Tofu Basil Fried Rice
with oven-steamed bok choy
Tossing tofu in corn starch gives it a light coating that makes it nice and golden when stir-fried. Finished with some basil leaves, this fried rice becomes fragrant and something super special. You'll also love how easy it is to make this bok choy side
Ingredients
- White / brown rice - 1 3/4 cups
- Tofu, extra-firm (vacuum-packed preferable) - 1 lb, cubed
- Corn starch - 2 Tbsp
- Cooking oil - 1 Tbsp + 1 Tbsp + 1 tsp
- Soy sauce, low-sodium - 1 Tbsp + 1 Tbsp
- Eggs - 2 to 4, whisked
- White pepper - 1 tsp
- Sweetener - 1/4 tsp
- Basil - 2 to 3 sprigs, leaves
- Bok choy - 1 lb, halved ((baby bok choy is fine))
- Soy sauce, low-sodium - 2 Tbsp
- Rice vinegar - 1/2 Tbsp
- Water - 1/4 cup
Nutrition Facts
Prep
- Rice - Ideally, you're using leftover rice made on prep day or Monday's dinner. If not, cook rice with a 2:1 water to rice ratio. Bring to a boil, then simmer until rice has absorbed all liquid (20 to 25 min. for white rice; 45 to 50 for brown)
- Tofu - Chop into cubes
- Bok choy - Slice in half and then wash and dry
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Make
- Preheat oven to 500F (260C) degrees
- Pour 2 tbs. (30 ml) soy sauce, 1/2 tbs. (7 ml) rice vinegar, and 1/4 cup (59 ml) of water into a rectangular baking dish. Place bok choy cut-side down. Seal tightly with foil and then roast for 12 to 15 minutes. Bok choy will be softened but still crunchy
- Toss tofu with corn starch and leftover rice from Monday with 1 tbs. (15 ml) cooking oil
- Heat a wok over medium-high heat. Add in 1 tbs. (15 ml) oil and then tofu. Toss and cook until golden. Add in 1 tbs. (15 ml) soy sauce and as much ground pepper as you like. Cook for another minute and set aside
- Whisk eggs with a pinch of salt and a few turns of ground pepper
- Return wok to medium-high heat. Add in 1 tsp. (5 ml) oil and then add eggs. Scramble with a wooden spoon
- When eggs are lightly scrambled, push them aside and add in rice, 1 tbs. (15 ml) soy sauce, white pepper, and sweetener. Toss until all ingredients are warmed through and then add in basil leaves and tofu. Toss for another minute and then season to taste with more soy sauce and white pepper
Nutrition Facts
Reviews
Ratings
7 reviews
Not impressed with the bok choy but the rice was good. I did not combine the tofu and rice in step 3 - I just tossed both with oil separately. Excited for leftovers.
0 HelpfulMy first time cooking with tofu -- turned out quite nicely! I cut the tofu into tiny cubes to give more surface area for cornstarch and browning, and let it sit in the pan for a long time without stirring to really crisp it up. Thanks to the reviewer below who clarified not to add the rice to the stir fry until step 6 or 7. Don't let the bok choy sit in the foil while you finish the stir fry! It loses all crunch.
0 HelpfulWhile I really liked the flavors, and this marked the first time I've ever used bok choy (a veggie which autocorrect apparently avoids - "boo chou") , I found this recipe difficult to follow. I ended up doing the same thing the reviewer named Sidney did - but I didn't understand the mistake made until I got into the cooking as well. Step #3 states: Toss tofu with corn starch and leftover rice from Monday with 1 tbs. cooking oil. BUT What I think it means is: a) Toss tofu with corn starch. b) Toss leftover rice from Monday with 1 tbs cooking oil. Forget that "and" - it doesn't belong and should not have been invited to the party to begin with. So, with rice stuck to the tofu, it never got to be a nice golden color. The rice and tofu shouldn't get mixed together until step #7, which is also when you apparently add the eggs back in but it forgets to mention that. Also, I wasn't told how to serve the bok choy, so my husband ended up chopping it up into strips and smacking it onto our rice/tofu mix. This is the only recipe I've found from Cook Smarts that hurt my puzzler. And, despite all that, the taste was great.... a little too peppery for the kiddos (they guzzled milk) but still a winner. I'll just have to cook it the right way next time.
0 HelpfulThis was so tasty! Loved it and have leftovers for lunches. I didn't make the bok choy, instead I roasted some green beans.
0 Helpfuli coked the tofu and rice together the whole time, over-peppered it and over-cooked the bok choy. but with so many mistakes it was still pretty good! room for improvement on my side though! the bok choy flavor was especially delicious.
0 Helpful