Tofu with Black Bean Sauce and Broccoli

Tofu with black bean sauce and tenderstem broccoli is my take on a Chinese takeaway-style dish, it’s delicious, quick, easy and vegan too!

This recipe takes around 10 minutes to prepare and a further 10 minutes to cook, which makes it quicker than your local delivery driver.

Spicy Black Bean Tofu

Fakeaway recipes are a long-running theme on my website, their ubiquity was down to living 50km from the nearest takeaway.

Now we have returned to the UK, calling out is so much easier, but I love cooking and a fakeaway cooked at home is almost always cheaper and quicker… and with practice exceptionally tasty too!

My latest offering is a Chinese-takeaway-inspired tofu in black bean sauce with tenderstem broccoli.

It joins a chicken with black bean sauce and a beef in black bean sauce recipes.

In contrast to both of those recipes, I add a bit of spice to this version, I add some Lao Gan Ma, a glorious Chinese crispy chilli oil.

It’s quick and easy too, I fry some tofu until it is crispy and mix together a quick sauce. Then the broccoli is stir-fried with garlic and ginger, in goes the sauce and gets cooked until the stems are tender.

Finally, the tofu gets added back into the sauce and tossed until it warms through and is coated in that spicy sauce. It’s done and dusted in 20 minutes or so and that includes preparation!

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I have to add the crispy chilli oil?

No, you can omit it if you wish and the dish will still be very tasty. However, I love crispy chilli oil (Lao Gan Ma) and I think that it works wonderfully in this recipe.

Do I have to add the MSG?

No, this is an optional ingredient, but omitting it does significantly reduce the flavour in the recipe.

Can I use a different vegetable in this recipe?

Yes, it is superb with green vegetables that can be cooked quite quickly and have a bit of texture. Things like asparagus, regular broccoli, fine beans and sugar snap peas are all ideal.

Can I make this in advance?

No, this recipe is one that really needs to be cooked and eaten immediately.

However, the sauce can be mixed days in advance if you wish and you can cut the tofu well in advance too. This reduces your kitchen time to around 10 minutes when you start cooking.

Are cornflour and cornstarch the same thing?

This question gets asked a lot but by visitors from the US and Canada, yes cornflour and corn starch are the same thing.

Serving Suggestions

This tofu with black bean sauce recipe is unashamedly a nod to Anglo-Chinese takeaway meals and as a result, my side recommendations will fit within that theme.

Rice is always a must when it comes to a fakeaway recipe, plain steamed or boiled rice is nice, but egg fried rice is better!

If rice ain’t your thing then how about some noodles, a plain chow mein would work wonderfully alongside this recipe, as would my soba noodle salad.

Don’t forget the starters, crispy spring rolls and prawn toast are both a must for us. And if you are sticking with the vegan vibe, fear not, this vegan take on prawn toast is delicious!

Equipment Used

I only mention specific brands of equipment if I think that they make a material difference to a recipe. But, if you have any questions feel free to ask them in the comments section below the recipe.

• Hob/Stovetop.
• 30cm or 12″ nonstick frying pan.
• Spatulas and stirring spoons.
• Chopping board.
• Kitchen knife.
• Kitchen paper.
• Mixing bowl.
• A combination of weighing scales, measuring jug, cups and spoons.