Peanut-lime tofu and cabbage stir-fry
15 min · 20 g protein · 345 cals / serving
Golden cubes of tofu and a whole pan of crunchy cabbage, carrot, red pepper and sweet peas, tossed in a tangy peanut-lime sauce with ginger and garlic and finished with cilantro and lime. Cheap, bright and ready in 15 minutes with two pans going; it reheats well for lunch.
Ingredients
- 1 cup cooked frozen green peas, thawed in a sieve under the hot tap
Peanut-lime sauce
- 4 tbsp peanut butter, smooth, unsweetened
- 3 tbsp lime juice, from 2 limes
- 2 tbsp tamari, labelled gluten-free
- 2 tsp maple syrup
- 2 tsp ginger, finely grated
- 2 cloves garlic, finely grated
- 1 tsp sriracha hot sauce, or chili garlic sauce
- 1/4 cup water, hot
- 1 block (14 oz) prepared extra firm tofu, blotted well, in 2 cm (3/4-inch) cubes
- 1 tbsp cornstarch
- 1 tbsp canola oil, divided
- 2 bags (14 oz each) coleslaw mix cabbage, the cabbage and carrot together (or 9 cups shredded cabbage plus 1 1/2 cups carrot matchsticks)
- (in the coleslaw mix) carrot, or 1 1/2 cups matchsticks if you shred your own cabbage
- 1 medium red bell pepper, thinly sliced
- 4 green onions, sliced, whites and greens apart
To serve
- 1/3 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
Steps
- Tip the peas into a sieve and run the hot tap over them while you whisk the peanut butter, lime juice, tamari, maple syrup, ginger, garlic, sriracha and hot water in a bowl until smooth.
- Toss the tofu cubes with the cornstarch. Heat 2 teaspoons of the oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat and fry the tofu 6–7 minutes, turning, until golden on most sides.
- At the same time, heat the last teaspoon of oil in a wok or second large pan over high heat and stir-fry the coleslaw mix, red pepper, peas and the white parts of the green onion for 4–5 minutes, until the cabbage wilts at the edges but still crunches (in a carbon-steel wok, add a splash of water if it catches).
- Tip the tofu into the vegetables, pour in the sauce and toss for 1 minute until everything is glossy. Take the pan off the heat and stir in the green onion tops.
- Serve scattered with cilantro, with lime wedges if you have them. It keeps 3 days in the fridge; reheat in a pan or the microwave until steaming.
Good to know
Can I make it milder for children?
Leave the sriracha out of the sauce and put chili sauce on the table instead; the peanut-lime sauce is sweet and tangy without it.
Can I use powdered peanut butter?
Yes: 1/3 cup of powdered peanut butter whisked into the sauce, plus a spoon more water, makes a lighter sauce at about 71 instead of 61. It is a little less rich.
What do I serve it with?
It is a full meal of vegetables and protein; rice or rice noodles make it a bigger dinner and stay gluten-free. Chopped roasted peanuts on top add crunch.
Per
- Calories
- 86
- Protein
- (23%)
- 5 g
- Fat
- (44%)
- 4 g
- Carbohydrates
- (33%)
- 8 g
- of which sugar
- 4 g
- Fiber
- 2 g
- Sodium
- 166 mg
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Computed from the ingredients with our published formula, not yet kitchen-tested. How
As written, 1379 kcal goes into the pot and 1810 g of ingredients comes out as about 1595 g of food: 86 kcal per 100 g. Cooking moves water and energy density is the score's biggest lever, so the dish is scored as cooked, not as an average of its parts. Every ingredient links to its food page, with the same data and score. The label's percentages are each macronutrient's share of the calories. The full formula.