A one-pot, 30-minute cashew tofu stir fry recipe with lots of veggies! Sweet-spicy-tangy vegan cashew delight is easy to make and so versatile! (gluten-free)

Recipe Snapshot

  • Prep time: 10 minutes
  • Cook time: 20 minutes
  • Total time: 30 minutes
  • Yield: 2 servings
  • Category: Main Course
  • Cuisine: Thai

Ingredients

For the Tofu

  • 10 ounces firm or extra firm tofu (pressed and cubed or torn into bite-sized pieces)
  • 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1 tablespoon cornstarch

For the Stir fry

  • 2 teaspoons oil
  • 1/3 cup cashews (raw or roasted unsalted)
  • 4-5 dried red chilies (stems removed and optionally broken into halves)
  • 4-5 cloves garlic (finely chopped)
  • 1/2 inch ginger (finely chopped)
  • 1/2 cup chopped onion
  • 1/2 to 3/4 cup green bell pepper (chopped or [adjustable]3/4 cup broccoli[/adjustable] or other vegetable thinly sliced or chopped)
  • 1/4 teaspoon black or white pepper (or a generous dash of both)

For the Sauce

  • 2 tablespoons soy sauce (or use [adjustable]1 tablespoon[/adjustable] soy sauce and [adjustable]1 tablespoon[/adjustable] dark soy sauce)
  • 3 tablespoons vegan hoisin sauce (or more, to taste. Or use [adjustable]2 tablespoons[/adjustable] or more hoisin sauce and [adjustable]1 tablespoon[/adjustable] vegan oyster sauce)
  • 2 teaspoons rice wine vinegar
  • 1/4 teaspoon sugar (or other sweetener of choice)
  • 1/4 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
  • 1/2 teaspoon cornstarch (mixed in [adjustable]1/2 cup[/adjustable] veggie broth or water)

For Garnish

  • green onion
  • pepper flakes

Method

Crisp the tofu.

  1. Press and tear tofu into bite size pieces and add to a bowl. Add the black pepper and cornstarch, and toss well to coat. Heat the oil in a skillet over medium heat. Once hot, add the tofu and cook 2 minutes then flip and cook for another 2. Repeat until most edges are golden, about 6 minutes. Remove the tofu from the pan, and set it aside.

Make the stir fry.

  1. Heat oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the cashews and chilies and cook until the cashews are golden on most sides. (If using raw cashews, toast those for a minute before adding chilies.) Stir frequently. Remove from skillet, but let the oil remain the skillet.
  2. Add garlic and ginger to the skillet. Reduce heat to low. Mix and cook for 2 minutes or until translucent. Add onions and veggies and a generous pinch of salt. Increase heat to medium high. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes. Stir frequently.
  3. Add all of the sauce ingredients to the skillet. Mix and cook for a minute. Taste and add salt, tang, (and heat) if needed. Simmer for a few minutes until the sauce thickens slightly. Add in the crisped tofu, toasted cashews and chilies and toss well to coat with the sauce. Switch off heat after a minute, and serve over cooked white/brown rice or grains of choice, like quinoa. Garnish with chopped green onion and pepper flakes.

Kiyaan Singh’s Kitchen Note

Keep this recipe as a working base: cook once as written, then adjust spice, texture, and serving style for your own table.