This Hunan tofu features colorful veggies and pan-fried tofu cooked in a delicious spicy and savory sauce. Simple to make, this 30-minute meatless meal will please both vegans and meat-eaters!
I love serving it with a side of white rice and tofu lettuce wraps. As dessert is a must in this household, we will pair it with Asian sweet treats like my black glutinous rice dessert.
This Hunan tofu takes inspiration from the popular Chinese dish - Hunan chicken. Bold and packed with flavors, you will be amazed! Although great on its own, I usually serve it with some tofu fried rice, fried vegetarian wontons, and Chinese spinach soup for a Chinese-inspired meal.
💚Why you will love this recipe
- Delicious and jam-packed with flavors
- A great weeknight dinner that is quick and easy to prepare
- Highly customizable to suit your taste preference
- Healthier than takeout and is packed with a bunch of vegetables
🧄What you will need
📃Ingredients notes and substitutions
- Tofu - Use extra-firm or firm tofu that has been drained and pressed beforehand, either using a tofu press or by stacking something heavy on top. I recommend checking out this post, "How to press tofu," for more detailed instructions.
- Vegetables - Feel free to swap out the veggies in this recipe with veggies you have on hand.
- Wood ear fungus - An optional ingredient. They usually are sold in the dry form, but you can also use fresh ones if you can get them.
- Dry wood ear can be found in most well-stocked groceries. You can also find them in Asian or Chinese markets. I usually get my wood ear online.
- If using dry wood ears, you will need to rehydrate them first. To do so, simply soak them in hot water for 20 minutes. Remove the tough parts and slice them into smaller pieces.
- Oyster sauce - Opt for a vegan oyster sauce to keep this recipe vegan. I highly recommend using Lee Kum Kee's stir-fry sauce. (Although it is labeled as a stir-fry sauce, it is a mushroom-flavored sauce imitating oyster sauce).
- Sambal oelek - A ground chili paste that provides heat for Hunan tofu.
- Coconut sugar - You can use any other granulated sugar like cane sugar or brown sugar in place.
🔪How to make
Add tofu cubes, cornstarch, and salt into a container. Toss until tofu cubes are well coated.
Heat some oil in a wok or skillet. Add tofu cubes, and cook for 2-3 minutes on each side, or until most sides are golden. Set aside.
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Add more oil to the same wok, and fry garlic until fragrant.
Add red pepper and broccoli next. Cook for a few minutes or until veggies have softened slightly.
Next, add in baby corn and wood ear fungus. Saute for another few minutes until the veggies are cooked.
Lastly, toss in cooked tofu along with the stir-fry sauce. Once the sauce has thickened, you can remove it from heat. Serve your Hunan tofu with some rice.
✔Helpful tips
- Use a large enough wok or skillet - This ensures tofu crisp up properly and the vegetables are properly cooked.
- Switch up the vegetables - This recipe is highly forgiving, and most vegetables will work well! If you are not a fan of tofu, you can even swap it with chunks of seitan chicken or tempeh.
- Adjust the spice level - This recipe is mild to moderately spicy. For a less spicy dish, reduce the amount of sambal oelek added. Add more heat by using more sambal or by adding some dried or chopped fresh chilies!
- Storing leftovers - Leftover Hunan tofu can be refrigerated for 3-4 days. You can either reheat it in the microwave or stove.
🍚How to serve
Toppings - Top your Hunan tofu stir-fry with some crushed peanuts, cashews, chopped green onion, or toasted sesame seeds. They give this dish some extra flavor and texture.
Rice or noodles - This recipe is great served on a bed of white or brown rice or cooked noodles of choice. For a heartier meal, you can make some vegetable fried rice or noodle dishes (like my peanut rice noodles or oyster sauce noodles).
Asian sides - Some fun side dishes that pair well with this dish include Asian cucumber salad, air fryer oyster mushrooms, and soups like my napa cabbage soup or ABC soup.
❔Commonly asked questions
This Hunan tofu is moderately spicy and can be tolerated by most. However, you can easily adjust the spice level by adding as much or as little sambal oelek as you like.
Although both Szechuan and Hunan tofu are spicy, they are different dishes. Hunan cuisines usually get its heat from fresh chilies or ground chili paste, and usually contains vinegar to give the dishes some tanginess. On the other hand, Szechuan cuisines utilize both Sichuan peppers (which provide a numbing spiciness) and dried chilies for heat.
