This satay-inspired tofu broccoli stir fry comes together fast under high heat. The wonderfully savory and aromatic sauce of peanuts and lemongrass infuse spongy tofu in this vegetarian dish. Feel free to leave out fish sauce for a vegan version.

Although I prefer the crunch of fresh peanuts, substituting peanut butter will transform this dish into a velvety delight. Don't skimp on the fragrant ginger and lemongrass either, dried herbs will work equally as well.
Serve with some homemade Thai chili-garlic sauce and cucumber relish to really invoke the satay flavors. Don't forget to make some jasmine rice too!
Tofu and Broccoli Stir Fry
Ingredients
Sauce
- 1 stalk lemongrass
- 2 cloves garlic, (peeled and minced)
- 1 " ginger, (peeled and minced)
- 1 teaspoon white peppercorns, (or ground white pepper)
- ½ cup peanuts
- 1 small shallot, (peeled and minced)
- 2 tablespoon soy sauce
- 2 tablespoon fish sauce
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
- 1 lime, (juiced)
- 2 tablespoon palm sugar, (or white sugar)
Stir Fry
- 1 large head broccoli, (or broccolini, florets torn and core chopped into bite size pieces)
- 12 oz firm or extra firm tofu, (drained and cut into 1″ cubes)
- 5 red bird eye chilis, (or 1 serrano, minced)
- ¼ cup grapeseed oil or any neutral oil
- cooked jasmine rice, (for serving)
- crushed peanuts, scallions, lime wedges, chili-garlic sauce (for topping)
Instructions
Making the Stir Fry Sauce
- In a small saucepan, start preparing jasmine rice.
- To make the stir-fry sauce, start by removing the outer shell of the lemongrass stalk and discard all but about 4" of the root end. Then, using a pestle or the back end of a knife smash the remaining lemongrass until very fragrant. Once the lemongrass is smashed use a sharp knife to carefully mince the stalk.
- Heat a wok over the hottest flame on your stove, then add the minced lemongrass, minced ginger, peanuts, and white peppercorns and dry toast for about 2 minutes until very fragrant and just starting to brown. Remove to a mortar and further smash until the peanuts and white peppercorns are crumbled.
- Add the rest of the sauce ingredients to the mortar and mix well and set aside.
Stir Fry
- Meanwhile, prep all ingredients for the stir-fry including chopping the broccoli into bite size pieces and draining the tofu and cutting into 1" cubes.
- Over the hot wok, add half of the grapeseed oil and once it begins to shimmer add the tofu and fry on both sides until lightly browned, about 4 minutes per side. Remove and set aside.
- Then, add the remaining oil, chopped broccoli, and minced chilis to the wok and stir-fry until the broccoli begins to brown on the edges. Add a splash of water (about a ¼ cup) to the wok. Let the veggies cook for another 5 minutes or until the water evaporates completely.
- Add the fried tofu and stir-fry sauce to the wok and toss until well combined. Try not to break the tofu up too much.
- Serve on top of steamed jasmine rice with crushed peanuts, scallions, and lime wedges. Add a bit of Thai chili-garlic sauce if you want some heat (or a lot if you're like me).
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