Shredded Tofu and Shiitake Stir-Fry Recipe (2024)

Freeze your packaged block of tofu overnight Return it to the fridge the next day for a slow thaw until needed. The freezing opens the tofu's texture to a porous sponge. You can now easily squeeze out most all of the water between cutting boards. Cut into strips, slabs, small blocks or shredded, it'll now saturate your marinate.

I loved the shredded tofu - I had never thought of that, and it was a nice change from my usual stir-fries. My substitution: I always use the stir-fry sauce on page 58 of America's Test Kitchen "The Complete Vegetarian Cookbook"(which I have found to be superior to all other stif-fry sauces). 1/4 cup vegetable broth, 1/2 cup soy sauce, 2 tbsp rice wine vinegar, 1 tbsp sugar, 2 tsp cornstarch, 2 tsp sesame oil - shake and pour on with desired spices near the end of cooking.

I'd suggest draining the water from the tofu by putting it under 3-4 heavy dinner plates, which will get a great deal of water out in 15 minutes or so, and then shredding it

Quick note about "Shaoxing" - this is the city in China which makes a certain style of cooking wine. If you're looking for this stuff in a grocery store, it would be more accurately labeled Shao Xing Cooking Wine or just Cooking Wine. Regardless, you want to buy the amber coloured stuff. Delicious!

I made this last night for dinner with one modification. I shredded the tofu, but tossed with a scant amount of canola oil and roasted for approximately 15 minutes for added crunch. It was delicious, and will be a regular in my repertoire. My six year old daughter also devoured it.

I made this tonight and it was delicious. I made a couple of variations: used vermouth in place of the wine/sherry and a tsp of garlic chili paste in place of the pepper. I also doubled the sauce. I served it over stir fried napa cabbage, as recommended by another commenter, and that added a nice fresh crunch.

I disagree--it all depends on how you cook it. If you're patient and let it sear in a hot pan without constantly stirring it, it caramelizes and acquires some flavor. What you flavor it with, of course, also makes a difference. I find a denser tofu more flavorful--I have grown to prefer sprouted tofu over the blah Nasoya stuff.

Had some trepidation about trying this, but, boy, was I glad I did. I made it because my husband likes tofu and I don't, and I loved this, so win-win. We didn't have edamame, so I used green peas, which I think improved it a bit, being sweeter and less meaty. I also used baby bellas instead of shiitake mushrooms, which I thought was an improvement as well. Thank you, Melissa!

This was absolutely wonderful! The only substitution made was I used Oyster Mushrooms instead of Shiitake which the store didn't have. My Husband and I have been vegetarians for about 30 years and this was one of our all time favorites! Thank you Ms. Clark you are the best!

Absolutely delicious; couldn't get enough of it! Not filling enough as a one-dish meal for my husband and teenage boys, but great for me. I will double it next time. Used a pinch of dried lemongrass instead of fresh; used about 2 teaspoons of Sambal Oleck instead of chopped red chile; used Mirin instead of Chinese sherry, since that's what I had; doubled the edamame (can never have too much!). Skipped the herbs at end but lime juice was nice. Served over rice. This one goes on my favorites list!

Loved the grated tofu! I doubled the amount of sauce and also added grated carrots in at the end with the herbs. Included mirin and rice vinegar in the sauce, and offered chili garlic sauce and soy as condiments. Would double the mushrooms next time, and add something crunchy - water chestnuts as someone mentions below, would be a terrific addition.

Loved this! I added more edamame because I love edamame -- I didn't defrost them, just threw them into the wok and they were perfect. Next time I will also add some other varieties of mushrooms. Also followed other cooks' advice and doubled the sauce. I used cilantro, which was lovely. I will use cilantro again, but I will add some chopped peanuts, which I think will go perfectly with all the other flavors.

Really liked this. Read the other comments and realized I needed to get moisture out of the tofu first. So I used my usual method: wrapped the block in a clean dish towel, put a plate on top, and weighted it down for 30 minutes. Shredded perfectly. Used dry sherry, got lemongrass at the Asian market (5 stalks for $1). Will definitely make again.

I have made this before and it was very good. However, tonight, lacking a spicy pepper, I added chili crisp, about 2-3 tsp, to the sauce, and result was a whole new level of delichiousness. Because I doubled the sauce (with 1 1/2 tbsp chili crisp) as some have suggested, there was some sauce leftover for serving on the side. Even so, my spouse said I didn't make enough. Shredded tofu is super for absorbing the flavors of yummy sauces. Chili crisp is an excellent addition to so many dishes.

Used Marsala wine which seemed to be a fine replacement. Added a couple cups of Napa cabbage and more edamame and it was great. Probably needed more sauce because of the cabbage add

Very tasty. Didn’t have chili pepper so used some chili crisp… about 1 tsp. An inexpensive tofu press makes it easy to drain tofu. Nasoya brand makes an xtra firm tofu that doesn’t need draining. Thought it was a bit dry. Next time will make double the sauce.

So yummy. I skipped the lemongrass, used mirin instead of dry sherry and added water chestnuts for crunch. Served with coconut rice (rice cooked in light coconut milk)

Pretty dry, served with rice and fish. 20 min?? This dish alone took at least 45

I made this following the recipe exactly except I added a large fistful of baby spinach at the end. Well, and I couldn't find Shaoxing wine, so I had to use dry sherry. It was so, so good! I can't wait to make it again and again. I was very nervous to grate the tofu thinking it would just crumble and be a mess, but it grated like a dream. The balance of textures and flavors in this recipe is perfect. Thank you, Melissa! You are a creative genius.

I've made this so many times, variations sometimes, but always outstanding!Today, I added shredded carrot and baby spinach in step 3.Also used a mushroom medley, and a bit of gochujang instead of chile.So good!

Cilantro, spicy mixed baby greens, Serrano

Very tasty. Served over quinoa. Added a tub of spinach as it needed more greens. Next time might up the chili. Otherwise easy, healthy and delicious.

This was delicious, I added a lot more sauce and some vegetarian stirfry sauce to it. I also added some chili crisp on top and microgreens. Definitely adds to an already tasty recipe. Loved the texture of the tofu.

Nice! Pleasant and healthy plant-based meals that comes together very quickly. Froze and then defrosted tofu, squeezed out moisture then crumbled directly into pan.

Great on stir fried Savoy cabbage as recommended by an earlier reviewer. Definitely needs something seriously crunchy on top. Roasted sunflower seeds didn’t make it. Next time I will try crispy Chinese noodles.

Absolutely delicious after following the recipe more of less exactly. Thank you Melissa Clark and NY Times cooking!

7/17/22 - Made with 4 oz shiitake, forgot red chile. Froze the tofu the night before, let it thaw. Boys did not enjoy (I thought a bit salty, and I didn't add all the sauce about 4/5 of it) Neal enjoyed in small portion - though mushroom heavy for him. Used wok, stuck to the sides a bit, but came off mostly when adding the sauce

I'd never have thought of shredding tofu. Delicious! We found some baby bok choi at the market, so diced that up finely to add to the mix. This is a recipe that can take a variety of additions.