Cumin Tofu Stir-Fry Recipe (2024)

I've made dishes like this, and I prefer roasting the marinated tofu on parchment at 400 degrees for about 25 minutes instead of frying. It's less messy and more consistent.

Thank you for listing ingredient substitutions right in the recipe! It's so refreshing to have that info right at hand, and to know that I don't have to go out and buy potato starch or shaoxing wine. I know it won't taste *exactly* the same but but I'm actually willing to try making it. Seems like a good trade off.

This recipe has the potential to be good, but as written it has some shortcomings. First, the ratio of cumin to cauliflower and tofu is way too high. I'm Indian and eat a lot of cumin and love it. I would halve the cumin. Second, it's added too late in the recipe. It was too raw/powdery/overwhelming. Now, I add it, right after I add the onions to the pan, sauté for a minute or two, then add cauliflower and a little bit of water, give it a good stir, and cover the pan.

I always dredge tofu in cornstarch when I stir-fry. The easier way to do it is to put the cornstarch in a ziplock bag, toss in the tofu, and shake it. (I also always sub mirin for Shaoxing wine. How many rice wines do I really need?)

And if you don't want to use/waste a plastic for tossing the tofu in cornstarch, just use a small paper bag if you have them hanging around. We use sooooo much plastic in this country.

Always freeze tofu to improve texture. When defrosted you just have to hand-press it on a plate & tip the liquid into the sink (no wet towels.) Repeat until most of the liquid is gone. Then the marinade will absorb completely; nothing to drain. Plastic bag for cornstarch tossing. Spices added with the onions. So delicious! Nothing but crumbs left on the plate but my dog licked it for 20 min!

This sounds delicious. Thank you for the vegan adaptation. Grateful to have recipes showing that tempting and flavorful dishes don't have to be unhealthily drenched in cream, butter, cheese, other fats, and meat--most of the world doesn't eat the way the U.S. does!

Here are some I did to make this dish perfect:1. Add the spice mixture after the Chile,ginger,garlic, and onion have cooked for a minute. Cook the spices until fragrant, about 30 seconds. 2. Add the cauliflower and 2 tablespoons of water. Cover the pans/wok and let it steam for a minimum of 3 minutes over medium-high heat. The cauliflower should be crisp tender and maybe even slightly charred. Then add tofu and continue as listed. Notes:1. I love cumin but I found this a bit much.

try with just a touch of crushed red pepper or cayenne instead of gochugaru (to taste).substitute a mild pepper for the jalapeno if you don't want any heat

Also, the cumin tastes raw when added at the last. Would suggest putting the spices in when cooking the veggies, then add back the fried tofu at the very end.

I made this with a fraction of the oil, cooked the tofu in one pan and the veg in another. I know it’s not the same, but good enough - and fast enough- for a delicious weight watcher lunch. And sub’d green beans for cauliflower. Definitely will do again

A few roasted cashews provide heft, texture, and flavor, and complement the tofu. Such a versatile recipe! To the cauliflower, I added a red bell pepper, a few baby broccoli heads, and some tiny yellow squash from the garden. Preferred cooking the onions alone until they began to caramelize, and then adding the garlic & ginger (used 2x what is called for), cauliflower, etc. A drizzle of toasted sesame oil replaced the seeds, and gochugaru paste, a bit like spicy hoisin, complemented as a dip.

Loved, loved loved this recipe. Tasted just like the cumin lamb we get at our favorite Chinese restaurant in town, and was so easy to replicate. Used bok choy, carrots, eggplant as veggies, skipped the chile. Next time would probably also cut red pepper flakes in half. Added water to the spice mix and put it in with the bok choy leaves at end of veggie cooking time and then threw the tofu back in at the very end to keep it crispy. Delicious.

Strange recipe. Way too little liquid--especially if serving with rice, as suggested. Also, adding spices after veggies and water are cooking is wrong. One needs to cook spices in oil to bring out their flavours and to avoid that chaulky taste. If you do make this, add spices after onion and stir well for a minute or two. I also added about a cup of stock to make some sauce to mix with rice.

This was great; two very minor modifications. I covered the tofu cubes top and bottom with clean towels and pressed them dry between two half-sheets for half an hour before marinating and I added a couple of sliced scallions to the sesame seeds and cilantro when I dressed it up at the end. Fantastic stuff. Just a great great recipe. Thank you.

Per other reviews I opted for 1/2 of the cumin and added the spices after the onion chile mixture. I used chopped baby bok choy and some red bell pepper to clean out the veg drawer ( no cauliflower). There was a lot of heat in this. We think it needs some additional sweetness to balance the heat but not sure what type to add-maybe honey or molasses?

I marinate and stir fry tofu frequently. Tofu absorbs much more of the marinade if frozen overnight, then thawed, and marinated for several hours. To coat the tofu, a bag saved from a box of crackers or a produce works great--a second use for a one-time use product. These could be washed, but I don't bother. Unless you like very salty food, the soy sauce/tamari probably provides enough salt for the entire dish.

Made like an upkari, in the order of ingredients for that. Used frozen veg instead of a cauliflower. And a spot of white wine not Sherry wine. Very good, would make again.

The amount of cumin in this as a bit insane. I’d halve it and add spice mixture in after the Chile ginger and garlic so that it doesn’t come out sandy and has time to cook in. I think it’d be great with those modifications. Just way too much cumin and sandy.

Good, but needed sauce. Was a bit dry.

Add spice mixture after the onions, chili, garlic and ginger go into the pan.

I’ve made this many times and we think it’s delicious pretty much as written. It’s supposed to be dry! That’s what makes it so interesting. I use the marinade as the liquid for the cauliflower first, then add water a little at a time if necessary until cauliflower is crisp tender. Add spice mix and toss for maybe a minute with heat still on to evenly coat everything and slightly bloom the spices. Outstanding!

Agree with others on amt of cumin. Used 1 T and it was still a lot. Also added spices to aromatics before adding cauliflower as others suggested. Otherwise, great recipe.

Oh my God this was AWFUL. I could not get past the cumin. It just did not seem to go with this. Cumin and ginger? No.

Made this with a whole head of cauliflower because I had no other plans for it. Other than being too spicy for my 7yo (what isn’t?) this was delicious. Cut the cumin back by half based on the comments.

Used Chipotle powder instead of the gochugaru since we didn't have any and did just over half the cumin as suggested by others. Turned out really well. The tofu in particular was wonderful

Morgan likes it. Andrew did not. He said it was fine. A little less cumin. I used half a jalapeño. That was fine. I added the spices after I stir fried the onions for a minute or two. I put the cover on with the cauliflower for a few minutes. Use the non stick pan.

We really liked this, made mostly as written but added the spice mix to the onions and used mild American-style chili powder instead of gochugaru due to a family member not tolerating hot pepper, also omitted pepper. Air-fry tofu. I toasted cumin seeds the pan first and ground them in a mortar, I think it makes a big difference. We ate this with microwaved sweet potatoes and a vinegary tomato, balsamic salad. Super tasty, will make again.

All I had was a softish medium tofu, so I cubed it and par-simmered for 3 min in heavily salted water and drained. This is a good trick for removing moisture and firming up tofu, it releases a lot of liquid when you do this. Then marinade w/o the salt. For dishes like this I gently roll tofu in a little oil and cook in the airfryer for a while, till golden on the edges, at around 375F for 15 min or so. Or at 350 for longer, turning, you get something much like a tofu puff.

This really needs a sauce. It comes out really dry, and it’s even dry or the next day.