Black Pepper Tofu with Bok Choy – a simple tofu stir-fry that can be made in under 30 minutes! Flavorful, Vegan and Gluten-Free!
Laugh because that is the purest sound. – Hafez
This Black Pepper Tofu with Bok Choy is a quick and easy weeknight dinner that can be made in under 30 minutes. And even though this tofu stir fry is easiest made in a wok, don’t let this stop you if you don’t happen have one. Half the time I make this in my cast iron skillet. Either way, it’s a super tasty way to serve up tofu and the vibrant baby bok choy.
As with most stir-fry recipes, my best advise is to make sure to prep all the ingredients beforehand and place them close to the stove, ready to go. The cooking part goes very quickly and it’s all to easy to burn things when you are not constantly stirring.
So always chop and prep before you turn on the pan.
This recipe is perfect for two.
Brian and I normally eat this without rice or noodles, but feel free to add if you like.
Although it has a fair amount of crushed black peppercorns, the Black Pepper Sauce is not overwhelming. It perfectly accentuates the tofu and the bok choy, and the dish feels balanced.
And keep in mind, I’ve simplified this recipe quite a bit to prevent you from having to make an extra trip to the Asian Market for specialty items.
The baby bok choy turns a vibrant green in the wok and gets lightly wilty.
And even though the dish tastes flavorful and saucy, it also tastes very clean.
I’m not sure if it is just my imagination, but the natural water element of the bok choy feels very healing and restorative to the body.
A simple easy recipe to whip up when days are full and time is short. Give this Black Pepper Tofu with Bok Choy, a try this coming week and let me know what you think!
Have a great holiday weekend.
xo
PrintBlack Pepper Tofu with Bok Choy
A simple delicious recipe for Black Pepper Tofu with Bok Choy – a tasty vegan meal that can be made in under 30 minutes!
- Prep Time: 15
- Cook Time: 15
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 2 1x
- Category: Vegan, Gluten Free, Main
- Method: Stir fry
- Cuisine: Chinese
Ingredients
- 8–12 ounces firm tofu, cut into 1 inch cubes ( do not use silken tofu – or sub chickenor shrimp, see notes)
- corn starch for dredging ( optional)
- 2 tablespoons wok oil ( high heat oil like peanut, coconut or vegetable)
- 5 finger pinch of salt
- 1 teaspoon fresh cracked peppercorns
- —–
- 1 fat shallot, sliced
- 4 cloves garlic, rough chopped
- 6 ounces baby bok choy ( about 4) quartered lengthwise ( or if very thick, in half again)
Black Pepper Sauce:
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce ( or Gluten-free Liquid Aminos)
- 2 tablespoons Chinese Cooking Wine ( Shaoxing Rice Wine) or sub dry white wine, pale sherry, or rice wine.
- 2 tablespoons water
- 1 teaspoon brown sugar ( or sub palm sugar, coconut sugar or agave)
- ½ teaspoon fresh cracked peppercorns
- 1 teaspoon chili paste (optional)
Instructions
Cut tofu into cubes and blot dry with paper towels, pressing down gently.
Make the wok sauce, stirring ingredients together in a small until most of the sugar dissolves. Place it by the stove.
Prep the shallots, garlic and bok choy.
Dredge the tofu in a light coating of cornstarch (cornstarch is optional, but provides a crispier texture).
Heat oil in a wok or large cast iron skillet over medium-high heat and add the salt and crushed peppercorns to the oil, swirling it around until fragrant, about one minute.
Add the tofu to the seasoned oil, and sear on all sides until golden and crispy, turning the heat down if need be. Be patient and take your time, it will take about 5-6 minutes.
Set the crispy tofu aside on a paper towel-lined plate, and wipe the pan out.
Heat another teaspoon or two of oil over medium heat, and add shallots, garlic and bok choy. Stir continuously until bok choy begins to wilt and shallots become golden, about 3-4 minutes. It will smell amazing. Add the wok sauce to the pan, careful to get all the sugar that may have settled in the bowl.
Simmer for a couple of minutes, or until bok choy is just tender. At the very end, toss the tofu back into the pan with the bok choy and sauce ( just long enough to coat, only 5-10 seconds!) Cooking any long will remove the amazing crispiness! Taste for salt and heat, adjusting to your preference.
Serve immediately, diving between two bowls.
