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napa cabbage stir fry with salt and pepper tofu, mushrooms, and red bell pepper in a bowl with chopsticks
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5 from 3 votes

Napa Cabbage Stir Fry with Salt and Pepper Tofu

Napa cabbage stir fry with crisp tofu, mushrooms, and bell pepper makes a light but satisfying, umami-filled weeknight dinner. I sometimes decide to make a double-batch of tofu for a bigger serving of protein — it's great either way.
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time15 minutes
Total Time30 minutes
Course: Beans + Lentils
Cuisine: American
Keyword: cabbage stir fry, napa cabbage stir fry, tofu cabbage stir fry
Calories: 251kcal
Author: Carolyn Gratzer Cope

Ingredients

  • 1 14- ounce 397-gram package extra-firm tofu
  • ¼ cup (32 grams) cornstarch
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 3 tablespoons (45 ml) safflower oil, divided
  • 1 red bell pepper thinly sliced
  • 8 ounces (227 grams) sliced cremini mushrooms
  • 1 small head napa cabbage 1 to 1 ½ pounds, very thinly sliced
  • 1 tablespoon (15 ml) low-sodium soy sauce
  • 1 tablespoon 15 mlseasoned rice vinegar
  • ½ cup chopped cilantro or scallions
  • Hot chili toasted sesame oil or sriracha optional

Instructions

  • Dry tofu well between several layers of paper towels. Cut into approximate ½-inch cubes and dry again.
  • Place in a mixing bowl and sprinkle with cornstarch, salt and pepper. Toss gently to coat evenly.
  • Warm two tablespoons of the oil over medium-high heat in a 12-inch nonstick skillet or wok. Add tofu in a single layer and cook until golden brown on the bottom, then stir once in a while and continue cooking until most sides are golden. This will take about 10 minutes total. Slide tofu out onto a plate.
  • In the same pan, heat the remaining tablespoon oil.
  • Add bell pepper and mushrooms and cook for a few minutes, stirring only occasionally, until mushrooms have browned in spots and peppers are slightly tender, and any liquid released has cooked off.
  • Raise heat to high. Add cabbage, and cook, stirring, until crisp-tender and reduced in volume by about half, which will take only a couple of minutes.
  • Stir in soy sauce and vinegar.
  • Stir in reserved tofu and cilantro or scallions.
  • Serve with chili sesame oil or sriracha if you like.

Notes

  1. I like to use safflower oil, but any neutral-tasting oil with a high smoke point is fine. Other good choices include canola, peanut, and vegetable oil blend.
  2. Seasoned rice vinegar includes a bit of salt and sugar. You can substitute unseasoned rice vinegar along with a pinch of sugar if that's what you've got.
  3. For a low-carb, one-pot meal, you can serve this dish all by itself. I usually prefer to bulk it up with some brown basmati rice or quinoa.
  4. Depending on the liquid content of your cabbage, there may be some tasty liquid at the bottom of the pan. If this happens, you can remove the vegetables from the skillet with tongs or a strainer to avoid the liquid, go with the flow and serve it as-is, or remove the vegetables and then simmer the liquid down into a thicker sauce. (The cornstarch from the tofu will aid this process.)
  5. The tofu is at its best shortly after cooking, so I don't recommend going out of your way to make this recipe in advance. That said, leftovers keep well in an airtight container in the fridge for a week and can be reheated with a quick spin in the microwave.

Nutrition

Calories: 251kcal | Carbohydrates: 16.9g | Protein: 13g | Fat: 16.3g | Fiber: 2.1g