Oil: Using peanut oil will add an element of nuttiness, or you can use a neutral oil with a high smoking point such as vegetable or grapeseed oil.Slice the tofu about 1 inch in thickness. Tofu: As previously mentioned, choose a type of tofu that is very firm such as smoked tofu, pressed and fried tofu, or tofu cutlets by House Foods.Ingredients for Stir Fried Bean Sprouts with Tofu and Garlic Chives It has a smoky taste that usually come from smoking the tofu in tea leaves, a brownish exterior, and is compact like cheese (you can barely see the curds). Smoked Tofu: Smoked tofu is often used in Chinese cooking to make salads, sides that come with vegetables, and stir fries. It’s closer to smoked tofu in texture but has that lovely fried exterior, and also comes in different flavors such as teriyaki, spicy garlic, and savory orange. The tofu is very similar to pressed and fried tofu but is even firmer than that. Tofu Cutlets: This type is only sold by House Foods, which is one of my favorite tofu brands. I love that it absorbs flavor well, looks pretty, and adds an extra textural element to the dish. Pressed and Fried Tofu: This is the type I usually use for stir fries in general because I love fried tofu. Because the vegetables are so crunchy, using a softer yet still firm block of tofu introduces moisture and a more tender element to the stir fry.īut for something like a bean sprout stir fry which only use delicate vegetables, it’s best to use a very firm tofu (such as the ones I’ve listed below) in order to get the perfect balance of “chewy-meatiness” and soft crunch.

Therefore, it’s important to know the differents types available in order to get the right consistency and flavor.Įxtra firm tofu usually does the trick for stir fries that use crunchy vegetables such as carrots, broccoli, and celery. Using tofu in stir fries is a great substitute for meat and can impart a really interesting taste and texture depending on how it’s treated and/or seasoned. Best Types of Tofu to use for Bean Sprout Stir Fry You can buy garlic chives at Chinese, Vietnamese, Korean, and Japanese grocery stores, in the fresh produce section. They are mostly used in East and Southeast Asian cooking in dishes such as stir fries, soups, and salads. The taste is more garlicky than oniony, but still very mild compared to actual garlic. They look similar to onion chives (or simply called chives) but are longer and flat, almost like tall grass. But unlike many of its species where the bulb is edible, garlic chives are cultivated for their flowers and stems. Garlic chives belong to the liliaceae species, or the bulb onion family. They are very popular in East and Southeast Asian cooking because they are easy to find and cheap to buy. They are often used in salads, as a topping for noodle soups, in stir fries, and sometimes curries. What are Bean Sprouts?īean sprouts, or mung bean sprouts, are green or yellow mung beans that have white stalks sprouting from them. This quick stir fry is an easy and delicious way to serve bean sprouts as a meal! Tossed with garlic chives, tofu, plenty of garlic, and a soy sauce based stir fry sauce, this dish reminds me of something I used to order regularly when I lived in Hong Kong.

Bean sprouts chinese food