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Garlic Pepper Tofu – thin strips of tofu cooked down in a savoury sauce packed with all the garlicky and peppery goodness. I used a peeler to get thin strips of extra firm tofu that I air-fry to draw out any excess moisture and cook down in the sauce to soak up all the flavors.
Adding other vegetables to the stir-fry is a great way to use up any extra produce and add in those veggies. Serve this over rice to make a delicious bowl for lunch or dinner.
WHAT KIND OF TOFU SHOULD I USE?
You need to use extra firm tofu or anything firmer like pressed super firm tofu or even baked tofu. Anything less firm won’t hold up well and easily break apart.
I used extra firm tofu from the brand Nature’s Soy and found it to really be super firm and easy to deal with little to no breakage.
PEELING TOFU
I used a peeler to get thin strips, which makes it so much easier for the tofu to absorb the flavors of the sauce. Plus, it’s also a joy to eat these thin strips of tofu that become somewhat chewy and even crisp on the edges.
Using thin strips of peeled tofu is also a great base for other recipes where you want to mimic a certain texture of appearance – like tofu ‘bacon’!
INGREDIENTS YOU NEED TO MAKE THIS GARLIC PEPPER TOFU
You’ll find the full printable recipe in the card below!
Tofu
- 10 oz extra firm tofu or super firm tofu (see notes)
- Neutral oil
Sauce
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tbsp veg oyster sauce
- 2 tsp dark soy sauce
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1.5 tbsp maple syrup or other sweetener, adjust to taste
- 1 tbsp mirin or sake (see notes)
- 2 tbsp water
Stir fry
- Neutral oil
- 6 cloves minced garlic half for crispy garlic
- 1 green onion chopped (green and white parts separated)
- Sliced bell peppers or other veggies of choice
- Roasted sesame oil to finish
For Serving
- Steamed rice
- Crispy garlic
- Chopped green onions green parts
- Sesame seeds
PREPARE THE EXTRA FIRM TOFU
- Drain the tofu from water and pat-dry or press. See notes for tips on choosing extra firm tofu.
PEEL THE TOFU
- Thinly slice the tofu using a peeler. Smaller broken pieces are perfectly fine!
AIR-FRY THE TOFU
- Place the strips of tofu on your air-fryer basket. I lined mine with parchment paper.
- Spray or brush some oil on the tofu. Air fry for 6 mins at 350F or until lightly brown and crisp on the edges.
- Don’t air fry for too long since this will yield very crispy tofu that can harden when it cools. I like keeping my tofu lightly grown with white parts so they still have that nice chew and absorb sauces better when stir-frying.
- You may also need to cook the tofu in batches depending on the size of your air-fryer.
DON’T HAVE AN AIRFRYER?
- If you don’t have an air-fryer, you can opt to quickly pan-fry the tofu on a non-stick pan with some oil until lightly crisp on both sides.
MAKE THE SAUCE/MARINADE
Meanwhile, prepare the sauce by mixing everything together. Feel free to adjust to your desired taste. Set aside
COOKING THE GARLIC PEPPER TOFU
- Heat a pan or wok with some oil. Once hot, add half of the minced garlic. Allow too cook until golden brown and crispy. Drain from the oil. Set aside.
- In the same pan or wok, cook the remaining garlic and white parts of the green onion. Stir-fry for 1-2 minutes over medium high heat.
- Add in the bell peppers or any vegetables of your choice. Cook until tender.
- Add in the thin tofu strips. Pour over the sauce. Mix well and leave the sauce to come to a boil over medium heat.
- The sauce will start to thicken from the sugars. Continue to cook for 2-3 minutes over medium heat or until the sauce is reduced.
- Taste the tofu and feel free to season with more soy sauce or sweetener, if needed.
- Turn off the heat. Add some sesame oil to finish. Mix well.
ENJOY YOUR TOFU
- You can serve the tofu over rice. Garnish the tofu with the crispy garlic, green onions, and sesame seeds. Enjoy while hot!
- The tofu is super versatile and you can also enjoy this with noodles or even in wraps.
MORE TOFU RECIPES YOU’LL LOVE:
You can also check out my other vegan tofu recipes here or down below:
Check out my tips on how to store tofu!
- Cold Silken Tofu with Sweet Chili Sauce
- Tofu Sisig
- Shredded Tofu ‘Bulgogi’
- Maple Hoisin Tofu
- Baked Peanut and Lime Tofu
- Kung Pao Tofu
- Pineapple Cashew Tofu Stir-Fry
- Crispy Salt and Pepper Tofu
- Black Pepper Tofu Steaks
- Tofu “Chicken” Teriyaki
Garlic Pepper Tofu (Peeled Tofu Technique!)
Garlic Pepper Tofu – thin strips of tofu cooked down in a savoury sauce packed with all the garlicky and peppery goodness. I used a peeler to get thin strips of extra firm tofu that I air-fry to draw out any excess moisture and cook down in the sauce to soak up all the flavours. Adding other vegetables to the stir-fry is a great way to use up any extra produce and add in those veggies. Serve this over rice to make a delicious bowl for lunch or dinner.
Ingredients
Tofu
- 10 oz extra firm tofu or super firm tofu (see notes)
- Neutral oil
Sauce
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tbsp veg oyster sauce
- 2 tsp dark soy sauce
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1.5 tbsp maple syrup or other sweetener, adjust to taste
- 1 tbsp mirin or sake (see notes)
- 2 tbsp water
Stir fry
- Neutral oil
- 6 cloves minced garlic half for crispy garlic
- 1 green onion chopped (green and white parts separated)
- Sliced bell peppers or other veggies of choice
- Roasted sesame oil to finish
For Serving
- Steamed rice
- Crispy garlic
- Chopped green onions green parts
- Sesame seeds
Instructions
- Drain the tofu from water and pat-dry or press. See notes for tips on choosing extra firm tofu.
