This is a simple yet delicious home-style stir-fried tofu.

Stir-frying is perhaps the most common cooking method in Chinese families — nearly every Chinese person knows how to. It typically calls for a round-bottomed iron wok, which allows for quick and even heat distribution. Stir-frying is also one of the fastest cooking methods, helping to retain a dish’s moisture, nutrition, and original flavor.

Almost anything can be stir-fried—and tofu is no exception. The best tofu for stir-frying is usually firm tofu or brined tofu. Soft tofu can be stir-fried too, but it tends to break apart easily. If you want your tofu to stay intact and have a pleasantly bouncy texture, the simplest solution is to pan-fry it first, like in today’s recipe.

🥢 How to stir fry a tofu:

Cut the tofu into small cubes or blocks. Pan-fry them in oil until they develop a golden crust that locks in moisture. This keeps the tofu from falling apart during the stir-fry.

In a clean wok, add a spoonful of oil and heat high. Add fermented black beans (douchi), crushed dried chili, and minced garlic. Stir-fry until fragrant.

Add the pan-fried tofu to the wok. Drizzle in a few drops of aromatic vinegar—as soon as the vinegar hits the pan and releases its scent, add a spoonful of soy sauce. Stir-fry to coat the tofu evenly in the savory sauce.

Add in sliced green peppers and stir-fry until they release their aroma. Then toss in sliced red onion and continue stir-frying for about 2 minutes—Don’t overcook it, or you’ll lose that natural sweetness and fragrance!

Just before serving, sprinkle with chopped spring onions.

Now it’s time to serve on able and enjoy happily!

🥢 Tips

One of the most common problems when stir-frying is food sticking to the pan—especially with protein-rich ingredients, which are more prone to sticking.

There are several ways to handle this:

Using more oil is one solution, but clearly not the healthiest.

Many people opt for non-stick pans, but let’s be honest—nothing beats the deep, irresistible flavor you get from a well-seasoned traditional iron wok.

So here’s a little trick we’d like to recommend:

Try using water instead of more oil to prevent sticking and burning.Just drizzle a bit of water along the edge of the wok—not directly onto the food—and it can do the trick.

Remember: don’t pour water straight onto the ingredients!