🍽More Asian tofu recipes
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📖 Recipe
Hunan Tofu Vegetable Stir-fry
Equipment
- non-stick wok or a large non-stick pan
- spatula
Ingredients
For tofu
- 1 block extra firm tofu drained and pressed (about 14oz/400g)
- 1 tablespoon corn starch
- ½ teaspoon salt
For stir-fry sauce
- ½ cup vegetable broth (low sodium)
- 2 tablespoons oyster sauce *vegetarian or regular
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon sambal oelek
- 2 teaspoons sugar
- 2 teaspoons corn starch
- 1 teaspoon rice vinegar
For stir-fry
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 medium red bell pepper diced
- 1 cup broccoli florets
- 6-8 baby corn halved lengthwise
- 0.5 oz dried wood ear mushrooms rehydrated (optional)**
Instructions
- Start by cubing your tofu into bite-sized cubes. In a medium zip-top bag, place in tofu along with corn starch and salt. Toss the bag until tofu cubes are well coated.1 block extra firm tofu, 1 tablespoon corn starch, ½ teaspoon salt
- Heat up a tablespoon of neutral-tasting oil in a large non-stick wok/skillet over medium high heat. Add tofu cubes in one layer, and cook for 2-3 minutes on each sides, or until most sides are nicely browned. Set aside.
- While cooking tofu, make your Hunan sauce by combining all ingredients needed. Set aside for later use.
- Add about ½ tablespoon of oil into the same wok. Add in garlic and fry until fragrant, about a minute.3 cloves garlic
- Toss in red pepper and broccoli next. Cook for 3-4 minutes, or until veggies have soften slightly.1 medium red bell pepper, 1 cup broccoli florets
- Now, add your baby corn and black fungus. Saute for another 2-3 minutes, or until veggies are cooked.6-8 baby corn, 0.5 oz dried wood ear mushrooms
- Lastly, toss in cooked tofu along with the stir-fry sauce. Bring the mixture to a simmer. Once the sauce has thicken, you can remove it from heat and serve.
Video
Notes
- Dry wood ear can be found in most well-stocked groceries. You can also find them in Asian or Chinese markets. I usually get my wood ear online.
- If using dry wood ears, you will need to rehydrate them first. To do so, simply soak them in hot water for 20 minutes. Remove the tough parts and slice them into smaller pieces.
- Use a large enough wok or skillet - This ensures tofu crisp up properly, and the vegetables are properly cooked.
- Switch up the vegetables - This recipe is highly forgiving, and most vegetables will work well! If you do not like tofu, you can swap it with chunks of seitan chicken or tempeh.
- Adjust the spice level - This recipe is mild to moderately spicy. For a less spicy dish, reduce the amount of sambal oelek added. Add more heat by using more sambal or by adding some dried or chopped fresh chilies!
- Storing leftovers - Leftover Hunan tofu can be refrigerated for 3-4 days. You can either reheat it in the microwave or stove.
Save this recipe!
Email yourself a link to this page and come back later.
Also get a FREE high-protein vegan recipe eBook + weekly new recipes! Unsubscribe anytime.
Nutrition
Nutrition info calculated is just a rough estimate and is provided as a courtesy. Bear in mind that value will vary based on variables like specific brand or type of product used. To obtain the most accurate representation, it is highly recommended that you calculate it on your own with the actual amount and type of ingredient used.
A.K says
This is the perfect recipe! After trying this dish at a restaurant that my partner favors, I wanted to be able to make it myself to have whenever we wanted. I am so glad I found this recipe, as it came out exactly like the restaurant. I made this dish with carrots, broccoli, and mushrooms. I tossed the tofu in my air fryer (I like having a bit more crunch), adding it after I had cooked the vegetables and sauce together. This is definitely a recipe that I will be adding to my roster. Thank you for uploading this recipe!
S.L. says
Easy to make and great tasting! I used this as a "clean out the fridge" dish, substituting the various vegetables with what I had available. It worked great with carrots, onions, and green beans (blanched separately to avoid disrupting the taste). The only thing I might change in the future is the way I coat the tofu. The method described here ended up creating a very gummy coating, which ultimately made the sauce too thick. Next time, I will use a liquid cornstarch mixture to coat. Thanks for uploading and looking forward to making it again!
Meesha says
Thank you for your kind comment! It really made my day. 🙂 As for the tofu, you could also choose to omit the cornstarch, but might yield tofu that is less crispy.