Szechuan Tofu and Veggies! A flavorful vegan stir-fry with crispy tofu, szechuan sauce and loaded up with healthy vegetables! Quick, easy and flavorful!!! Not vegan? Make this with shrimp or chicken!
Remember the Szechuan Sauce from the Szechuan Chicken and Brussels Sprouts Recipe a while back? Well here it is again, but this time used as a stir-fry sauce in this recipe for Szechuan Tofu and Veggies!
The best part is, if you are not a fan of tofu- you absolutely will be, by the time you try this! Haha! 😉 But if you still don’t want to go down the tofu route – feel free to sub shrimp (amazingly good!) chicken or beef, prepared exactly the same way – so simple and easy! A fast and easy dinner.
This version of Szechuan Sauce has Szechuan Peppercorns in it (but if you don’t have them, don’t fret. Just use black pepper or peppercorns). The szechuan peppercorns give the sauce a really authentic “zingy-ness” that is hard to replicate, but it also tastes great without.
Pan Sear the tofu with oil, salt and pepper. Feel free to use a wok or skillet! Take your time here and get it golden and crispy!
Then saute a bunch of veggies! I like cabbage carrots mushrooms and peppers and something green like asparagus or green beans….up to you!
Add the a few hot chilies if you like, then the Szechuan Sauce and the tofu!
Divide over rice, noodles, zucchini noodles or just on its own, then garnish and you are good to go!
Tasty healthy Szechuan Tofu and Veggies! So so good!
xoxo
PrintSzechuan Tofu and Veggies
Szechuan Tofu and Veggies! A flavorful vegan stir-fry with crispy tofu, szechuan sauce and loaded up with healthy vegetables! Quick, easy and flavorful!!!
- Prep Time: 15
- Cook Time: 15
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 2 1x
- Category: vegan, adaptable, tofu, stir-fry
- Method: stir-fry
- Cuisine: Chinese
Ingredients
- 8 ounces tofu, patted dry and cubed ( or sub shrimp or chicken cubes)
- 2 tablespoons olive or high heat oil
- generous pinch salt and pepper
- ½ cup thinly sliced onion
- 4 ounces sliced mushrooms (optional)
- 2 cups shredded cabbage (or shredded brussels, or shredded broccoli)
- 1 cup shredded carrots or matchstick
- ½ red bell pepper, thinly sliced
- 1 cup asparagus, snap peas, or green beans
- optional : 6- 8 small dried red Chinese or Arbol chilies
- garnish: scallions, sesame seeds, chili flakes
Serve this on its own, over rice or over soba noodles or zucchini noodles.
¼ cup Szechuan Sauce and more to taste!
Instructions
Heat oil in a skillet. Season oil generously with salt and pepper. With tofu, I generally use ½ teaspoon kosher salt per ½ pound of tofu. Swirl the seasoned oil around until spread out uniformly. Add tofu and sear on at least two sides, until crispy and golden. Be patient here. Set aside.
To the same pan, add a little more oil if needed, onion, and mushrooms and sauté over medium high heat – stirring constantly, until tender, about 3 minutes. Add the remaining veggies, add the dried chilies if you like -and lower heat to medium, and sauté, tossing & stirring for 3-5 minutes until just tender or al dente. Tender, but vibrant and still slightly crisp!
Add the Szechuan Sauce, starting with ¼ cup and adding more to taste. Cook the sauce 2 minutes, letting it thicken a bit. Toss in the crispy tofu ( or shrimp or chicken) right at the end, just to warm it up.
Divide among two bowls. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and scallions. Add chili flakes for more heat.
Serve this just as it is, or over rice, or noodles… and remember, do not eat the dried chilis!
Notes
Prepare the shrimp and chicken the same way as the tofu ( using less salt for the shrimp), pan searing first, then set aside.
Keywords: Szechuan sauce, szechuan tofu, szechwan sauce, szechuan shrimp, szechuan beef, szechuan stirfry, szechuan recipe, szechuan veggiess recipe
I really wanted to love this recipe but I found it to be a bit salty with the base of tamari. I had to put about 1/4 cup of water to make it more tolerable. Any suggestions?
★★★★
Hi Ali, tamari is much saltier than regular soy sauce. I think that’s the issue. I will note the recipe!
Turned out really nice. Served with rice. Used packaged szechuan sauce instead of making my own
★★★★
Delicious. Freezes well, too. Next time I make it, I think I’ll skip the tofu and sub cashew nuts (saves time and I’m not a huge tofu fan).
★★★★★
Good to hear! Yes, cashews would be tasty here!
I doubled the sauce and made it a day ahead to make dinner quicker.
(I used regular peppercorns, and did not have chilis.)
I also put some of the extra sauce on the tofu and baked it.
New and interesting flavors to put into the rotation.
THanks
★★★★★
Thanks Christine! Glad you enjoyed it!
This was fantastic! I’ve made it twice, once with tofu and once with shrimp, and used the corn starch version of the sauce for stir fry. The sauce kept great in the fridge for a couple of days, between the two versions. Both were terrific but I loved the tofu especially. I used regular peppercorns and served it over quinoa. Way better than restaurant takeout.
★★★★★
Awesome!Great to hear…thanks!