Skip takeout tonight and make my delicious Crispy Tofu Stir Fry! Crunchy tofu, ramen noodles, and sautéed veggies are fried in a delicious sauce that is spicy, sweet, and full of umami flavor. I love making this recipe when I’m craving takeout, but still want a home-cooked meal with simple ingredients .

Because this is a homemade crispy tofu recipe, you’ll know exactly what goes into it and can customize the ingredients to your liking.

Ingredients Needed for This Recipe

• Firm or extra-firm tofu: I recommend using either firm or extra-firm tofu for this recipe as it holds its shape better when fried.
• Green onions: The base of the green onion salad, this adds a fresh and oniony flavor to the dish. 
• Rice vinegar:  You’ll need rice vinegar for both the green onion salad and the stir fry sauce. It adds a tangy and slightly sweet flavor. 
• Soy sauce: You can’t have a stir fry without soy sauce!  This gives the dish its umami flavor and adds a deep savory element. 
• Chili garlic sauce: You can find this in the international section of most grocery stores. This adds a nice kick of spice to the stir fry.
• Veggies: I used staple stir fry vegetables like white mushrooms and bell peppers to give this dish a balance of flavors and textures. 
• Ramen noodles: Ramen noodles add a nice chewy texture to this stir fry and are perfect for soaking up the flavorful sauce. 

If you don’t have rice vinegar on hand, you can substitute it with apple cider vinegar or white wine vinegar. Just note that the flavor might be slightly different.

There are all kinds of chili sauces you could use in place of chili garlic sauce. If you are sensitive to spice, try using sriracha or a sweet chili sauce instead.

I used mushrooms and bell peppers for the stir-fried veggies, but you could also use carrots, broccoli, or even snap peas instead.

If you can’t find ramen noodles, thin spaghetti noodles will taste just as good!

For the tofu, if you don’t have avocado oil, feel free to use your favorite high-smoke point oil. Canola or vegetable oil are both good options. You could even try using sesame oil for a deeper flavor profile.

How To Make Tofu Stir Fry

1. Press and Prep the Tofu: Be sure to give yourself an hour before you start cooking to press the tofu so it can release its moisture.
2. Make the Sauce & Salad: Towards the end of your wait, make the easy green onion salad and stir-fry sauce.
3. Cook the Noodles & Veggies: Cook the noodles to al dente, and saute the veggies over medium heat.
4. Pan-Fry the Tofu: Cut the tofu into 1-inch cubes and toss in cornstarch and salt. Then pan-fry the cubes on all 4 sides.
5. Combine Everything: Once the tofu has a nice crispy texture, you can add all the other ingredients together. Now it’s time to serve, and enjoy!

• Pressing the tofu is key for removing any excess moisture and getting it as crispy as possible. If you don’t have a tofu press, you may need to drain the water that builds up every 5-10 minutes while pressing. 
• The key to crispy, golden tofu is patience. Take your time while frying the tofu. Gently wiggle the tofu while it’s cooking; sometimes, it will stick to the pan. Don’t try to move it before it’s ready!
• Don’t overcook the noodles. Follow package instructions and cook them until just al dente so they don’t become mushy when added to the stir fry later on.

Serving Suggestions

Fried tofu stir fry is a whole meal in itself, but if you want to add a little something extra to really round out the meal, we’ve got you! 

For something fresh and flavorful, our  Sesame Soy Kale Salad and Ginger Pea Salad would be a wonderful pairing. This stir fry would also taste fantastic with my Quick Ramen Eggs or Pork Dumplings or Kung Pao Baked Chicken Meatballs for added protein.

​Store any leftover stir fried tofu in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. I like to reheat the tofu in the air fryer for a few minutes at 400°F to crisp it back up. The stir fry and noodles can be reheated until warm on the stovetop or in the microwave.

More Tofu Recipes To Try

I am on a quest this year to learn to make many of our favorite take out meals at home and this Kung Pao Chicken recipe hits the spot! This savory and spicy dish is full of flavor, easy to make and pretty healthy. This is seriously one of my favorite meals to make now—a family favorite!

Kung Pao Ji Ding, the original name, means Kung Pao diced chicken as the dish is made up of diced chicken, peanuts and chili peppers. I like to add bell pepper and serve with steamed rice. The traditional Chinese dish was created by Ding Baozhen who held the title of Kung Pao in the late Qing Dynasty. This version may have a few ingredients you need to seek out but it’s super easy for any home cook to make.

Related: Next up try our cashew chicken or orange chicken recipes.

Ingredients

• Chicken
• Cooking oil – canola, peanut or olive
• Bell pepper
• Garlic
• Ginger
• Dried red chilies
• Sichuan peppercorn powder
• Light soy sauce
• Dark soy sauce
• Chinese cooking wine
• Chinese black vinegar
• Brown sugar
• Cornstarch
• Water
• Sesame oil
• Peanuts
• Green onions – or scallions

How to make Kung Pao Chicken

First cut up the bell pepper, removing the stem and interior seeds. Mince the garlic and ginger. Cut the dried chilies in half and remove the seeds. Dice the chicken.

In a large skillet or wok heat the cooking oil and stir fry the bell pepper, garlic, ginger and dried chili pieces. for 2 minutes on medium / high heat. Remove to a bowl.

In the same skillet add a little more oil and cook the chicken until all pieces go from pink to white and the meat is cooked through. Use a meat thermometer to check the interior temperature reaches 160°F.

While the chicken is cooking make the sauce. First whisk together the water and cornstarch. Then stir in the sichuan peppercorn powder, soy sauces, cooking wine, vinegar and brown sugar. Stir until the sugar dissolves.

Once the chicken is cooked, add the vegetable mixture back into the pan. Drizzle on the sesame oil and cook together for a couple minutes until everything is hot. Then pour in the sauce as well as the peanuts and stir so everything gets coated. The sauce will begin to thicken up quickly. Turn the heat off and toss in the green onions. Serve warm on it’s own or with some steamed rice.

Tips and Substitutions

• I use boneless, skinless chicken breasts in this recipe most often. Other cuts of chicken will also work, but you want something you can easily cut into small cubes or pieces.
• Sichuan peppercorn powder is available online if you can’t find it in stores. You can also use whole peppercorns and crush them. I go fairly light with it in this recipe. If you want more spice, use more. If you aren’t sure stick to what I have listed here and you can always add more next time you make this.
• Sichuan pepper has a numbing effect which is pretty unique so there isn’t a great substitute if you can’t find this ingredient. I would use red pepper flakes instead to add spice, but it’s not quite the same thing although will still create a tasty dish.
• You can substitute Chinese cooking wine for Mirin or a dry cooking sherry if needed.
• Balsamic vinegar can be substituted for Chinese black vinegar in this recipe if needed.
• You can add more vegetables to this dish beyond the red bell pepper I use. Other additions could include broccoli, cabbage or mushrooms.

More Chinese and Asian Fusion Recipes

P.S. If you love Chinese and Asian-fusion recipes one cookbook I love is 168 Better Than Takeout Chinese Recipes by Mandy Fu.