Tofu and egg stir-fry
Golden pan-fried tofu and soft, fluffy scrambled eggs tossed with green onions in a savory soy glaze, a cheap, protein-packed Chinese home-style dinner over rice.
- 35 min total
- 20 min hands-on
- Follow-a-recipe easy
- Serves 2
- About $2.33 a serving
- 830 calories
- Vegetarian
- Dairy-free
Dolly says: Read the steps once before you start. Everything goes smoother after that.
Ingredients
For 2 servings.
- 1 cup long-grain white rice
- 1 package extra-firm tofu, drained
- 3 large eggs
- 1 tsp sesame oil
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 3 stalks green onions, cut into 1-inch pieces
From your pantry
- 1½ cups water
- ½ tsp salt, divided
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tsp sugar
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil, divided
Each serving has about 830 calories, 42 g protein, 85 g carbs and 36 g fat, and costs about $2.33 at typical US grocery prices. Both are estimates from what the recipe uses.
Missing something?
- No long-grain white rice? Jasmine rice or basmati rice works.
- No extra-firm tofu? Firm tofu works.
- No green onions? Chives work.
Steps
Tap an underlined word for a quick explanation.
the rice and bring it in a small with the water and ¼ teaspoon salt over high heat.
Rinse. Rinsing means running cold water over rice or canned beans in a strainer while you swish them around. It washes off loose starch and can liquid, so rice cooks up fluffy and beans taste clean.
How you’ll know: The water running out goes from cloudy to mostly clear; it doesn’t have to be perfect.
Bring to a boil. It means heating a liquid on high until it’s fully boiling before you move on. A lid on the pot gets it there faster, which makes it a good moment to chop something.
How you’ll know: Big bubbles break all over the surface, and they keep coming when you lift the lid.
Saucepan. A saucepan is a pot with tall, straight sides and one long handle. It’s for things that need depth, like rice, sauces or a few boiled eggs.
How you’ll know: The food fills it about halfway, leaving room to bubble without spilling over.
High heat
Stir once, cover, and cook on low for 15 minutes. Take it off the heat and leave the lid on.
Low heatTimer: 15 min
Meanwhile, the tofu dry and cut it into ¾-inch . Beat the eggs in a bowl with of salt until no streaks remain.
Pat dry. Patting dry means pressing paper towels onto food to soak up the moisture on its surface. Wet food steams instead of browning, so this is how you get a good sear and crisp skin.
How you’ll know: The surface feels tacky, not wet, and the last paper towel comes away barely damp.
Cube. Cubing means cutting food into chunky, even squares, usually three quarters of an inch to an inch. Same-size cubes cook at the same speed and brown on every side.
How you’ll know: Your pieces look like a handful of sugar cubes, a little bigger than diced, all close to the same size.
Pinch. A pinch is what you can hold between your thumb and two fingers, less than an eighth of a teaspoon. It’s a small, forgiving amount, so there’s no need to measure.
How you’ll know: It’s a light sprinkle you can barely see on the food, not a little pile.
Stir the soy sauce, sugar and sesame oil together in a cup.
Heat 1½ tablespoons oil in a large nonstick over medium-high heat. Fry the tofu with of salt, turning every few minutes, until on most sides, about 10 minutes.
Skillet. A skillet is a frying pan: wide and flat with low, sloped sides. The shape lets steam escape, so food browns instead of stewing.
How you’ll know: It’s the pan you’d fry an egg in, and a 10 or 12 inch one handles most recipes.
Pinch. A pinch is what you can hold between your thumb and two fingers, less than an eighth of a teaspoon. It’s a small, forgiving amount, so there’s no need to measure.
How you’ll know: It’s a light sprinkle you can barely see on the food, not a little pile.
Golden brown. Golden brown is the color of good toast, somewhere between yellow and light brown. It means the outside is cooked and crisp but not burnt.
How you’ll know: It looks like toast and smells toasty; dark brown with a bitter smell means it went too far.
Medium-high heatTimer: 10 min
Food safety: Tofu is safe to eat straight from the package; cooking is only for texture and flavor.
Push the tofu to one side, add the rest of the oil and the garlic to the empty side, then pour the eggs in there.
Medium-high heat
Let the eggs sit 20 seconds, then gently push them around with a spatula until they’re set in soft, large curds, about 1 minute.
Medium-high heatTimer: 1 min 20 sec
Dolly’s tip: Pull the pan off the heat the moment no liquid egg is left. They keep cooking on the plate.Food safety: For the safest eggs, cook until the whites are fully set and the yolks begin to thicken. Dishes made with eggs are done at 160°F.
Pour the sauce over everything, add the green onions, and about 30 seconds, until glossy.
Toss. Tossing means gently lifting and turning food so everything gets coated, like pasta in sauce or vegetables in oil. It coats every piece evenly without mashing anything.
How you’ll know: Every piece looks glossy or evenly coated, with no dry spots hiding underneath.
Medium-high heat
Spoon over the rice and serve right away.
Plan this in Dollop, and get the grocery list
Dollop puts this dinner on a night that suits your week, lists only what you still need to buy, and walks you through each step while you cook.
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