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Plate of stir fried tofu and green beans with sesame seeds on top.
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5 from 4 votes

Sesame Garlic Stir-Fried Tofu & Green Beans

This scrumptious stir-fry is made with crispy tofu and stir-fried green beans in a savory sesame garlic sauce. It's satisfying, flavorful, and a total cinch to make!
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time18 minutes
Total Time28 minutes
Course: Entree, Main
Cuisine: American, Asian-Inspired
Servings: 4
Calories: 227kcal
Author: Alissa Saenz

Ingredients

For the Sauce

  • 2 tablespoons cold water
  • 2 tablespoons soy sauce
  • 1 tablespoon dark soy sauce
  • 1 tablespoon vegan oyster sauce
  • 2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
  • 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
  • 1 teaspoon sambal oelek, or to taste
  • 1 teaspoon cornstarch
  • 2 teaspoons organic brown sugar
  • 1 teaspoon black pepper

For the Stir-Fry

  • 3 tablespoons peanut oil, divided
  • 1 (16 ounce/454 gram) package super-firm tofu, diced (about ½-inch)
  • 12 ouces fresh green beans, ends trimmed
  • 5 garlic cloves, minced
  • 2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds
  • Cooked rice, for serving
US Customary - Metric

Instructions

  • Stir the sauce ingredients together in a small bowl or container. Set this aside.
  • Coat the bottom of a large wok with one tablespoon of the oil and place it over medium heat (Note1). Give the oil a minute to heat up, then add the tofu cubes in a single layer (Note 2). Cook the tofu for about 10 minutes, flipping the pieces once or twice, until they're browned and crispy. Transfer them to a plate when done.
  • Add the remaining oil to the wok and turn up the heat to medium-high. Once the oil is hot, add the green beans. Stir-fry the beans for about 6 to 8 minutes, until they are tender-crisp, bright green, and blistered in spots. Stop stirring every now and then, giving the beans 20 seconds or so to sizzle in the oil. (See Note 3 regarding precautions.)
  • Turn the heat down to medium. Give the wok a few moments to cool down (Note 4), then push the green beans to the side and add the minced garlic. Sauté the garlic for about 30 seconds.
  • Stir the garlic and the green beans together. Raise the heat back to medium-high. Return the cooked tofu to the wok, then pour the sauce over the tofu and beans. Continue stir-frying everything for about a minute, until the sauce has thickened and coats the tofu and beans.
  • Remove the wok from heat and sprinkle the stir-fry with sesame seeds.
  • Serve the stir-fry over rice.

Notes

  1. A skillet can be used if you don't have a wok, but it must be capable of withstanding high heat and have somewhat of a nonstick cooking surface for the tofu. Cast iron will work. If you don't have something that meets both conditions, use two separate cooking vessels — nonstick for pan-frying the tofu, and high-heat for stir-frying.
  2. You can cook the tofu in batches if it won't all fit at once.
  3. Be very careful here as you'll be using more oil than usual for stir-frying. Watch out for sputtering hot oil, and remove the wok from heat if it starts to smoke.
  4. Some materials, such as cast iron, may take a bit longer to cool down. Listen for the sizzling to slow before adding your garlic.
  5. Nutrition information does not include rice.

Nutrition

Calories: 227kcal | Carbohydrates: 9g | Protein: 11g | Fat: 17g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 6g | Monounsaturated Fat: 7g | Sodium: 1202mg | Potassium: 265mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 24IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 91mg | Iron: 3mg