- Thinly slice the tofu using a peeler. Smaller broken pieces are perfectly fine!
AIR FRYING TOFU
- Place the strips of tofu on your air-fryer basket. I lined mine with parchment paper.
- Spray or brush some oil on the tofu. Air fry for 6 mins at 350F or until lightly brown and crisp on the edges.
- Don’t air fry for too long since this will yield very crispy tofu that can harden when it cools. I like keeping my tofu lightly grown with white parts so they still have that nice chew and absorb sauces better when stir-frying.
- You may also need to cook the tofu in batches depending on the size of your air-fryer.
DON'T HAVE AN AIRFRYER?
- If you don't have an air-fryer, you can opt to quickly pan-fry the tofu on a non-stick pan with some oil until lightly crisp on both sides.
PREPARE THE SAUCE
- Meanwhile, prepare the sauce by mixing everything together. Feel free to adjust to your desired taste. Set aside
COOKING THE GARLIC PEPPER TOFU
- Heat a pan or wok with some oil. Once hot, add half of the minced garlic. Allow too cook until golden brown and crispy. Drain from the oil. Set aside.
- In the same pan or wok, cook the remaining garlic and white parts of the green onion. Stir-fry for 1-2 minutes over medium high heat.
- Add in the bell peppers or any vegetables of your choice. Cook until tender.
- Add in the thin tofu strips. Pour over the sauce. Mix well and leave the sauce to come to a boil over medium heat.
- The sauce will start to thicken from the sugars. Continue to cook for 2-3 minutes over medium heat or until the sauce is reduced.
- Taste the tofu and feel free to season with more soy sauce or sweetener, if needed.
- Turn off the heat. Add some sesame oil to finish. Mix well.
- Serve over rice. Garnish the tofu with the crispy garlic, green onions, and sesame seeds. Enjoy while hot!
WATCH Video
Notes
EXTRA FIRM TOFU
- You can look for extra firm tofu that’s vacuum sealed in packs and not submerged in water. These can sometimes be called extra firm or super firm tofu as well, and can come pressed so you no longer have to press these. They are very very firm and easy to work with since they’re very compressed and won’t break apart.
- You can check your local Asian grocery or supermarket for packs such as this one
- If using extra firm tofu that easily breaks apart when peeling, you can opt to press the tofu well then thinly slice it before air-frying.
- I used extra firm tofu from the brand Nature’s Soy.
- You can also use other rice or cooking wines of choice. If using other cooking wines that aren’t as sweet, you can add some more sweetener to taste, if needed.
- You can also opt to completely leave out the cooking wine if desired. Do note that the flavor will be slightly different.
NUTRITIONAL INFO
Serving: 1serving (tofu) | Calories: 302kcal | Carbohydrates: 17g | Protein: 9g | Fat: 23g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 7g | Monounsaturated Fat: 13g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Sodium: 666mg | Potassium: 307mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 10g | Vitamin A: 1086IU | Vitamin C: 46mg | Calcium: 64mg | Iron: 2mg
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This Post Has 19 Comments
Made this last night and absolutely loved it! It can be hard finding somthing both my kids love and boy did they love this! Will definitely be making this again.
Hi Robyn, really glad you and your kids liked it! Thanks for giving it a try ◡̈
I had to improvise a bit here and there (pea pods instead of bell pepper, no onions, and veggie stir fry instead of oyster sauce and dark soy sauce), but it was really nice! I enjoyed the pieces of crispy garlic. Sorry that I always change so many ingredients >.<
Improvising and working with the ingredients you have it a great way to be creative so no need to be sorry at all! Thanks for sharing your own take! ◡̈
Wow. That looks amazing. I will be trying it very soon. Have you any recipes for dried bean curd sticks?
Hi Meg, hope you like it! I Don’t have recipe for dried bean curd sticks but I like to soak them til rehydrated and use them for stir-fries! ◡̈
This dish is fantastic! I added in some snow peas and water chestnuts. Great flavor!!! Will be making this again for sure 🙂
Aaah those are great additions! Hehe thanks so much Jill! ◡̈
This may be my new favorite tofu dish! I had to stop myself from eating ALL of it. Reminded me of Pad Kee Mao Which just happens to be my favorite Thai dish I have not been able to pull of at home yet. Might have to try this with some rice noodles instead of rice next time!
I did use Rice Vinegar in place of Mirin and forgot to add the sesame oil at the end because I got distracted by how good it already tasted.
Hi Morgan! Made me so happy reading this! Would actually be a good idea to use thick rice noodles too to go with the sauce! Glad you liked it ◡̈ thanks for leaving a review as well.
Love love this delicious tofu recipe!! What brand of peeler do you use for tofu?
This one was actually my aunt’s so I’m not sure what the brand is. But the peeler I have at home that I always use is from Oxo ◡̈
And thank you, happy you liked it Terri! ◡̈
I just cubed the tofu rather than peeling it and cooked it on the stove. It was delicious. Unfortunately no leftovers as we ate it all! Great recipe!!
Yaaaay, happy to hear it turned out great. Thanks Judy 🙂
This was delicious and a bit different, the peeler idea is great, really liked how the tofu was a bit crunchy but then soaked up all the sauce. I used red capsicums, carrot & broccoli and served with jasmine rice. thanks
Hey Pauline, hope you enjoyed your tofu! Thanks for giving it a try 🙂
Loved the flavor and look of this dish! I used super firm tofu and used the large grate on my box grater. The thinner pieces were a little too chewy, next time won’t air fry as long. Topped with a little bit of hoison sauce and chili garlic sauce, delicious!! Will definitely make again.
Thanks Cindy! 🙂