Jackfruit Tacos
Ligaya Mishan, Aimee Nezhukumatathil
35 ratings with an average rating of 3 out of 5 stars
35
1 3/4 hours
Black Pepper Stir-Fried Tofu and Asparagus
- Total Time
- 20 minutes
- Rating
- Notes
- Read community notes
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Ingredients
Yield:4 servings
- 6tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
- 2tablespoons turbinado or light brown sugar
- 1teaspoon Worcestershire sauce or a vegan alternative
- 1teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more for seasoning
- 1pound firm tofu, cut into ½-inch cubes
- Kosher salt
- 2tablespoons neutral oil, such as safflower or canola
- 1large shallot, finely chopped
- 3garlic cloves, minced
- 1tablespoon minced peeled ginger
- 1pound pencil-thin asparagus, woody ends trimmed, cut into thirds
- 4ounces snap peas, thinly sliced on the diagonal
- 2scallions, thinly sliced
- ¼cup coarsely chopped cilantro
- Steamed short-grain brown or white rice, for serving
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)
288 calories; 13 grams fat; 2 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 3 grams monounsaturated fat; 8 grams polyunsaturated fat; 23 grams carbohydrates; 7 grams dietary fiber; 10 grams sugars; 27 grams protein; 811 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 small bowl, combine soy sauce, sugar, Worcestershire sauce, 1 teaspoon black pepper and 2 tablespoons of water. In a large nonstick skillet, combine tofu and half of the black pepper sauce, and season with salt. Bring to a simmer over medium heat and cook, stirring occasionally, until sauce has thickened and nicely coats the tofu, about 5 minutes. Slide glazed tofu and any sauce out onto a rimmed plate.
- Step 2
Wipe or rinse out the skillet and heat oil over medium. Add shallot and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, 2 minutes. Add garlic and ginger, and stir until fragrant, 30 seconds. Add asparagus and snap peas, season with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring occasionally, until crisp-tender, 4 to 5 minutes. Add scallions, the remaining black pepper sauce and the tofu, and cook, stirring, until vegetables are evenly coated in the sauce. Stir in cilantro, and season to taste with salt and pepper.
- Step 3
Divide tofu and vegetables among plates and spoon over any remaining pan sauce. Serve with rice.
Private Notes
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Cooking Notes
Barbara
I don't like having to clean out a pan in mid-cooking. I always stir-fry first, remove the vegetables so that they remain crisp-tender, then add the sauce and tofu for a recipe like this. I also omit extra salt. The soy and Worchestershire have plenty. I made a variation on this dish (different vegetables) earlier this week. I used a teaspoon of sugar and maybe a teaspoon of oil and finished the dish with a dash of sesame oil and toasted sesame seeds.
Amy
I soaked the tofu cubes in the black sauce in the frig for 30 mins, then air fried them at 400 for 7 mins; added to the veggies in the sauce pan at the end at it was delicious!!
Alicia
I was 2 years ago old when I realized that it is sooo much easier to slice a cube of tofu twice horizontally and brown three stable planks than it is to brown a panful of delicate 1/2" cubes. Can't wait to try this recipe.
Francesca
I made this for dinner tonight and served it with white rice. It was definitely a hit. I omitted the extra salt and am glad I did - the dish was salty enough. (Might consider decreasing the soy sauce by 1 Tbsp next time). I also didn't have snap peas so used asparagus only. It made a very satisfying meal. I will be adding it to our regular rotation!
Patricia P
I would reduce sugar and use hoisin. I usually ignore or replace sugar in recipes. That is my preference.
Sheila Pulver
I loathe tofu so I substituted shrimp to make this a one-pot meal.
Tom
I have a few suggestions for this recipe. 1) Double the amount of sauce. 2) Use 1 1/2 tsp of black pepper, or use the recipe amount and add a teaspoon of Sirracha. We found it to be too bland. 3) Add some color by adding about 1/3 cup of a jar of roasted, sliced red peppers.
Sally
Based on what was in the refrigerator, I used broccoli (for asparagus) and sliced carrots (for peas), forgot the shallot (but didn't miss it) and used Thai sweet chili sauce and oyster sauce instead of the sugar and salt. Best thing I've made in weeks!! Super good.
Brkln.df
As with other NYT recipes, the timing = cooking time from a complete mise en place, not prep time. They can't account for people's different chopping and measuring speeds. (Me, I try to assemble ingredients on the counter and invariably forget at least one thing.)
Greg
I add a dash or two of rice vinegar to this, and almost every soy-ginger variant. Sometimes lime, sometimes fresh cilantro.
