This tofu in oyster sauce features crispy pan-fried tofu cubes tossed in a flavorful and rich sauce. An easy, one-pan comfort meal that is ready in 30 minutes. Serve it with rice and steamed veggies for an easy yet balanced dinner!
We are big fans of tofu in this household and have been making this recipe, tomato sauce tofu, and Thai basil tofu on repeat.
This oyster sauce tofu is our current go-to tofu dish! Jam-packed with flavors, savory, and delicious, even my meat lover family adores this dish!
I love serving it with some rice and veggies for a quick meal. However, if I am hosting a Chinese-themed dinner, I will whip up some other Chinese dishes like this ABC soup and some tofu dumplings to go with this dish.
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💚Why you will love this recipe
- Bold in flavor, saucy, and taste incredible
- An easy 30-minute recipe that requires minimal prepping
- Highly customizable - give this dish your spin by adding other ingredients/seasonings that sound good!
- A versatile dish that goes well with other Asian mains or side dishes
🧄What you will need
📃Ingredient notes and substitutions
- Tofu - Use extra-firm or firm tofu that has been drained and pressed beforehand, either using a tofu press or stacking something heavy on top.
- 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)
- Soy sauce - Feel free to substitute it with tamari or shoyu.
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🔪How to make
Coat tofu - Cut your tofu into cubes, and place them in a container with cornstarch and salt. Secure the lid and toss the container until the tofu cubes are well coated.
Pan-fry tofu - Heat some oil in a cast-iron skillet/non-stick pan, and place tofu in one layer. Cook for 2-3 minutes untouched on each side until most sides are golden brown. Set aside for later use.
Making the sauce - In a bowl, combine broth, cornstarch, oyster sauce, and the rest of the seasonings and mix well. Set aside.
Cooking the sauce - Heat more oil in the same pan, then add ginger, garlic, and the white part of the green onions to the pan. Fry until fragrant, then add the broth-seasoning mixture. Simmer until the sauce thickens.
Putting everything together - Add pan-fried tofu back to the pan along with the green parts of the green onion. Give everything a toss, and remove from heat. Your oyster sauce tofu is ready to be served!
✅Helpful tips
- Types of tofu - I recommend sticking with extra-firm or firm tofu. Medium and soft tofu is more delicate and breaks apart easily, making them unsuitable to be pan-fried.
- Pressing your tofu
- This is an essential step to eliminate excess water from your tofu. It helps your tofu better absorb flavors.
- You can either do this with a tofu press or by stacking heavy plates and pots on your tofu. I recommend checking out this post, ‘how to press tofu,’ for more information.
- Use a good non-stick pan/well-seasoned cast iron skillet - This prevents tofu from sticking at the bottom when pan-frying.
- Storing leftovers - Leftover tofu in oyster sauce can be refrigerated for 3-4 days.
✨Variations and add-ins
As mentioned above, this oyster sauce tofu is highly customizable, so feel free to give your spin to it! Here are a few ideas to get you started -
Veggies - To bump up the nutrient content of this dish, add a few cups of vegetables of your choice. Some vegetables that work well in this recipe include blanched broccoli, carrot, or cauliflower, sliced mushrooms, baby corn, or snap peas. You might need to double the recipe for the sauce.
Seasonings - Play around with the ratio of different seasonings, or add other kinds to enhance the flavor of this dish. I sometimes like adding hoisin sauce, Chinese black bean sauce, or dark soy sauce.
Make it spicy - Mix in a generous pinch of chili flakes or a drizzle of sriracha into your sauce.
Extra saucy - If you like your oyster sauce tofu to have more sauce, double the broth, seasonings, and cornstarch!
🍚How to serve
If you are looking to make a Chinese-themed family meal, I recommend pairing oyster sauce tofu with below dishes -
- Sides - vegan egg rolls, soups like Chinese spinach soup or tofu vegetable soup, cabbage carrot stir-fry
- Noodle dishes - stir-fry rice vermicelli
- Rice - white or brown rice, use cauliflower rice for a lower-carb version
❔Commonly asked questions
The oyster sauce does not taste fishy. Instead, it has a rich, savory, umami taste with a hint of sweetness. It is added to tons of Asian recipes to enhance their flavors.
Most oyster sauces are not vegan. As its name suggests, it is made from oysters.
However, you can easily find vegetarian oyster sauce, which uses mushrooms to mimic the flavors of oysters. I especially love Lee Kum Kee’s stir fry sauce, which is flavored with mushrooms and perfectly mimics regular oyster sauce.
Coating tofu cubes with cornstarch before frying gives them a crunchy outer layer. You can pan-fry your tofu without it, but the tofu cubes will turn out to be less crispy.
📖 Recipe
Tofu in Oyster Sauce
Equipment
Ingredients
Tofu
- 1 block extra-firm tofu drained, pressed, and cubed*
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- ½ teaspoon salt
Sauce
- ½ cup vegetable broth
- 1 tablespoon oyster sauce vegetarian/regular
- 1 teaspoon soy sauce or tamari/shoyu
- 1 tablespoon shaoxing wine
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
- ½ teaspoon sesame oil
Rest of the ingredients
- 1 ½ tablespoon cooking oil
- 5 slices ginger
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 stalk green onion white and green parts seperated
Instructions
- Cut your tofu into cubes, and place them in a container with cornstarch and salt. Secure the lid and toss the container until the tofu cubes are well coated.
- Heat ½ tablespoon of oil in a cast-iron skillet/non-stick pan, and place tofu in one layer. Cook for 2-3 minutes untouched on each side until most sides are golden brown. Set aside for later use.
- In a bowl, combine all ingredients needed for the sauce. Mix well and set aside.
- Heat another ½ tablespoon of oil in the same pan, then add ginger, garlic, and the white part of the green onions to the pan. Fry until fragrant, around 1-2 minutes.
- Add the broth-seasoning mixture. Bring the mixture to a boil, and lower the heat to a gentle simmer. Simmer until the sauce is thick and glossy.
- Add pan-fried tofu back to the pan along with the green parts of the green onion. Give everything a toss, and remove from heat. Your oyster sauce tofu is ready to be serve!
Notes
- Use a good non-stick pan/well-seasoned cast iron skillet - This prevents tofu from sticking at the bottom when pan-frying.
- Storing leftovers - Leftover tofu in oyster sauce can be refrigerated for 3-4 days.
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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.
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