Tofu and Bok Choy With Ginger-Tahini Sauce
- Total Time
- 20 minutes
- Rating
- Notes
- Read community notes
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Ingredients
Yield:4 servings
- 1pound baby bok choy, quartered lengthwise through the core
- Kosher salt and black pepper
- 1(14- to 16-ounce) package soft (not silken) tofu, drained and cut into 4 equal squares
- 6tablespoons tahini
- ¼cup low-sodium soy sauce
- 3tablespoons distilled white vinegar
- 1teaspoon minced ginger
- ¼teaspoon minced garlic
- ¼cup chopped scallions (from about 1 scallion), plus more for garnish
- ¼cup chopped cilantro, plus more for garnish
- Toasted white sesame seeds, for garnish
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)
251 calories; 17 grams fat; 3 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 6 grams monounsaturated fat; 7 grams polyunsaturated fat; 14 grams carbohydrates; 5 grams dietary fiber; 3 grams sugars; 16 grams protein; 647 milligrams sodium
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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- Step 1
In a large skillet with a lid, arrange bok choy in an even layer to cover the bottom of the pan, and season with salt and pepper. Nestle the tofu pieces on top of or in between the bok choy, depending on the depth of your pan. Add ½ cup of water to the skillet and bring to a boil over high heat. Cover securely to prevent steam from escaping, reduce heat to medium and steam until bok choy is tender and tofu is warm throughout, about 10 minutes.
- Step 2
Meanwhile, in a small bowl combine tahini, soy sauce, vinegar, ginger, garlic, scallions, cilantro and 1 tablespoon of water. Whisk until well blended, and season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Step 3
Using a spatula or large slotted spoon, transfer bok choy and tofu to 4 serving plates. (Discard any remaining water in the skillet.) Spoon some of the sauce over the tofu and garnish with scallions, cilantro and sesame seeds. Serve warm.
Private Notes
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Cooking Notes
YokoY
Alternatively: a simple miso sauce, made with mellow white miso (the least salty miso), sake, and, if you have it, mirin. (I usually skip the mirin + it turns out fine.) Most recipes for this sauce include sugar, but I prefer agave... sparingly. On top: sprinkle the toasted sesame seeds + chopped scallions (ciliantro only if you love it). This sauce is more typically for broiled Asian eggplant or black cod—both extremely good. But it also works with vegetables + tofu. Itadakimasu!
Andrea
This was tasty, light, yet filling. For ease of eating, I’d suggest peeling the individual leaves off the head of bok choy and cooking them that way; I found the quartered head a bit cumbersome to maneuver on my dinner plate. Next time, I may try to make the delectable dressing in a small food processor instead of whisking, which would also save the work of mincing the garlic and ginger.
Sue
Shaved brussels sprouts in place of the bok choy, which I don't have. A perfect healthy restorative supper after the heaviness of Thanksgiving.
mae
I made with firm tofu because I had two packages I needed to use. Followed the recipe but added more cilantro and scallions to sauce which was delicious. In the end I made the larger squares of tofu into cubes after they cooked then added some of the sauce to the pan and served rest on side. The sauce really made it!
Pearl
The residual water from cleaning the bok choy is plenty. Omit the 1/2 cup, or the greens will be swimming, and limp.
JC
Made the sauce in a mini food processor. Absolutely fabulous! Don't omit the cilantro, it adds a depth of flavor. My husband isn't a fan of cilantro, and he didn't notice it.
Florence
Just made this, followed the recipe but because we didn'thave tahini, used peanut butter, added more cilantro and spring onion in the sauce mix, and had it with rice cooked with miso. It was delicious! Will reduce the soy sauce next time.
Brocklehurst
I was a bit skeptical about this recipe but it was actually so good! So happy to finally find a simple and tasty tofu recipe. There is no soft tofu where I live, only firm -- which I used and it worked fine. Don't skimp on the bok choy.
Karen
This was delicious! Definitely omit the extra water - the water from the bok choy is plenty to steam. I would also process the sauce with heated water to mellow the garlic. Lastly it would be helpful to note that the sauce may coagulate a bit if warmed in the pot. I wanted to thoroughly mix the sauce with the bok choy but I didn’t expect it to separate - not sure why it did that. Still tasted delicious but looked a bit gross!
