Crispy Szechuan Tofu Stir Fry - Khin's Kitchen (2024)

Family favourite Crispy Szechuan Tofu Stir Fry recipe with crispy tofu and vegetables in a spicy, Sichuan style delicious sauce. This classic Chinese tofu is better than takeout and is ready in 30 minutes!

Just like other Szechuan dishes, it is packed with savoury, numbing hot, mouth-watering flavors. If you love spicy Szechuan Chinese cuisines like me, you will definitely like our Szechuan Chicken and Homemade Sichuan Style Chilli Oil recipes.

What is Tofu Szechuan Style?

This Szechuan style bean curd dish is also known as Sichuan tofu and originated in Chongqing, China. Like Mala chicken or Chongqing chicken stir fry this dish is made with fried tofu tossed with spicy Sichuan chillies, peppercorns, and savoury sauce. Do not mistake this dish for Sichuan Mapo Tofu which is made with silken tofu with minced meat and sauce.

In East Asia, Tofu is greatly consumed and can be found in every market. It is loved by both adults and kids and is also one of the main sources of protein for those who don’t consume meat. We put it in a soup, cook it with curry sauce, steam, deep-fry, or stir-fry. There are still more ways to have tofu than these I’ve mentioned. Tofu is very versatile and can be prepared in many different dishes.

In this Szechuan tofu recipe, firm tofu is cut into cubes and stir-fried until crisp with classic Szechuan ingredients. It tastes so flavorsome that you can have it as a main dish over a bed of steamed rice and not just as an aside.

Why you would love this dish

• Budget-friendly - since tofu is not as costly as seafood, or meat. A great protein-rich stir fry dish for vegetarians and vegans.
• Time-saving - requires lesser preparation and cooking time.
• Versatile dish - when you make it at home you can adjust the spices and vegetables to your preference.
• Packed with authentic flavours - can experience authentic Szechuan flavors at home with minimum pantry-friendly ingredients.

What do we need?

To make this, you will need firm tofu, Szechuan Peppercorns, and Sichuan dry chilies specially and the rest will be your regular cupboard and fridge-friendly ingredients. It is one of my favorite picks on days I don’t feel like having any meat or seafood. My recipe for Szechuan tofu is tested until the outcome is almost identical to those from Sichuan Chinese restaurants.

• Sichuan Peppercorns - Widely used in Sichuan cuisines and has a subtle tingling, numbing, pungent taste. It is called Hua Jiao in the Chinese language. I haven't found any ingredients that are quite similar to Sichuan peppercorns, but if you cannot get it, you can simply add crushed or ground black pepper to taste. But please beware that Sichuan peppercorn is the heart of this dish and without it, the result will be not the same.
• Sichuan Dry Red Chilli - Fragrant, citrusy, medium-hot chilli pepper with thin skin. If you cannot get Sichuan chillies, you can substitute them with any medium-hot and dried long red chilies.
• Chinese Black Rice Vinegar - is called Chinkaing vinegar, it has a subtly sweet, sour, fruity flavour and is slightly similar to balsamic vinegar. Instead of Chinkaing vinegar, regular rice white vinegar or apple cider vinegar can be used.
• Ingredient add-ons - If you love toasty sesame flavour, you can also add a drizzle of toasted sesame oil and sesame seeds just right before serving.

• Tofu – Use firm tofu or extra firm tofu with the least water content. This tofu is easy to slice and firm enough to hold the shapes of the cubes during the stir fry. Simply season the tofu cubes with soy sauce for flavour. You can either use corn starch or potato starch to coat the tofu cubes.

How to prepare tofu and sauce

• Before cooking, we need to remove water from tofu even when we are using the firm one. An easy way is to gently press the tofu from the top with your hands by wrapping it in a paper kitchen towel or cloth. It will help drain the extra water out partially.
• Another way to fully drain the water is to wrap the tofu in a cloth, put it in the colander or strainer, press it with a heavy substance from the top, and leave for about 30 minutes. The purpose of removing water is to fix the spongy texture of the tofu.

• Dice the tofu into square 1-inch block pieces, place them in a bowl, and season with soy sauce. Toss gently and set it aside.
• Then coat each tofu cube with a generous amount of corn starch and toss the excess flour out before frying.
• Shallow fry the tofu cubes until crispy golden brown. Remove from oil and place it over the wire rack or paper towel.
• Add all the stir-fry sauce ingredients to a bowl and set it aside. Whisk it well before pouring it into the stir fry.

How to make a stir fry

• Prepare and gather all the vegetables before heating the wok.
• Heat the large wok, skillet, or non-stick pan over medium-high heat and add cooking oil.
• Add carrots and stir fry for a few seconds, followed by the onions and dry chillies.
• Next, add crushed Sichuan peppercorns, minced ginger, and garlic. Toss for a few seconds, until fragrant. Then add fresh chilli pepper and another quick toss.
• Pour the sauce in and add fried tofu cubes, combine everything until the sauce is glossy, and coat the tofu well.
• Finish with chopped spring onions. Served immediately over a bed of rice or noodles.

Frequently Asked Questions

More Delicious Tofu & Szechuan Cuisines

Stay updated on new recipes:

We are on social media Facebook, Instagram, YouTube ( New recipe video every week ), and Pinterest ( Pin your favourite recipes ). If you've tried this recipe, please share your comment or post on social media and tag me. I would love to see your creations and feedback.

📖 Recipe