Crispy tofu, tender-crisp veggies and fresh basil are cooked up in a sweet and savory hoisin sauce with caramelized shallots in this delectable vegan stir-fry.
I can't seem to let a two-week period go by without posting a new stir-fry recipe. Stir-fries are my go-to quick and easy meal, and they have a tendency to turn out delicious.
This particular stir-fry is an attempt at replicating a dish I had at a Vietnamese restaurant a few weeks ago. I have no idea how close I came to the actual recipe, but this stuff was delicious, so I don't really care.
This dish is a bit more time-consuming than most stir-fries you'll see on this site. I won't say it's labor intensive, because a lot of the cooking time is spent hanging out in the kitchen waiting for shallots to caramelize, or shiitakes to brown. Everything cooks in one skillet, but in stages. Cook something, clear it out, and cook something else. It's worth it. Trust me. This turned out to be one of my favorite stir-fries ever.
Tofu, Basil and Caramelized Shallot Stir-Fry
Ingredients
- â…“ cup hoisin sauce
- 1 ½ tbsp. soy sauce
- 1 tbsp. lime juice
-
1
tsp.
Asian chili paste
-
¼
tsp.
five spice powder
- 2 tbsp. vegetable oil divided
- 3 large shallots about 6 oz., thinly sliced
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 1 ½ tsp. fresh grated ginger
- 1 lb. extra firm tofu drained, pressed and cut into ½ inch cubes
- 1 cup sliced shiitake caps
- 1 red bell pepper sliced into strips
- 1 celery stalk chopped
- ½ cup fresh basil leaves lightly packed
-
cooked jasmine rice
for serving
Instructions
-
Stir hoisin sauce, soy sauce, lime juice, chili paste and five spice powder together in small bowl. Set aside.
-
Place 1 tablespoon of oil into large skillet. Add shallots and place over medium-low heat. Allow to cook until caramelized and lightly browned, flipping occasionally, about 20-30 minutes. Add garlic and ginger. Cook 1 minute more, until fragrant. Remove shallots from skillet and transfer to a plate.
-
Raise heat to medium and add tofu to skillet. Cook until cubes are browned on several sides, flipping once or twice, about 10 minutes. Remove from skillet and transfer to plate with shallots.
-
Coat skillet with about ½ tablespoon more oil. Add shiitakes in a single layer. Cook about 5 minutes, until lightly browned.
-
Add remaining ½ tablespoon of oil to skillet, raise heat to high and add pepper and celery. Stir-fry until tender-crisp, about 2 minutes.
-
Lower heat to medium and add tofu and shallots back to skillet, along with hoisin mixture. Flip a few times and cook just until all ingredients are heated throughout, about 1 minute. Remove from heat and add basil. Flip a few times to incorporate.
-
Divide onto plates and serve with jasmine rice.
Recipe Notes
Hoisin sauces tend to vary in sweetness. If yours isn't particularly sweet, feel free to add a dash or two of sweetener, such as agave.
I never get tired of stir fry! Please keep sharing them :)
Happy to! Glad you're enjoying them! :)
Never thought to caramelize the onions/ shallots in a stir fry.. What a great idea! Looks delish!
I never did either, until I had a stir-fry at a restaurant with caramelized shallots, and it was awesome! Thanks Natalie!
This reminds me of my favorite thai restaurant. I get a dish called Tofu Kra Prow and it has veggies and basil. To DIE for. I think they use green onions but I love the mellow flavor of shallots. You can't go wrong. This one is going into my recipe box. :)
Tried it. It was delicious. My family loved it. I added carrots and pak choy to the recipe and increased the levels of the sauces and spices， as i am a veggie lover :).
Thank you for the recipe.
Yay! Those sound like awesome additions. So glad everyone enjoyed it. Thanks for taking the time to comment and let me know! :)
Delicious!! added the stalk ends o bok choy in place of celery, & didnt have any chilli paste, anyway this is so yum, another one of your recipes that is going into my tried, tested and a winner pinterest board :)
Awesome!! I'm sl glad you enjoyed it! Thanks Natasha!