bowl.
While everything is coming up to a boil, use your marinade bowl to mix your cornstarch slurry. (Another dish saved from washing duty!) Check the seasoning of the sauce, and add more salt or soy sauce if desired, but remember it will get saltier after it thickens!
Carefully stir in the cornstarch slurry, and lower the heat to medium as the sauce thickens. Be as gentle as possible when stirring so as to minimize tofu breakage. A pushing/stirring motion to rotate the mixture around the wok usually works best for me. Adjust the thickness of the sauce by adding more cornstarch slurry or chicken stock until it is to your liking.
Serve over steamed rice!
Beef Tofu Stir Fry
Prep time
25 mins
Cook time
5 mins
Total time
30 mins
Serves: 4 servings
Ingredients
For the beef & marinade:
- 10 ounces flank steak, sliced ¼-inch thick
- 1 tablespoon water
- 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
- ½ teaspoon cornstarch
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon soy sauce
For the rest of the dish:
- 2 tablespoons vegetable or canola oil
- 3 thin slices ginger
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 scallions, cut at an angle into 1-inch pieces, white and green portions separated
- 2 teaspoons Shaoxing wine
- ¾ cup beef or chicken stock
- 2 tablespoons oyster sauce
- 1 teaspoon soy sauce
- ½ teaspoon sesame oil
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground white pepper
- ¼ teaspoon sugar
- 1 block regular or soft tofu, cut into 2-inch squares, ½-inch thick
- Cornstarch slurry: 1 tablespoon cornstarch mixed with 1 tablespoon of water
Instructions
- For the beef & marinade, combine the beef, water, vegetable oil, cornstarch, baking soda, and soy sauce in a medium bowl. Let the beef marinate for 20 minutes.
- Heat the wok until smoking and spread 2 tablespoons of oil around the perimeter. Sear the beef for 20 seconds on each side. You want the beef seared on the outside and about 80% done. Transfer back to the marinade bowl, and set aside. You may have noticed that our instructions often include adding partially-cooked meat back to the marinade bowl, because in Chinese cooking, foods are often cooked twice in the wok before the dish is finished, and why wash yet another bowl?!
- Add the ginger, and let caramelize for 20 seconds. There should be oil in the wok from searing the beef, but add another tablespoon of oil if needed. Next, add the minced garlic and the white portion of the scallions. Stir fry for 10 seconds, and add the Shaoxing wine.
- Stir again for 10 seconds, and add the chicken stock, oyster sauce, soy sauce, sesame oil, white pepper, and sugar. Stir-fry until combined, and then gently slide the tofu into the wok. Be careful––the pieces are delicate and will break up easily without proper handling!
- Let the tofu and the sauce come up to a boil, and drop in the green portions of the scallions and the seared beef, including any juices from the marinade bowl.
- While everything is coming up to a boil, use your marinade bowl to mix your cornstarch slurry. (Another dish saved from washing duty!) Check the seasoning of the sauce, and add more salt or soy sauce if desired, but remember it will get saltier after it thickens!
- Carefully stir in the cornstarch slurry, and lower the heat to medium as the sauce thickens. Be as gentle as possible when stirring so as to minimize tofu breakage. A pushing/stirring motion to rotate the mixture around the wok usually works best for me. Adjust the thickness of the sauce by adding more cornstarch slurry or chicken stock until it is to your liking. Serve over steamed rice!
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