Stir-Fried Tofu and Escarole

By Martha Rose Shulman

Published October 22, 2014

  • Andrew Scrivani for The New York Times
Media 1 of 1
Total Time
6 minutes
Rating
4(93)
Comments
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This stir-fry has hot (red pepper flakes), sour (vinegar), sweet (honey) and bitter (escarole) elements. Escarole goes by a few names, including broad-leafed endive and Batavia endive. (In France it is just called Batavia). It tastes a lot like curly endive, though not quite as bitter. It looks a bit like a ruffled leaf lettuce, with tougher leaves. The inner leaves are lighter and more tender than the outer leaves, and they are great in salads. I add them later than the outer leaves to this stir-fry.

Featured in: The Pleasure of Bitter Greens

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Ingredients

Yield:Serves 4

  • One 14-ounce box firm tofu, drained and cut in ¼-inch thick, 2-inch by ¾-inch dominoes

  • 2 tablespoons soy sauce

  • 1 tablespoon cider vinegar or rice vinegar

  • 1 tablespoon honey, agave nectar, or raw brown sugar

  • ¼ cup vegetable stock, chicken stock or water

  • ¼ to ½ teaspoon salt (to taste)

  • 1 teaspoon cornstarch or arrowroot dissolved in 2 tablespoons vegetable stock or water

  • 2 tablespoons peanut, canola, rice bran, sunflower or grape seed oil

  • 2 to 3 teaspoons minced garlic

  • 2 to 3 teaspoons minced ginger

  • ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes or 1 minced serrano

  • 1 generous bunch escarole (1 to 1 ¼ pounds), leaves separated, washed and dried

  • 1 bunch scallions, white and green parts separated, chopped

Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)

16 grams carbs; 225 calories; 3 grams monosaturated fat; 6 grams polyunsaturated fat; 2 grams saturated fat; 11 grams fat; 8 grams fiber; 683 milligrams sodium; 21 grams protein; 5 grams sugar

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Drain and dry tofu slices on paper towels. In a small bowl or measuring cup combine soy sauce, vinegar, sweetener and stock or water. In another bowl or ramekin, dissolve cornstarch or arrowroot in stock or water.

  2. Step 2

    Separate dark outer escarole leaves from lighter inner leaves. Cut all of the leaves crosswise into 1-inch pieces and keep in separate containers. Have all ingredients within arm’s length of your pan.

  3. Step 3

    Heat a 14-inch flat-bottomed wok over high heat until a drop of water evaporates within a second or two when added to wok. Swirl in 1 tablespoon of oil by adding it to the sides of the wok and swirling the wok, then add tofu and stir-fry until lightly colored, about 2 minutes. Remove to a plate.

  4. Step 4

    Swirl in remaining oil, add garlic, ginger and chile flakes or minced chile, and stir-fry for no more than 10 seconds. Add dark escarole leaves and stir-fry for 1 minute, until wilted. Add salt, toss together and return tofu to the wok. Add inner escarole leaves, white part of the scallions, and soy sauce mixture. Stir-fry for 1 minute, until the inner leaves are crisp-tender, and add scallion greens and the cornstarch mixture. Stir just until lightly glazed and remove from heat. Serve with hot grains or noodles.

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Ratings

4 out of 5
93 user ratings
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Comments

Elena

I read 4 or 5 NYT recipes for various tofu and veggie dishes, & chose the best sounding riffs from each. I made the soy mix & cornstarch mix per this recipe, adding heaping spoonfuls of Thai red chile paste and hoisen sauce. I stirfried the tofu, removed it, added the garlic, ginger & a double handful of leaf lettuce. I removed all that and stirfried a chopped yellow pepper, tossed everything back in wok, added udon noodles and tossed til all ingreds were glazed, Delish!

Ken

I cooked this with fresh kale, since we had so much of it. I just let it wilt a couple of minutes longer. It came out very nice. I didn't have red pepper flakes, so I used ground cayenne pepper. Next time I make this, I will assure I have pepper flakes, because the dispursed heat of the cayenne somewhat overwhelmed the other flavors. It was still very good though. I will make this again.

A

This was pretty good. I doubled the sauce and added fish sauce to the mix because I had a tablespoon or two left and wanted to finish it. I would probably triple the sauce next time and maybe toss the tofu in cornstarch first. Maybe more ginger.

Annie J

Not bad! Seasoning might need some adjustments if you're more used to Asian flavors. This had good balance but wasn't quite the umami that I was used to.

Dana

Also could add basil, mint

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