This Vegetable Tofu Stir Fry with “special sauce” is easy to make, incredibly flavorful and highly satisfying.
But before you get cooking, I just wanted to say a few words about the unpasteurized soy sauce called for in the recipe. This is an ingredient you may not be familiar with…
How to Make the Best Tofu Stir Fry
There are three obvious ingredients that must be done well in order to make the best tofu stir fry. #1: You must use a clean and healthful soy sauce. I’m sure you know by now that not all soy sauces are the same. #2, we need to talk about tofu. Lastly, we’re going to take just a few minutes to talk about rice!
A Clean Tofu Stir Fry Calls for the Cleanest Soy Sauce
Without a doubt, the vegetable tofu stir fry recipe will taste better if you use the highest quality soy sauce. And Ohsawa Nama Shoyu is definitely the highest quality bar none. Plus, it’s gluten free.
Very unlike conventional soy sauce, organic Ohsawa Nama Shoyu is a raw, unpasteurized, enzyme and probiotic-rich fresh and alive sauce. The spring water used to make this special sauce comes from a small Japanese mountain village called Kamiizumisui (“God Spring”). Ohsawa Nama Shoyu is used exclusively by raw, macrobiotic and vegan chefs alike. In other words, you know it has to be good stuff. If you have our Clean Cuisine book, you also know this is a staple clean food ingredient in our kitchen.
Where to Buy Ohsawa Nama Shoyu
Ohsawa Namu Shoyu is an incredibly healthful condiment. It delivers an exceptional full-bodied umami quality to recipes that simply cannot be replicated by any other ingredient. You just can’t substitute the 64-ounce containers of soy sauce they sell at Costco and get the same results.
Unfortunately, Ohsawa Namu Shoyu is not found in regular grocery stores, so you’ll need to either buy it at a health food store or online at Amazon or Thrive Market (If you have not yet heard of Thrive, think Costco meets Whole Foods online.)
Nama Shoyu Substitute
If you’re having a hard time finding Namu Shoyu, the next best thing is coconut aminos. We particularly love the one made by Bragg’s. It is non-GMO and made from all purpose natural and organic soy-free seasonings. It’s a delicious option to replace the traditional soy sauce flavor.
What About the Tofu for the Tofu Stir Fry?
I know a lot of people are totally freaked out about soy these days. In our first book, we addressed soy in great detail over a decade ago. We presented high quality research from human studies (not mice!) detailing numerous health benefits associated with consuming unrefined “whole” soy, which includes tofu. We also discussed the pitfalls of refined soy. Such as soy protein isolate, soybean oil, etc. But if you do not have our book, be sure to read this article on soy by Mark Hyman, M.D.
Choosing Organic Tofu
We don’t eat ten servings of soy a day and we don’t eat refined soy products of any sort. So, the only thing we have to worry about when buying the tofu for our tofu and vegetable stir fry recipe are the dreaded GMOs. Although buying organic should in theory be a foolproof way of avoiding GMOs, sadly, this is not always the case. But looking for the Non GMO Project Verified stamp of approval (see stamp above) on the tofu you buy is one way you can be sure to avoid GMOs in your “whole” soy foods.
Nasoya Organics is one high-quality tofu brand that is Non GMO Project Verified. Nasoya products are widely available nationwide, so you should be able to track it down pretty easily.
Consider Black or Brown Rice with your Tofu Stir Fry
So, what rice are you going to use for your Tofu Stir Fry? You definitely want to use whole grain rice, but I prefer short grain brown rice or black rice for this recipe. The health benefits of brown and black rice far outweigh that of white rice. Plus, white rice is on our list of the 4 Worst Carbs you can eat.
Kitchen Favorites
Vegetable Tofu Stir Fry
Vegetable Tofu Stir Fry has umami “special sauce” that is easy to make. Tofu Stir Fry has incredibly flavorful and very satisfying.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 4 1x
Ingredients
- 1 – 14-ounce organic, extra-firm tofu, drained, patted dry and cut into cubes
- 3 tablespoons gluten free soy sauce, divided
- 1 tablespoon raw honey
- 4 tablespoons fresh lime juice, divided
- 2 tablespoons raw apple cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon
- 1 teaspoon unrefined sesame seed oil
- 1/2 cup
- 2 tablespoons
- 1 medium red onion, quartered and sliced thin
- 3 cups shredded carrots
- 1 pound snow peas, stem removed
- 2 tablespoons scallions, minced
- 1 tablespoon garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon fresh ginger root, minced
- Sesame seeds, for garnish
- Steamed black or brown rice (3/4 cup per person)
Instructions
- In a medium sized bowl, whisk together 2 tablespoons of the unpasteurized soy sauce, honey and 3 tablespoons of the lime juice. Add the tofu to the bowl, toss to coat and marinate for 10 to 15 minutes.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the remaining tablespoon of unpasteurized soy sauce, remaining tablespoon of lime juice, apple cider vinegar, sugar and sesame oil. Set “special sauce” aside.
- Remove tofu from the marinade and coat lightly in flour. Heat one tablespoon of the coconut oil in a large wok (or skillet) over medium-high heat; add the spelt-coated tofu and sear 1 to 2 minutes per side, until golden. Remove the tofu from the skillet with a slotted spoon and transfer to paper towels.
- Add another tablespoon of coconut oil to the wok (or skillet) and heat over medium-high. Add the onions and stir fry for 2 minutes. Add the shredded carrots and stir fry for another minute. Add the snow peas and stir fry for one minute. Clear the center of the wok (or skillet) by pushing the vegetables off to the side; add the scallions, garlic and ginger and drizzle with the remaining 1/2 teaspoon of coconut oil. Mash the scallions, garlic and ginger with the back of a spatula and cook for 30 seconds. Remove the wok (or skillet) from the heat and stir scallions, garlic and ginger mixture in with the vegetables.
- Return the wok (or skillet) to the heat, add the cooked tofu and “special sauce”; gently toss ingredients together until vegetables are well-coated. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and serve with steamed black or brown rice.
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Notes
Ohsawa Organic Nama Shoyu is an unpasteurized soy sauce, known as kijoyu in Japan, and can be found in natural food stores or online at Thrive Market or Amazon.
P.S. Looking for More Healthy Dinner Recipes?
If you liked the vegetable tofu stir fry recipe, be sure to check out a full month’s menu of delicious healthy dinner recipes (including weekly shopping lists!) in our Clean Cuisine Dinners digital cookbook.
