This ginger garlic bok choy with crisp tofu is full of flavour and is a very easy dinner or lunch recipe when you’re pressed for time.
Tofu
Tofu is a great source of plant protein for people following a vegetarian or plant based diet. However, many people don’t like the taste of tofu. In my opinion, tofu is best when it has been fried and it is crispy. You only need a non-stick frying pan and a bit of oil to do this. Then you can season it with any herb or spice you prefer or add it to a meal unseasoned like we did here.
Boy Choy
Bok choy, also known as pak choy or pok choi, is a type of Chinese cabbage, that has smooth, wide, flat leaf blades at one end with the other end forming a cluster similar to that of celery. May be eaten cooked or raw.
I use a stainless steam vegetable steamer ‘basket’. I put a small amount of hot water into a large pot, bring it to a boil and then add the steamer. The great thing about steaming vegetables is that it is pretty fast and you can control how cooked the vegetables become. I like mine on the crispy side so it inly takes a few minutes.
The sauce
The sauce is really simple and requires only a few ingredients:
- Soy sauce (you can use tamari or liquid aminos)
- Liquid sweetener (I used agave syrup but you can use maple syrup)
- Fresh ginger and garlic which is a fragrant and delicious combination
- Tapioca starch which will thicken up the sauce and achieves a nice consistency.
Made this recipe?
Did you make this ginger garlic bok choy recipe? Let me know.
Garlic Ginger Bok Choy with Crispy Tofu
Ingredients
- 2 cups Jasmine rice
- 1/3 cup Oil (I used rice bran)
- 500 grams Firm tofu (cut into small cubes)
- 1 head Bok choy
- ⅓ cup Soy sauce
- 4 Tbsp Agave syrup
- 2 inches Fresh ginger (peeled and minced)
- 4 cloves Garlic (minced)
- 1/2 tsp Chili flakes (*optional)
- 1 Tbsp Hemp seeds
Instructions
- First start by making the rice. Everyone has a different method for making rice so I will leave this up to you.
- Add the oil to a large non-stick frying pan and heat on medium-high heat. After 1-2 minutes the pan should be hot and you can add the tofu cubes. Fry the tofu cubes until they turn golden, make sure to stir often so that all the sides are crispy. Once the tofu is done, take it out of the frying pan and drain some of the excess oil if it's too much.
- While the tofu is cooking, you can steam the bok choy. I use a stainless steam vegetable steamer 'basket'. I put a small amount of hot water into a large pot, bring it to a boil and then add the steamer. Steam the bok choy for 3-4 minutes.
- Make the sauce by adding the soy sauce, agave syrup and ginger to a small bowl and mixing it well. Set this aside for now.
- In a different bowl add the tapioca starch with 2-3 Tbsp of water. Mix well. This will be used to thicken up the sauce and achieve a nice consistency.
- Add the garlic and chilli flakes to the same frying pan and stir for about a minute. Next, add the steamed bok choy, the tofu and the soy sauce mixture. Stirl well.
- Then add the water + tapioca starch mix and stir. Allow the sauce to bubble up and thicken and then turn off the heat. Serve with jasmine rice and top with additional hemp seeds and chilli flakes (but this is optional of course).
