Beef, Asparagus and Tofu Stir-Fry
Updated May 19, 2026
David Malosh for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Hadas Smirnoff.
- Ready In
- 30 min
- Rating
- Comments
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Ingredients
2 tablespoons oyster sauce
2 tablespoons low-sodium chicken broth
1 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce
1 teaspoon distilled white vinegar
1 teaspoon turbinado or granulated sugar
¼ teaspoon toasted sesame oil
1 teaspoon cornstarch
2 tablespoons safflower, sunflower or other neutral oil
8 ounces ground beef (80 percent lean)
4 scallions, thinly sliced (½ cup), plus more for garnish
Salt and pepper
8 ounces firm tofu, crumbled and patted dry with paper towels (1½ cups)
12 ounces asparagus, trimmed and sliced into ½-inch pieces
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon minced peeled ginger
Warm rice and hot sauce (optional), for serving
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)
15 grams carbs; 40 milligrams cholesterol; 356 calories; 11 grams monosaturated fat; 5 grams polyunsaturated fat; 6 grams saturated fat; 24 grams fat; 1 gram trans fat; 4 grams fiber; 589 milligrams sodium; 23 grams protein; 3 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
- Step 1
In a small bowl, combine oyster sauce, broth, soy sauce, vinegar, sugar and sesame oil. Add cornstarch and whisk until smooth.
- Step 2
In a 12-inch nonstick skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of the neutral oil over medium-high. Add beef and ¼ cup of the scallions, season with salt and pepper and cook, stirring and breaking up the meat, until browned, about 3 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer beef mixture to a plate, leaving any oil behind.
- Step 3
Add the remaining 1 tablespoon neutral oil and tofu to the skillet, season with salt and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until tofu is dry and golden, about 5 minutes. Add asparagus, garlic and ginger and cook, stirring occasionally, until asparagus is crisp-tender, about 2 minutes. Add beef (and any accumulated juices) and oyster sauce mixture and stir until sauce is absorbed, about 1 minute. Stir in the remaining ¼ cup scallions.
- Step 4
Transfer to a serving dish and garnish with scallions. Serve warm with rice and hot sauce on the side, if using.
Private Notes
Comments
I made this dish according to the recipe and it was very tasty. I will definitely make this again. My only substitution was avocado oil for safflower oil because that's what I had. I love that it stretches ground beef, especially with current prices. It is a perfect recipe to use the abundance of asparagus in the spring.
Excellent recipe, but I had to double to feed 4.
@S Woo It can, but it doesn’t always. Recipes like this can help reduce dependency on animal protein for those not ready to give it up. And they can just be tasty recipes.
I think there was an insufficient quantity of sauce made from the recipe as is
I followed the recommendation in the Most Helpful comments of pre-baking the tofu (cut into 1/2" size pieces) with some oil and cornstarch, adding it at the end of the stirfry process. This was a delicious meal--the prep of all the items does take longer than 1/2 hour. More like an hour for prepping the items and then 15-30 minutes for the actual stir-fry. Will make this again.
This was delicious! Served over ramen. My only complaint is now I have thawed half a pound of beef and drained half a block of tofu so it would probably have been better to have just doubled the entire meal. Also the tofu stuck to my stainless steel pan so I’ll have to figure that out.