Notes
Feel free to sub chicken breast cut into cubes, and prepared the same way.
Keywords: tofu stir fry, tofu stir fry recipe, vegan stir fry, black pepper tofu, black pepper tofu recipe, black pepper beef, seared tofu with bok choy, tofu in black pepper sauce
This recipe gets a “WOW that’s good” from us! I added shiitake mushrooms but other than that followed this recipe exactly. I served it on top of rice noodles for a super satisfying & super delicious dinner. I will be making this again and again!
★★★★★
Sounds perfect! Thanks Kimberlee!
I added a heaping teaspoon of freshly grated ginger to aromatics. My grandmother that learned to cook from my Chinese grandfather that owned a Chinese restaurant would have been disappointed had I not done this.
This dish was so easy, so delicious and so very, very smokey. I do not have a hood over my stove and I managed to set the fire alarm off for 10 minutes straight. The smoke billowed even though I had lowered the heat to 2/10. I am so sad that I won’t be able to make this dish again! Maybe I need to invest in a wok, part of me feels that some of the smoke came from a bit of the oil escaping from my low-sided cast iron pan. You should see my kitchen goodies, I don’t know how I have gone so long without a wok.
This is the first recipe I have made from you and it will not be the last, yum!
★★★★★
Hey Amber- tell me kind of oil did you use? If you used olive oil instead of a high heat oil like – Peanut oil or coconut or “wok oil” it can be very smoky. I’ve had the best luck with peanut oil- as far as smoke and flavor too!
Thank you for this one! Lovely flavor and a simple and quick dinner. Also agree that it is satisfying and it feels clean at the same time. Next time, I will not toss the tofu back in, but plate it on top of the bok choy and sauce — it was crispier and better before I tossed it in the sauce.
★★★★
Just just a quick toss is what I do! Just to coat!
Hubby said it was the best tofu he’s ever tasted!
★★★★★
Love it! thanks for sharing!
My husband & I made a version of this and really enjoyed it. My first time using the cornstarch dredging technique to crisp up tofu. I have a video on my Jennifer Parsley Wellness YouTube channel of us making this if you are interested. Thank you so much for the great recipe!
★★★★★
Great recipe and really good flavours! The only thing I am wondering is why the starch made tofu glutinous rather than crispy. I’ll definitely make it next time. Thanks for sharing!
★★★★★
Hummmm. Did it cook too long in the sauce?
Could the tofu have been too wet?
Excellent recipe. Just follow the instructions and you can’t go wrong. I added mushrooms and cornstarch to thicken the sauce. Is now part of the weekly rotation. Thanks, Sylvia.
★★★★★
Loved this recipe. I don’t usually leave comments but this was totally worth it. I added mushrooms, which work great here, and cornstarch to thicken the sauce. Excellent recipe. Follow the instructions and you can’t go wrong. Thanks, Sylvia!
★★★★★
Quick, easy. Tofu nice and crispy on outside and smooth and creamy on inside .
★★★★
Very tasty and easy. I definitely recommend using the cornstarch and chili garlic sauce.
★★★★★
Not too many ingredients, easy to cook and very tasty, will be doing this one again, thank you for the recipe.
★★★★★
This was a super fast and easy weeknight meal for us. I wish I had tripled the recipe. We gobbled it up so fast with some soba noodles and it will definitely go into the regular rotation. I had never pan fried tofu before and was really impressed with the simple corn starch dredge and the resulting crispy outside and silky inside texture. I also love learning new simple sauces to add to other recipes. Thanks for this one!!
★★★★★
Sylvia… this is killer! Thanks..BTW, I found that a little bit of cornstarch-laced cooking oil from the tofu saute along with the fresh oil to wilt the bok choy thickened the resulting sauce very nicely. Am thinking will toss in some sautéed shiitakes in the next batch for fun. 🕉
Thanks for sharing Scott! Love the addition of cornstarch! Shiitakes sound perfect!
This is one of my faves! I’ve made it several times and it’s always a hit.
★★★★★
Hi Daphne! Thanks so much,Im glad you liked it!
Looks very good and like a healthy recipe I’d love to eat on the regular!
Wow, looks yummy and healthy. Keep it on. We try your recipes at home.
★★★★★
Is there an error in the calorie count per serving?
Sorry about that, I fixed it. Supposed to be 2 servings not 1 🙂