There are two super important things to know about this recipe for my favorite peanut veggie stir fry.
First, the peanut sauce is PERFECTION. Second, the true stir fry eggy flavor comes from a special salt mixed with tofu.
I know, but trust me.
After draining and pressing a block of extra-firm tofu, crumble to a scrambled egg like consistency.
Mix in 1/4 tsp turmeric for color (and a nutrition boost!) and 1 tsp
Himalayan black salt. You can find Himalayan black salt at specialty stores or here on Amazon.
This stuff is unreal and you don’t want to bother making the tofu without it. It’s a special salt with a sulfur flavor just like an egg. In my opinion, a stir fry just doesn’t feel right without little pieces of (faux) egg mixed in, so this is a must-have in my plant-based kitchen.
Himalayan black salt is purplish black if you buy a coarse grain, or pinkish orange when ground into a fine salt. It’s going to make your kitchen smell like hard boiled eggs for a few minutes, but that’s how you know you’ve got the good stuff. It also fondly reminds me of our trip-of-a-lifetime to Iceland where the hot water always smelled like sulfur from the geothermal power.
Next, start building your base for layering flavors by cooking diced onion on low heat for 8 minutes until translucent. Then add minced garlic and ginger and heat for another 30 seconds. You want them to just start releasing their aromas without browning.
You can use whatever you have on hand. I recommend broccoli, shredded carrots, red bell pepper, and purple cabbage for a rainbow effect.
Add your veggies to the pan and cook on medium for 5-10 mins, depending on how soft you want them. Then add the cabbage plus 1/4 cup water and cover with a lid to steam for another 3 mins or so.
Now the fun part. With a traditional stir fry, you would create a well in the center of the pan and crack some eggs in the middle to contain and cook the liquid.
Technically, since we’re not using liquid eggs, you don’t HAVE to create that well. But by pushing the cooked veggies to the side you are removing them from the hottest part of the pan, and allowing the tofu to heat up before mixing it all together.
While the tofu is heating up, assemble your peanut sauce – the cherry on top of this already drool-worthy dinner.
Combine all sauce ingredients in a bowl and whisk, whisk, whisk. It’s going to be lumpy, and you’re going to think I’ve steered you wrong, but keep going. Soon it will transform into a smooth, delicious, not-too-thick-not-too-thin peanut sauce.
Pour the sauce all over the veggies, add some cooked stir fry noodles, and feast!
Consider topping with coconut flakes, black sesame seeds, and green onions, as pictured.
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Peanut Veggie Stir Fry
- Prep Time: 15 mins
- Cook Time: 25 mins
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
Description
The peanut sauce is perfection, but the secret hero in this vegan stir fry is a special salt seasoning mixed into the tofu for an unreal egg flavor.
Ingredients
Stir fry:
- 1/2 block extra firm tofu
- 1 tsp Himalayan black salt (Kala Namak)
- 1/4 tsp turmeric
- 14 oz box of Stir fry rice noodles
- 1 tbsp coconut oil
- 1 yellow onion, diced
- 1” piece ginger, minced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 heads of broccoli, chopped into bite sized pieces
- 1 cup shredded carrots
- 1/2 head of purple cabbage, shredded
- 1 red bell pepper, diced
Sauce:
- ¼ cup peanut butter
- 1 tsp sesame oil
- 4 tbsp tamari
- 2 tbsp lime juice
- 1 tbsp Hoisin sauce (optional, but adds great flavor!)
- 1 tbsp rice vinegar (if you don’t have it, add a little more lime juice)
- 1” piece ginger, minced
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 2–3 tbsp maple syrup
- 2 tbsp water, to thin
Instructions
- Press the 1/2 tofu block between towels for 15 mins to drain excess moisture. Then crumble with a fork (or your fingers) into a scrambled egg like consistency.
- Evenly mix into the tofu 1 tsp Himalayan black salt (Kala Namak) and 1/4 tsp turmeric.
- Cook rice noodles according to package directions and set aside.
- Meanwhile, put 1 tbsp coconut oil in a large pan and cook diced onion on low heat for about 8 mins until soft and translucent. Then add the minced ginger and garlic and cook for another 30 seconds.
- Add broccoli, carrot, and bell pepper to pan and cook for 5-10 mins on medium heat.
- Add shredded cabbage and ¼ cup water. Cover with lid for 3 minutes to steam.
- Push the veggies aside to create a well in the center of the pan. Add crumbled tofu mixture in the center and heat on medium heat for another 3-5 mins, gently stirring tofu in the center of the pan half way through.
- In a small bowl, whisk together all peanut sauce ingredients. The peanut butter will be clumpy at first, but keep whisking! You will eventually get a smooth consistency.
- Mix the tofu into the veggies evenly and stir in the cooked noodles and peanut sauce.
- Serve warm. Suggested toppings: green onion, cilantro, toasted peanuts, coconut flakes, and black sesame seeds.
Notes
- You can find Himalayan black salt at specialty stores or here on Amazon. You’ll need to to add the egg flavor. If you don’t have it, I would omit the tofu step entirely, or used marinated and baked tofu as a topping.
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