In our last post, I shared what was coming up fast in the garden. Lush baby bok choy, very ready green onions, and volunteer cilantro that’s soft, fragrant, and absolutely perfect right now. The garden is entering its summer stride—and that means dinner starts with what’s fresh and ends in a spicy tofu stir-fry with mushrooms and greens pulled straight from the beds.
Tonight’s recipe uses all three.
This is a fast, fiery, very green stir-fry that’s become one of our favorite ways to cook with these early summer crops. It starts with tofu and mushrooms and ends with a spicy serrano-cilantro-lime sauce that brings everything together. We stir in tender bean sprouts, crisp bok choy stems, leafy greens, and a flurry of green onions right at the end. It’s garden magic in a bowl.
We make this spicy tofu stir-fry all summer long, switching out the vegetables based on what’s coming up in the garden. Sugar snaps? Toss them in. Green beans? Same. Even thinly sliced zucchini works.
Spicy?
We’re chili heads. No way around it. Other than tomatoes, the biggest crop in our garden is hot peppers — serranos, jalapeños, Thai chilies, habaneros, you name it. Chris and I love the heat, and this dish is exactly the way we eat it: bold, spicy, full of that yummy hot pepper goodness. If you’re heat-sensitive, feel free to swap in a milder pepper, or even use something like a bell pepper for crunch without the burn. You can even leave the chilies out entirely. We won’t be mad. But this version? This one’s for us.
Let’s get to the recipe.
Spicy Tofu and Bean Sprouts
Equipment
- 1 Wok
- 1 Cutting board
- 1 Knife
- 2 Mixing bowls
- 1 Measuring spoons and cups
Ingredients
- 2 pounds extra firm tofu
- 6-8 serrano chilies seeded and sliced
- 1 tablespoon sesame seeds
- 4 ounces shiitake mushrooms stemmed and sliced
- 12 green onions sliced diagonally into 1-inch pieces
- 1 medium bok choy sliced, stems & leaves separated
- ½ cup oyster sauce
- 4 tablespoons fish sauce
- 2 cups vegetable broth or water
- 3 tablespoons vegetable oil approximately
- 2 tablespoons sesame oil
- 8-10 cloves garlic minced
- 4 cups bean sprouts
Chili Lime Sauce
- 6 serrano chilies minced
- ½ cup fresh lime juice 3–4 limes
- ⅓ cup fish sauce
Garnish
- ¼ teaspoon white pepper
- 1-2 cups chopped cilantro
Instructions
- Add the lime sauce ingredients together and set aside.
- Press tofu and slice into ½-inch cubes then combine with the sesame seeds.
- Mix the oyster sauce, fish sauce, and broth and set aside.
- Heat wok and both oils and stir fry the mushrooms for about one minute. Add the serrano chilies and bok choy stems and fry another minute. Add garlic and fry briefly until light golden. Add tofu, bean sprouts, and green onions. Stir fry over moderate heat until bean sprouts and green onions are crisp-tender, about 2-3 minutes.
- Add liquid from Step 3 and the bok choy leaves. Stir fry over high heat until everything is bubbly hot.
- Serve over rice with lime sauce and chopped cilantro, and sprinkle with white pepper.
Notes
And because the chives are blooming like mad in the garden right now, I topped my spicy tofu stir-fry with a raw chive blossom just before serving. It adds this little pop of color, a soft oniony flavor, and that unmistakable “this came straight from the garden” feeling. Totally optional — but kind of perfect.
