Stir fried bok choy with tofu puffs

This stir fried bok choy with tofu puffs is one of my favorite veggie dishes. I ate it growing up in China and have continuously cooked it as part of the dinner rotation now, living in the US. Whenever my mom would serve this dish during dinner, I’d get very excited. The dish is super simple, yet strangely satisfying. The porous tofu puffs soak up all the great flavor and have a meaty texture. They’re accompanied by bok choy that’s stir fried until just tender and caramelized yet still a bit crunchy.

It’s a great way to get a good amount of green veggies in your weekday dinner. 

Stir fried bok choy with tofu puffs close up

Ingredients

Tofu puffs (deep fried tofu)

If you’ve never tried tofu puffs (逗泡, or deep fried tofu) before, I highly recommend you give them a try. In Chinese Buddist cooking, fried tofu is usually used as a meat alternative to make a dish vegetarian. It has a spongy and airy texture, with a golden and slightly oily surface. It works like magic with veggies, both in stir fried dishes and in stews. Functioning similarly to meat, the fried tofu adds richness and meaty texture to a dish. Plus, because of its porous texture, it will absorb tons of flavor from the sauce or broth it’s cooked in.

You can usually find tofu puffs at Asian markets. They are either in the refrigerated section near the other tofu products or in the freezer. You can store them in the fridge for a week or two, but they’ll stay good for months in the freezer.  

NOTE: Tofu puffs are called deep fried tofu sometimes, but they’re different from the fried tofu you might make at home. Because tofu puffs are less about crispiness and more about airy texture. I’ve tried a few ways to take regular tofu and fry it at home, but none of the experiments achieved the texture of store-bought tofu puffs.

How to prepare bok choy

You can either use bok choy or slightly larger heads of baby bok choy to cook this dish. To make sure they cook evenly in a stir fry, here is my favorite way to cut it:

  1. Cut off and discard the tough end on the bottom. 
  2. Tear off the outer large leaves until the tender core portion is exposed. Halve the core.
  3. For the larger leaves, slice the white part into bite-sized pieces. For baby bok choy, you can keep the pieces square. However, if you have giant heads of bok choy (those usually found in a regular grocery store instead of an Asian market), you can slice them thinly because the white part is much thicker than that of baby bok choy.
  4. For the green leafy part, leave it as-is if it is under 5” (12 cm) long. For giant leaves, further halve or cut them into thirds. The leaves will shrink a lot during cooking so you should keep the pieces larger.

For a perfect texture, you can even separate the white and green parts and cook the white part a bit longer. But I’m usually lazy and add everything at once. When the white part is cooked yet still crisp, the green parts are withered and quite tender. It’s a texture contrast that I enjoy a lot. 

How to cut bok choy

Mise en place

Your table should have the bok choy, tofu puffs, soy sauce, sugar and green onions before you start cooking.

Ingredients for making stir fried bok choy with tofu puffs
Bok choy stir fry with fried tofu

How to cook stir fried bok choy with tofu puffs

Wok vs. skillet

In the past I’ve talked about the reasons not to use a wok, and the benefits of a wok vs. skillet. I have to admit that I use a large heavy skillet for most of my stir fry recipes. However, I do like to use a small flat bottomed wok to cook simple dishes like this stir fried bok choy with tofu puffs. 

The reason is: 

  • A small wok can hold a lot of vegetables yet it’s easy to handle
  • Since this recipe uses very simple seasonings, wok hei will make the dish stand out more

If you’re using a wok, check out this old video that I made when I was back in China. 

On the other hand, you can totally use a skillet to make this dish. I prefer a carbon steel or cast iron skillet over a nonstick one, because the bok choy will be charred better. 

But either case, you should be using high or close to high heat the whole time and you should hear a continuous, loud sizzling sound. But if the skillet starts to smoke too heavily, turn to medium heat. The cooking will be done in less than 4 minutes. 

Cooking process

Cooking stir fried bok choy with tofu puffs couldn’t be easier:

  1. Stir fry the green onion in oil to release the fragrance
  2. Add the bok choy and stir a few times to coat it with oil
  3. Pour in the soy sauce and sugar, then give it a quick stir
  4. Add the tofu puffs and cover the pan to steam it briefly
  5. Uncover the pan and stir to mix everything together

That’s it! The bok choy will be blistered, with a light charred edge caused by the soy sauce and sugar combo. The bok choy should be tender yet with the white part still a bit crisp. The tofu puffs soak up all the goodness from the aromatic oil and the sauce. Top it on white rice and enjoy!

How to cook stir fried bok choy with tofu puffs step-by-step
Chinese bok choy stir fry with fried tofu close up

Dishes that go with stir fried bok choy with tofu puffs

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A super quick and easy stir fried bok choy with tofu puffs that only uses five ingredients and takes 15 minutes to prep and cook. The crisp bok choy is lightly caramelized and combined with tender tofu in a savory and slightly sweet sauce. It is surprisingly satisfying to eat as a side dish, and sometimes I serve it as a light main dish for lunch over steamed rice. {Vegan, Gluten-Free Adaptable}

Stir Fried Bok Choy with Tofu Puffs

By Maggie Zhu
5 from 8 votes
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 5 minutes
Total Time: 15 minutes
Servings: 2 to 4
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A super quick and easy stir fried bok choy with tofu puffs that only uses five ingredients and takes 15 minutes to prep and cook. The crisp bok choy is lightly caramelized and combined with tender tofu in a savory and slightly sweet sauce. It is surprisingly satisfying to eat as a side dish, and sometimes I serve it as a light main dish for lunch over steamed rice. {Vegan, Gluten-Free Adaptable}
To make the dish gluten-free, use tamari to replace light soy sauce.

Ingredients 

  • 1 lb (450 g) bok choy , chopped to bite size pieces (see the cutting method in the post above)
  • 1 heaping cup (60 grams) tofu puffs , halved
  • 2 green onions , sliced
  • 1 tablespoon peanut oil (or vegetable oil)
  • 1 teaspoon sugar
  • 2 tablespoons light soy sauce (or soy sauce)

Instructions

  • Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a medium-sized wok or large skillet over high heat until hot. Add scallion and stir a few times until fragrant.
  • Add bok choy. Stir and cook for 1 to 2 minutes, to coat evenly with oil.
  • Sprinkle it with sugar and swirl in light soy sauce. Immediately stir a few times to mix well. Add deep fried tofu, then stir again for about 20 seconds.
  • Cover the wok and lower to medium-low heat. Steam for 30 seconds. Uncover and stir to check the doneness. Cover and cook for another 10 to 20 seconds again, if necessary, until the bok choy is cooked through and slightly caramelized on the edges. Turn off the heat and transfer everything to a serving plate.
  • Serve hot as a side dish or over steamed rice as a light main dish.

Video

Ingredient Substitution Guide

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving, Calories: 93kcal, Carbohydrates: 6.1g, Protein: 4.8g, Fat: 6.5g, Saturated Fat: 1g, Sodium: 528mg, Potassium: 344mg, Fiber: 1.9g, Sugar: 3g, Calcium: 179mg, Iron: 2mg

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