Chinese 5 Spice Tofu Stir Fry

This amazingly fresh and tasty Chinese 5 Spice Tofu Stir Fry is entirely vegan and gluten free. An easy and satisfying recipe for a tofu stir fry which is packed with lots of flavors and nutrients.

Healthy tofu recipes like this Healthy Kimchi Ramen Salad or my Easy Vegan Fajitas are a must make for me when I’m craving something protein rich, fast, and easy.

Besides all of them taste delicious. This Chinese 5 Spice Tofu Stir Fry is a welcome addition to my list of amazing vegan tofu recipes.

When you make this you won’t be surprised.

It’s delicious, super easy to make, flavorful, hearty, fresh, Asia inspired, made with simple ingredients, and seriously mouthwatering. 

Before we’re going to making it, you will probably meet one ingredient that you’ve never or rarely used before: Chinese 5 spice.

What is in Chinese 5 spice powder?

5 spice powder is a mix from cinnamon, ground cloves, toasted and ground fennel seeds, anise and ground toasted peppercorns. You can see, it’s made from 5 spices.

It’s not a big deal and you can also easily make at home.

I was lucky enough to find a great seasoning without any added preservatives. So it’s pretty easy to have a optimal mix on hand.

Next is to know where to find 5 spice powder. You can buy it easily at most Asian stores or try to get it online.

But if you are curious about how to make your own: you can use the above spices to your own liking and mix. So the question is how to make Chinese 5 spice powder?

I would say just use 1 tsp of each of the spices and make sure to toast pepper and fennel seeds for that. For grinding seeds, you can use a pepper mill, or the grinding attachment of your food processor.

Use more or less as you like to your own taste, so increase or decrease spices.

How to make this Chinese 5 spice Tofu Stir Fry

First mix all the marinade ingredients (orange juice, Chinese 5 spice mix, tamari, garlic) in a bowl and set aside.

Heat a bit oil (coconut or sesame is fine) or use a bit of vegetable broth, if you want to make this oil free.

Add tofu and fry for around 10 minutes until golden and crisp. Put the tofu out of the pan.

Next give the broccoli and optional chopped bell pepper to the pan, again with a bit of oil or vegetable broth and fry for around 5 minutes.

Add tofu and put the stir fry sauce into the pan and cook for 5 minutes more.

Season with salt and pepper add the optional maple syrup and chopped cashews. Divide onto plates and serve on its own or with rice or quinoa. It will make a great dairy free alternative for lunch or dinner.

How to press tofu?

I’m sure you might have noticed looking at the recipe card that I used pressed tofu before slicing it into cubes. That step is important and shouldn’t be skipped.

Pressing gets rid of all the liquid from tofu which results in a better texture. You can use paper towels for it: start by folding the paper towels in half, place the tofu on it. This will soak up all the liquid.

If the paper towels are getting too wet, use new fresh ones and start again.

In a different version, you can use paper towels under and on top.

Put on top a bowl with some weight, this will squeeze out all the liquid. Please make sure not to use something too heavy, otherwise it will break the tofu.

Last but not least, you could also use a tofu press which is sold in most stores or online. It’s also a great idea to freeze the tofu after pressing.

Tofu has a lot of nutritional benefits. It’s high in iron, calcium, magnesium, zinc, and vitamin B1.

But what makes it really good if you have a look into tofu nutrition is the amount of protein. It’s a great source of plant based protein.

If you give this Chinese 5 Spice Tofu Stir Fry a try, take a picture with all your creations.

Tag me on Instagram and Facebook.

Cheers, Florian.