Bonnie
I made this exactly as written except for no cilantro or spring onions to garnish. Needs twice the pepper sauce in my opinion. Pretty good combo. Will make again.
stephen
Bonnie. You might try using half Sichuan pepper along with regular back pepper. Ottolenghi's "Plenty" has a similar back pepper tofu recipe and I use half Sichuan pepper which gives a nice flavor. I also cook an onion and sweet pepper and then toss in some cooked broccoli at the last minute.
Elisabeth Touchette
Although this recipe says « Time: 20 minutes », it took me nearly 50 minutes to prepare. And I’m an experienced cook. I won’t make it again. Too much work for an ordinary taste.
Ms D
My large shallot is huge. As are my garlic cloves. Please also suggest amount like 1 tb or 2 tsp please. I mean I can be flexible, but the first time I make these recipes,I try to be precise so I know next time what I like. My small garlic cloves are probably the 1/4 the size of my large - or more. My shallots from the market are three or four times the size of the ones I grow. A steady guide lets us know how to deviate in future.
Carolyn
This is a fantastic, quick, easy, and healthy dinner. The whole family loved it. I served it with steamed brown rice. Adding it to our regular rotation.
Meg
This was so-so. Part of it is I didn’t double the sauce, and I also used Trader Joe’s super firm, high protein tofu, which was all wrong for this dish. Custard-like cubes are much more appropriate. I used 10 oz of asparagus and 10 oz snap peas, which I enjoyed. I thankfully doubled the ginger and garlic. I also stirred in the juice of 1 lime at the end, which helped with the lack of sauce. Now that spring veggies are over, I have about a year to figure out how to improve the sauce!
Jayna
Cooked as written, except for adding more snap peas. The sauce was AH-mazing. I wasn't sure I'd like the tofu so soft (it really doesn't crisp up since it's cooking in sauce), but the veggies were still crisp, so it was a nice contrast. I hit the sauce hard with lots of fresh ground pepper and it provided a lovely heat. The whole family liked it -- will definitely make again.
David
Like some other reviewers I found this to be bland. The idea of asparagus stir-fried with tofu is great, though. Mark Bittman has a recipe for braised eggplant with tofu that’s a personal favorite- it adds stock & chili paste & some sesame oil at the end. I think I’ll try it substituting the asparagus for the eggplant.
Dke
I added dry curry seasoning. It was just too bland without it.
Cynthia D.
This was delicious. Even my husband who is not crazy about tofu liked it, though he did think it would be better with shrimp or chicken. I made this per the recipe and will be making it again.
LBT
We liked this a lot. Read a bunch of reviews so took some advice & doubled the sauce while easing up a bit on the soy sauce. I like roasting my tofu so did that in the oven & added it with a ton of mushrooms (that I cooked ahead) in with the asparagus and sauce. Served over brown rice, it was delicious! We will make again.
Kristine
Using ingredients I had on hand, I replaced the asparagus with 1 pound of thinly sliced green cabbage and replaced the Worcestershire sauce with hoisin sauce. This was so good, I plan on making it frequently.
JerseyBiker
Good enough, but way too much soy sauce (even low sodium). Try with half as much.
Deborah
My sauce never thickened. Next time I will try using cornstarch as a thickener.
Harry
Very tasty recipe. My first time trying tofu and I was pleasantly surprised at how well it tasted. I will try other tofu recipes now. I like this dish in that it's very flexible in what you use for your protein so you can have many variations. I do recommend increasing the amount of sauce, maybe as much as double, but overall very flavorful. If you plan to try it, note that it does not come together in 20 min -- that's just cook time. Plan closer to an hour to allow for the prep work.
Carol
Delicious! Made pretty much exactly as written, though my asparagus was not “pencil thin” — more like finger thick. Unfortunately didn’t have scallions or cilantro but the flavor was still springy and fresh. Will make again!
NDB
2x the sauce, definitely.
Karen
Simple to make and delicious. I omitted the cilantro because I didn't have any but it was still really flavorful and truly took less than 30 minutes to make.
Yespat
I took the advice from a couple of commenters and doubled the sauce. Mistake as the sauce is so strongly flavored, it’s just too overwhelming. Then i substituted the sugar for hoisin sauce. Not sure that was the best option as i did not care for the finished sauce. Took a lot of time to prep and gave a disappointing result.
Don D.
Made it according to the recipe (but substituting green beans for asparagus), and it was a hit. Not very saucy, but the shallot-ginger-garlic combination is very flavorful. This is a keeper.
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