Katherine
Made this with Napa cabbage and it was delicious. Serve either w the tahini sauce or with chili crunch!
Claire!
The bok choy will release water so don’t add more than the recipe calls for, like I did. I found the sauce benefitted from lime, sesame oil, and red pepper flakes, as well as miso as another commenter mentioned. Ditto food processor for sauce ingredients. Yum!
Peg
If I had read more thoughtfully I would have just steamed the bok choy and tofu without the water. ("soupy mess" as one commenter noted. Indeed!) Altogether too bland except for the redemption of pretty good sauce. There are better things to do with all of these ingredients and I wonder if NYT really tested it before printing as it seems below their usual standards.
lynn Arsanis
This sauce was exceptionally delicious that I made for bok choy because I didn’t have tofu but will next time. Finally a great Asian sauce!
Meg
I used firm tofu, and it worked well. I also added some quartered and halved baby bella mushrooms, mostly because I needed to use them up, but they added depth. I increased the ginger and garlic quite a bit and used rice wine vinegar instead of distilled. I served it over soba noodles and added a squeeze of lime to the garnish. Yum!
Leyla
This was surprisingly awesome. And super easy to make for lunch while working from home.
Adam
Absolutely delicious exactly as written. But I use 12 oz of bok choy and make this for 2. An awesome, easy, light summer meal.
MagpieJen
The dish tasted diluted because of the remaining water on the vegetables and tofu. I'll try a bamboo steamer (or crumpled foil) next time. The sauce was salty enough with half of the soy sauce but I also used less vinegar, increased the ginger and added a couple of tablespoons of mirin and shiro miso. Delicious sauce. I used it on steamed broccoli later in the week.
Margaret
The tofu and Bok Choy cooked this way was really good. The sauce didn't taste good though, which was a disappointment since all the components seemed good. It was bitter and too salty. If I try it again, I'll reduce the soy sauce and maybe try the miso idea to see if that helps. I'd like to make it again, but need a different sauce or a way to make this one better. Just not sure I want to try again.
Shelley
Good, could reduce tahini sauce
Juls
Did not care for this recipe, maybe I ‘m not a tahini fan. It can taste cloying to me if too much is used. My bok choy overcooked & ended up a limp mess. It is in dire need of crispy chili oil which saved the dish for us.
Cheryl
I tried this sauce - it was too thick to pour and got clumpy. Flavor ok though.
Sarah G.
This was absolutely delish!! For such an easy and simple meal, it had such bright and bold flavors. The nutty-ness of the tahini and the punch from the ginger were just great together. Especially considering how quick it was to make, this will definitely become a regular for me.
grasshopper
I thought that I like everything with Tahini. I was wrong. The combination with the vinegar made the sauce entirely unpleasant to my palate - I suspected that I had added too much, bot no. 3 tbsp. I tried several rescue attempts with lemon, pepper to no avail. I is edible but certainly not enjoyable. Maybe miso instead of tahini will work better.
Kent H
We modified the sauce and made it with 1-part shiro miso, 3-parts tahini, grated ginger, cilantro, rice wine vinegar to taste, light soy sauce to taste, and water to the desired consistency. Also recommend using baby bok choi as it’s less chewy. We may try in steamer baskets with separate layers for the bok choi and the tofu.
Kent H
We modified the sauce: 3-parts tahini, 1-part shiro miso, ginger, chopped cilantro, light soy sauce to taste, and water to the desired consistency. Next time we’ll try with baby bok choi. We may try in separate steamer baskets for the bok choi and the tofu.
Nicky M
This has become a weekly staple in our house. Love the sauce. Definitely could use less water in steaming, or skip steaming and just stir fry as well. We've done both, and both works well. It's a quick meal which is perfect on the busy weeknights. We also toss with a packet of quinoa/brown rice at the end which is a nice additional. If we have a red bell pepper, we'll throw that in as well. Simply delightful dish.
Jeanine
I was excited to make this because in the comments people love it. I made it as written with additions per notes. Very disappointed.
CP
Cooked exactly as written. A good, quick, easy vegetarian meal with a side of rice added. The sauce is DELICIOUS!
angela
I wanted to like the simple dish, but it was disappointingly bland with all similar soft textures. Stir fried version would be so much better. Agree that sesame oil is badly needed.
Ellie J
We had all the ingredients on hand. Quick and tasty.
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