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Spiced Tofu Stir-Fry with Garlic Chives

by:

Judy

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Updated: 11/3/2023

Spiced Tofu Stir-fry with Garlic Chives, thewoksoflife.com

This spiced tofu stir-fry with garlic chives is a new favorite in our house. I’ve made it three times in the last couple weeks!

What Are Garlic Chives?

Garlic chives, also known as Chinese chives, are different from the run-of-the-mill chives you might be familiar with. They have broader leaves and distinctive garlicky flavor. I love them for their aroma, not just in dumpling fillings, like our Pork & Chive Dumplings, but also in stir-fries. Garlic chives are part of the allium family (which also includes garlic, onions, scallions, etc.), and according to Traditional Chinese Medicine, these vegetables/plants can warm your insides and strengthen your constitution after a cool and damp spring!

Growing Garlic Chives (Chinese Chives)

I also love them because I get them for free from my flowerbeds year after year! In fact, they grow so well that Bill’s sister complains she can’t get rid of them fast enough! If you’re facing a similar problem, this post is for you. Chives are a great vegetable to plant, because deer and small animals don’t like eating it. You can harvest it by cutting it down, and it will grow back like grass––throughout the entire growing season. They also produce beautiful white flowers that, aside from being decorative, are also edible! (Check out our chive flower tempura recipe.)

It’s also a perennial, coming back year after year. If you know someone who has some in their garden, ask for some, and transplant it!

What You Can Make with Garlic Chives

Here’s a list of dishes you can make with garlic chives:

But don’t limit yourself to these ideas! Today’s recipe for spice tofu stir-fry with garlic chives is something I just whipped up. Feel free to make adjustments to this dish as well. You can substitute tofu sheets, and add julienned pork or chicken. Simply marinate the meat as you would in our Spiced Tofu with Pork Stir-fry.

What Is Spiced Tofu?

The type of tofu (AKA bean curd) this recipe calls for is pre-cooked, spiced tofu that has been pressed to remove moisture. The spiced version is brown on the outside, and pale on the inside.

You may also find a plain version that’s lighter in color. In Chinese, this type of tofu is called doufu gan (豆腐干). You’ll find it in the refrigerated section of your Chinese grocery store, near other refrigerated tofu products.

Spiced Tofu Stir-fry with Garlic Chives: Recipe Instructions

Start by preparing the stir-fry sauce mixture (the dish cooks very fast, so it’s best to have these items measured out in advance). Combine the wine, light soy sauce, sugar, white pepper, and sesame oil. Set aside. (At this point, if using pork or chicken, you’d preheat the wok until it was smoking, add a tablespoon of oil, and then sear the meat until just cooked. Remove to a bowl and set aside. If not, move on to the next step.) Place a wok over medium heat. When the wok has heated, add the oil and the ginger. Cook for 30 seconds, and add the garlic. Cook for another 30 seconds.

Add the tofu, and stir-fry for another minute.

Turn up the heat to high, add the garlic chives, and stir-fry for 1 minute (at this point, you can also add your pre-cooked meat, if using).

Add the sauce mixture, and stir-fry for another 30 seconds.

Season with salt to taste. The dish is done once the chives are wilted.

Serve immediately.

About

Judy

Judy Leung is the matriarch of The Woks of Life family, working on the blog alongside husband Bill and daughters Sarah and Kaitlin. Born in Shanghai, China, she immigrated to the United States at sixteen. Fluent in both English and three Chinese dialects, she also plays the important role of researcher and menu translator! Drawing from over four decades of cooking experience and travel, Judy aims to bring Chinese culinary traditions to readers and preserve recipes that might otherwise be lost to time. Her expertise spans from Shanghainese cooking and everyday homestyle dishes to a variety of regional foodways, showcasing the depth and breadth of Chinese cuisine for a global audience. Over the last decade, she’s helped transform The Woks of Life into what Saveur Magazine has deemed “the internet’s most popular Chinese cooking blog,” co-written a New York Times bestselling cookbook, and become convinced that we will never run out of recipes to share!