This Black Pepper Tofu is exactly the kind of nourishing recipe you want for those lazy evenings when you need something quick but comforting. It’s a one-pan family-friendly dinner, perfect to serve straight off the stove with a big bowl of rice for a well-balanced meal.
Flavour-wise – it’s rich, savoury and bold, with a kick of black pepper elevating humble tofu with nuanced shades of heat. You can easily swap in paneer or cottage cheese for a different protein, or toss in your favourite veggies and greens to make it your own.
Tips For Making This Black Pepper Tofu
- Prep the tofu: Wrap a block of silken-firm tofu with kitchen towels and gently press down (placing a heavy pan on top) to get rid of the extra water. Then, slice into bite-sized pieces and give them a light coating of cornflour for that extra crispiness.
- Toast your black peppercorns beforehand: If you can, gently toast black peppercorns until fragrant and then grind them using a mortar and pestle before whisking into your stir-fry sauce. This extra step releases a deeper flavour that will long linger after your last bite!
- Tailor the recipe to make it your own: Feel free to stir in lots of greens and veggies to bulk up the stir-fry with a more nutritious boost.
- Serve with hot rice to transform this into a complete meal, with lots of fresh herbs and sesame seeds for garnish.
Black Pepper Tofu Stir-Fry
This quick one-pan tofu is rich and comforting, stir-fried in a spicy and savoury black pepper sauce. Serve it with rice for a well-balanced meal.
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp dark soy sauce
- 2 tbsp light soy sauce
- 1.5 tbsp rice vinegar
- 1-2 tsp brown sugar
- 1 tbsp cracked black pepper
- ½ tbsp cornflour (mixed with 3 tbsp water to make a corn flour slurry)
- 1 block of silken-firm tofu (alternatively use paneer)
- ½ onion, diced (optional)
- 1 cup veggies of choice (optional)
- 3-4 garlic cloves (minced)
- 2-3 tsp gochugaru (or crushed red pepper flakes)
- knob of ginger (grated)
- ¼ cup spring onions
- 2-3 tbsp sesame seeds
Instructions
- You can use paneer or silken-firm tofu for this recipe. If using tofu: wrap the block between kitchen towels and press down gently to release the extra water.
- Slice the tofu/ paneer into bite sized pieces and lightly coat it in corn flour for that extra crisp coating.
- Whisk together the sauce with dark and light soy sauce, rice vinegar, brown sugar, pepper, and corn flour slurry.
- Heat a splash of oil in a non stick pan.
- Add the tofu and cook on low heat, flipping halfway until golden brown on both sides. Set aside.
- Add a splash more oil if needed and add your veggies of choice (I’ve added mixed pepper) + an onion. Cook for a few minutes, until the veggies begin to soften.
- Add in the minced garlic + gochuagru + handful of spring onions.
- Sauté the veggies well until lightly charred but they still have a bite to them.
- Pour in the sauce. Let it sizzle until thickened. Add back the tofu. Gently mix to combine well.
- Garnish with more scallions/ spring onions and sesame seeds. Serve hot with rice and DIVE IN!
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