This recipe (like all stir fry) is totally customizable.  Use whatever veggies you have in your fridge. Don’t like tofu?  Leave it out and add more veggies. Don’t like brown rice? Use noodles instead!  To keep this recipe super simple and accessible, I instruct you to cook the ingredients “however you like.”  If you are stumped, or want to see my favorite way to cook these ingredients, see the notes below the recipe.

If you’re still reading, you may be wondering how to cook the veggies and tofu.  Perhaps you don’t have a preferred way. That’s okay! I’ve done a lot of failing so you don’t have to.  This is how I like to cook tofu and veggies for stir fry:

TOFU:

First, always drain and press the tofu.  Take it out of its packaging, wrap it in a clean kitchen towel, and place it under something heavy (I use a baking sheet with three plates on top of it).  It’s best to press tofu for at least an hour to remove excess moisture. To speed the process along, cut the tofu down the middle (stand it up like a book and slice down the center, lengthwise).  Lay the two pieces next to each other on half of a clean kitchen towel, cover with the other half, and place under a heavy object. You can also use paper towels, but it creates a lot of waste.

To Cook:

*Cut into whatever size you like.  

*Heat a nonstick pan with a lid (I use a Scanpan and it’s amazing and I’m obsessed with it and no, this is not a sponsored post) over medium heat.  

*Place the tofu in the pan, leaving enough room that you can easily flip it.  

*Put the lid on and allow it to cook for 2-3 minutes (or until the cooked side is golden brown).  

*Flip each piece over and repeat on the other side.  You can choose to cook all the sides, or just two. There are no wrong answers here.  

*If you don’t have a good nonstick pan with a lid, experiment with baking the tofu, or use it uncooked!

VEGGIES:

My veggie-cooking-method has evolved because I’m picky with texture.  I want the kind of vegetables you find in Thai or Chinese cuisine that are cooked- maybe even slightly charred- on the exterior but still maintain a good crunch.  Mushy vegetables won’t work for me. Since I don’t have a wok and I don’t cook with oil, I had to find my own way to get that same texture. Here it is:

*Heat a nonstick pan over medium heat.  

*Add one kind of vegetable to the pan (so as to not overcrowd it).  For things like broccoli that are less watery than, say, sugar snap peas, put the lid on for about a minute- until they turn a deep, vibrant green.  

*Take the lid off, turn them over and use a wooden spoon to press the broccoli into the heat.  Press each “tree” for a few seconds.

*Flip them over, and repeat on the other side.

*Take them out of the heat and set them aside.  Total cook time is maybe 3 minutes.

*For something that is more watery, like the sugar snap peas, do the same thing but without the first step (more waterlogged vegetables create more steam as they cook, causing them to cook faster and lose their crunch).  Leave the lid off and press them into the heat, turn over, and repeat until they are cooked to your preference.  

*For the carrots, pop them in the pan and stir for about a minute, allowing them to soften ever so slightly.  

*If you don’t care about the texture of your veggies, steam them by throwing all the vegetables in your pan with a few tablespoons of water, then cover and cook for a minute or two.  Stir and repeat until the veggies are cooked to your liking.

I hope that helps!

Happy cooking,

Courtney