Beef and Tofu Stir Fry (Bo Kho Dau Hu)
Tender beef, soft tofu, some scallions, and just the right amount of sauce over a bed of white or brown rice is a quick, and totally satisfying meal for any day of the week!
PREP TIME: 25 MINS COOK TIME: 5 MINS TOTAL TIME: 30 MINS
Ingredients
For the beef and marinade:
10 ounces flank steak, sliced ¼-inch thick
1 tablespoon water
1 teaspoon vegetable oil
½ teaspoon cornstarch
½ teaspoon soy sauce
For the rest of the dish:
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
3 thin slices ginger
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 scallions, cut at an angle into 1-inch pieces, white and green portions separated
2 teaspoons rice wine
¾ cup beef stock
2 tablespoons oyster sauce
1 teaspoon soy sauce
½ teaspoon sesame oil
¼ teaspoon freshly ground white pepper
¼ teaspoon sugar
1 block regular or soft tofu, cut into 1-inch squares, ½-inch thick
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 tablespoon of water
Instructions
For the beef and marinade, combine the beef, water, vegetable oil, cornstarch, and soy sauce in a medium bowl. Let the beef marinate for 20 minutes.
Heat the oil in a medium pan. Sear the beef for 20 seconds on each side until about 80% done. Transfer back to bowl. Set aside.
Add the ginger, and let caramelize for 20 seconds.
Add the minced garlic and the white portion of the scallions. Stir fry for 10 seconds.
Add the rice wine. Stir fry for 10 seconds.
Add the beef stock, oyster sauce, soy sauce, sesame oil, white pepper, and sugar. Stir fry until combined.
Gently slide the tofu into the pan. Let the tofu and the sauce come up to a boil.
Drop in the green portions of the scallions and the seared beef, including any juices from the marinade bowl.
While everything is coming up to a boil, make the cornstarch slurry by mixing the cornstarch and water.
Slowly stir in the cornstarch slurry. Lower the heat to medium as the sauce thickens.
Serve over steamed rice.
Notes
Be as gentle as possible when stirring to minimize tofu breakage. A pushing/stirring motion to rotate the contents of the pan works best for me.
You can adjust the thickness of the sauce by adding more cornstarch slurry or chicken stock as desired.
