Sweet and Spicy Tofu with Green Beans

Once I started cooking with tofu I asked the ladies on my cooking board for some recipe recommendations. My friend Mary Ellen listed this Sweet and Spicy Tofu with Green Beans as one of her favorites.

I had a few mishaps making this, mainly mistaking the oyster sauce in the fridge for hoisin sauce. No biggie, I just used the oyster sauce. Stir fries are so forgiving. I also ran out of sherry, so I used rice wine vinegar to make up the difference. I was running late getting dinner on the table and the sauce was taking forever to thicken, so I made a slurry with cornstarch and some water and mixed that in to thicken the sauce quickly. I love cornstarch in stir fries - it makes the sauce so velvety and sooth.


I doubled the recipe so we'd have leftovers for lunch. And speaking of leftovers, I had half an avocado in the fridge from earlier in the week. I've seen a few Asian dishes with avocado so I thought I'd dice it up and throw it in with my leftovers. All I can say is WOW. I added an avocado to the ingredient list as optional but I HIGHLY recommend adding it in if you love avocado. Not only did it help temper the spice from the sriracha, the creamy texture was a great compliment to the crispy green beans and water chestnuts.

I'm really loving cooking with tofu and this dish was no exception. A delicious, spicy sauce and healthy to boot. Win-win!

Sweet and Spicy Tofu with Green Beans
As seen on Mary Ellen's Cooking Creations

1 block of extra-firm tofu, drained and pressed and cut into 1 inch pieces
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon sesame oil
2 tablespoons hoisin (or oyster sauce)
1 1/2 tablespoons brown sugar
3 tablespoons light soy sauce
3 tablespoons dry cooking sherry (or rice wine vinegar)
2 teaspoons chili garlic paste (sriracha)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 lb green beans, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
1/2 small onion, sliced
1/2 can water chestnuts, sliced
1/2 cup chicken or vegetable broth
1 tablespoon cornstarch mixed with 2 tablespoons water
1/2 avocado, diced (optional)

Heat olive oil and sesame oil in a large saute pan or wok. Add tofu; cook until browned on all sides, about 12 minutes. Remove to a plate lined with paper towels.

Add garlic and onions to the wok, saute 1-2 minutes. Add water chestnuts and green beans, saute 1-2 minutes.

Mix hoisin, brown sugar, soy sauce, sherry, chili garlic paste, and broth. Add to the pan and bring to a simmer. Return tofu to the pan; let cook a few minutes. Reduce heat and add the cornstarch mixed with water. Let simmer to thicken.

Serve over rice or noodles topped with diced avocado, if desired.