Mushroom Tofu Stir Fry (蘑菇豆腐)

This recipe is another one of my own inventions. It’s super easy and quick to make. Tofu is plant based and packed with proteins, amino acids, and minerals. I usually use cremini mushrooms, but white button mushroom, Portobello, or shitake mushroom works just as well. You just need to cut them into slices.

I used to cook mushrooms with either thinly sliced lightly marinated pork or chicken. But one time I added tofu to the dish and it came out surprisingly well. Tofu, by itself, lacks flavor. But it acquires a similar taste to meat after being cooked with mushrooms and a dash of soy sauce. As a result, I often use tofu and meat interchangeably when cooking mushrooms, depending on what I have available in the fridge.

Vegetarian; Gluten Free

Preparation Time: 10 minutes

Active Time: 20 min

Total Time: 20 min

Servings: 2 people

Ingredients:

• ~8 oz (225 g) of cremini (baby bella) mushrooms
• ~8 oz (225 g) of medium tofu block¹
• 1 green onion
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon light soy sauce²

Preparation:

1. Clean the mushrooms. Remove the stems. Cut the mushrooms into ¼ inch-thick (0.6 cm) slices.

2. Drain the tofu block and cut the tofu into ¼ inch-thick (0.6 cm) slices.

3. Chop the green onion into small thin slices.

4. Heat the 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil in a skillet. When the oil is warm, but not hot, add the green onion pieces.

5. When the green onion releases fragrance (i.e., when you can smell it), about 30 seconds, add the mushroom slices. Immediately toss and stir for about 1 minute. Then add the ½ teaspoon of salt and continue to stir to make sure the salt is evenly distributed.

6. When the mushrooms look a bit browned, add the tofu slices. Make sure to drain the tofu one more time before adding them to the pot as tofu tends to release quite a bit of water.

7. Gently stir and toss the tofu with the mushrooms. When all the tofu pieces are slightly browned, add the 1 tablespoon of soy sauce and continue to stir to mix well.

8. After about another 2 minutes of gentle stirring and tossing, turn off the heat.

9. Transfer all the items in the pot to a plate and enjoy.

Bon Appétit

Notes:

1. I got the tofu from Trader Joe’s. It comes in a plastic container. I used half container for this dish.
2. Here I used Kikkoman gluten free soy sauce. If you are not gluten restricted, any light soy sauce (not the kind for coloring purpose) can do the job. Pearl River Bridge （珠江橋牌）, Lee Kum Kee （李錦記）, and San-J are some of the common Asian soy sauce brands. You can find them in most grocery stores and supermarkets.