Dried tofu and celery stir fry is a satisfying and healthy main dish that you can put together in no time. The crunchy celery and chewy smoked tofu are cooked with a small amount of ground pork to enhance their flavor, along with ginger, garlic and soy sauce. It’s super easy to make and tastes very satisfying! {Gluten-Free Adaptable, Vegetarian Adaptable}
Dried tofu and celery stir fry is a popular homestyle dish in China. It uses dried tofu, a type of extra firm tofu product that holds very well together, to create this main dish that is filling and delicious. If you come across dried tofu in a Chinese market or Asian grocery store, I highly recommend stocking up on it. So you can use it to create this quick and easy dish for your dinner.
Smoked tofu and celery stir fry ingredients
What is Dried tofu
Dried tofu, or smoked tofu, is called 香干(Xiang Gan) or 豆干 (Dou Gan) in Chinese. It is a type of tofu product that has a texture firmer and finer than that of extra firm tofu. Its production process and ingredients are very similar to regular tofu, but with a lower water ratio. Once it’s made, it’s also braised to create a darker surface that is more flavorful than regular tofu. Dried tofu is perfect for stir fry, because it holds together much better than regular tofu, so you can cut it into various shapes.
You can usually find dried tofu in the refrigerated section of a Chinese grocery store. There are usually two main types of dried tofu, the plain type and the five spice seasoned. The plain type is simply seasoned with salt and sugar, with a very mild taste. The five spiced one is more flavorful and can be enjoyed by itself. When cooking the dried tofu and celery stir fry, I prefer to use the plain type.
Can I replace dried tofu with regular tofu?
Dried tofu is a special product that has a very different texture from regular tofu. I do not recommend replacing it with regular tofu, because the tofu would fall apart easily during stir frying. However, you can use a tofu cutlet, which is quite firm. These days you can easily find tofu cutlets in most grocery stores. Since tofu cutlets are usually unseasoned and taste milder, you might need to increase the salt when making the stir fry.
Can I make this dish vegetarian?
Dried tofu is also called vegetarian ham in China, since it is often used as a meat replacement. When making the tofu and celery stir fry, most Chinese cooks use a very small amount of meat, usually pork, to add flavor to the dish. However, it’s totally OK to skip the pork to make this dish vegetarian. If you do plan to skip the pork, I highly recommend adding 1 teaspoon of vegetarian oyster sauce to the sauce, to make the dish more fragrant.
Mise en place
When you’re ready to cook, your table should have:
- Marinated pork (if using)
- Dried tofu, sliced
- Celery, sliced
- Sliced ginger and garlic
- Mixed sauce
- Salt
How to cook dried tofu and celery stir fry
Cooking the dried tofu and celery stir fry is super easy:
- Brown the ground pork
- Saute the ginger and garlic to release fragrance
- Cook the celery
- Cook the smoked tofu
- Add the sauce and the celery leaves
- Stir everything together
The dish uses a light savory sauce with plenty of aromatics for a mild and refreshing taste. Along with the small amount of pork and tender smoked tofu, it creates a very satisfying meal that is healthy as well.
How to serve dried tofu and celery stir fry
I usually serve the dried tofu and celery stir fry along with steamed rice for a quick meal. You can also serve the dish by itself. Alternatively, you can serve it along with another protein, an appetizer, and a soup to make a full-on dinner.
Other delicious and quick stir fries
- Beef and Celery Stir Fry
- Chinese Detox Stir Fry
- Beef and Flat Bean Stir Fry
- Chicken Fried Rice (鸡肉炒饭)
- Cabbage Glass Noodles Stir Fry
- Easy Mongolian Meatballs
Dried Tofu and Celery Stir Fry (西芹炒香干)
Ingredients
Marinating (optional but highly recommended)
- 4 oz (100 g) ground pork
- 2 teaspoons Shaoxing wine
- 1 teaspoon light soy sauce
- 1/2 teaspoon cornstarch
Sauce
- 2 tablespoons chicken broth (or water)
- 1 tablespoon light soy sauce
- 1/4 teaspoon sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon cornstarch
Stir fry
- 1 tablespoon peanut oil
- 1/2 thumb ginger , julienned
- 2 cloves garlic , sliced
- 3 stalks celery , sliced to 1/3” (6 cm) thick 2” (10 cm) long strips (you can serve the celery leaves as well)
- 1/4 teaspoon salt (or to taste)
- 1 cup dried tofu , sliced (or tofu cutlet, sliced into 1/3” (6 cm) thick 2” (10 cm) long strips) (*Footnote)
Instructions
- Add the pork and the rest of the marinating ingredients into a small bowl. Mix very well with your hands until evenly coated.
- Combine the sauce ingredients in a small bowl and stir to mix well.
- Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a large skillet or wok until hot. Add the ground pork and spread it out with a spatula. Let cook for 1 minute without moving, or until the bottom is lightly charred. Flip to cook the other side and chop the pork into smaller pieces, until the pork is just cooked through.
- Your pan should still have quite some oil in it. If not, add 1 tablespoon of oil, plus the ginger and garlic. Stir a few times to release fragrance.
- Add the celery. Stir and cook until it just starts to get tender, 2 to 3 minutes or so.
- Add the smoked tofu and sprinkle with the salt. Stir and cook for another 2 minutes, or until the celery has turned tender.
- If you reserved the celery leaves, add them to the pan (Optional).
- Pour in the sauce and stir to mix everything together, 1 to 2 minutes. Turn to low heat and carefully try out the tofu and celery. Adjust seasoning by sprinkling a bit more salt, if needed. Transfer everything to a big plate. Serve as a side or main.
Notes
- If you cannot find smoked tofu, you can also use baked tofu or tofu cutlet. These days you can find them in many grocery stores and health food stores. Similar to the packaged smoked tofu, baked tofu is very firm and holds up well in a stir fry. If using regular tofu, you will need to cut it into thicker pieces and brown it first, so it will hold up a bit better in the stir fry.
Excellent!
Loved the crunchiness of the celery with the flavors. Quick but very good!
This is one of my favorite dishes. I first had it at a restaurant in a mall across from my hotel when I was working in Beijing . I’ve tweaked it a bit but this recipe is a solid foundation.