The Best Ginger Tofu & Green Beans (Gluten Free, Vegan)

Prep: 5 minutesCook: 15 minutesTotal: 15 minutes
Yield: serves 2Category: Dinners
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This Ginger Tofu & Green Beans is a tasty meat free meal just bursting with flavour!

This is a delicious recipe that takes hardly any time to make, you can whip this up in just 20 minutes meaning it is the ideal dinner to make during the week when you do not want to spend ages cooking. I recently had some requests for more recipes using tofu which is how this new dish was born, whether you are a long time vegan or vegetarian or simply trying to incorporate more meat free meals into your week, you need to make this dish. I promise you won’t regret it!

I am a huge fan of crispy tofu chunks in a sticky sauce and I originally set out to create a lemon and ginger flavoured dish. I was halfway through eating my first attempt when I realised I hadn’t even put any lemon in, however, it was too delicious not to write up. From there I made a little tweak by adding the soy sauce and my second attempt was absolutely perfect. I am a huge fan of ginger and garlic, however, as they are both strong flavours you can reduce the amount used for a more subtle flavour if you would prefer to. Alternatively, you can increase them to suit your personal preferences.

For me, the green beans work perfectly in this when coated in the sticky sauce but if you want to add any additional vegetables like broccoli or carrots to increase your plant intake then feel free to. I opted for green beans as you can simply throw them in the saucepan and pop the lid on, killing two birds with one stone and decreasing the amount of washing up that this recipe generates. I like the green beans to have a little bit of crunch, however, if you would prefer them to be softer simply cook them in the sauce for longer.

I like to use cornflour leftover from the tofu to thicken this sauce to reduce food waste. You might want to check on the sauce when the green beans are cooking in it to make sure it isn’t too thick or burning. If it is a little thick just add a splash of water to create your preferred consistency.

If you don’t really like tofu but like the sound of this recipe, why not try the same method using chicken pieces, (a meat free substitute or otherwise), instead? Simply coat them in cornflour, fry and pour in the sauce and green beans once they are ready.

I use sesame oil when cooking this dish as I like the extra depth of flavour it adds, however, you could use any oil you wanted. Serve this paired with rice and topped with sesame seeds for a quick and delicious filling dinner for two.

If you like my Ginger Tofu and are looking for more recipes using tofu as the star of the show you may also like my Sweet & Spicy Sriracha Tofu, my Salt & Pepper Tofu, my Sweet & Sour Tofu Skewers and my Sticky Sesame Tofu which you can find here. Alternatively, if you are looking for more recipes using ginger why not try my Miso & Ginger Glazed Aubergine recipe which you can find here.

If you like this recipe and want to show some support please leave a comment below or visit my Ko-Fi account to donate! x

Ingredients

metric
imperial
  • 1 block firm pressed tofu (300 - 400g)
  • 2 handfuls green beans
  • 3 tbsp cornflour
  • 2 knobs ginger
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • 2 tbsp gluten free soy sauce
  • 1 tbsp maple syrup
  • 200ml water
  • 1 vegetable stock cube
  • pinch sea salt
  • pinch black pepper
  • splash sesame oil

Method

  1. Add the cornflour to a bowl along with a generous pinch of salt and black pepper
  2. Cut the tofu into bite size cubes and place in the bowl containing the cornflour. Mix well, ensuring the tofu pieces are completely coated in the mixture
  3. Grate the knobs of ginger and mince the garlic
  4. Add the garlic and ginger to a saucepan along with a splash of oil and fry over a low heat for a minute until fragrant
  5. Pour the water, stock cube, soy sauce and maple syrup into the saucepan and increase the heat. Stir the mixture so the stock cube melts
  6. Prepare your green beans by washing and trimming them. Slice any long ones in half
  7. Add a splash of sesame oil to a large frying pan and transfer the cornflour coated tofu pieces over
  8. Fry the pieces of tofu, turning them ocassionally to ensure they cook evenly
  9. While the tofu cooks, reduce the heat of the sauce and whisk in one tablespoon of the cornflour left in the bowl
  10. Add the green beans to the sauce and cover, allow to cook for around five minutes
  11. Once the tofu is golden brown and crispy, turn off the heat
  12. Pour the contents of the saucepan into the frying pan, (be careful during this step as the sauce may spit as it meats the hot frying pan), and stir everything together ensuring the pieces of tofu are completely coated in the sticky sauce
  13. Serve paired with rice and topped with a sprinkle of sesame seeds if desired

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