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.

This is a very delicious dish! I subbed baijiu (rice liquor) for the wine, tripled the garlic and ginger, used honey instead of sugar and baked the tofu instead of frying. Served it over brown jasmine rice. The marinated tofu was just superb!

I would zap the cauliflower in the micro for a minute next time. Onion and pepper got overcooked while the cauliflower was cooking. Someone mentioned cashews — I like that idea.

I'm glad I read the readers notes because I'm sure that some of the more learned comments made the difference between a frustrated effort and success. Special thanks to the commenter who suggested roasting the soy cubes on a baking sheet instead of pan frying them. Thanks as well to those multiple experienced cooks who said the cumin should be halved and added at or near the beginning of the stir fry step. Allergic to jalapeños, I used red bell pepper and red pepper flakes. Delicious!

The tofu prep in this recipe is way too fiddly, in my opinion. No way are you going to get 4-sided perfectly browned tofu cubes. The tofu cubes are wet after marinating, even if you drain them. I immediately ended up with a big gooey mess of barely cornstarch covered tofu. Then who wants to stand over a stove and turn 40 some cubes of tofu until all 4 sides are evenly browned?! Next time, I will marinate the tofu and just add as it, skipping the whole browning step.

I did not have cauliflower on hand so used a very large onion and a large green pepper. Did not have enough cumin, so used what I had, about 1/4 tsp, and subbed in 1 T chili powder. Followed the steps exactly as written and found it delicious. Did not notice a powdery or raw taste to the spices; did not find the dish to be dry or in need of more sauce—nice surprise! Will make again.

I made this made a few substitutions because I didn't think cumin was the best spice to use. Instead, I swapped cumin out for Chinese Five Spice. It was spectacular. I also used gochujang instead of gochugaru. Lastly, I air fried the tofu...cleaner and very crisp!

Everyone liked it. Cooks quick - chip everything first.

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.