Light miso gives this easy, vegan stir-fry its rich flavor while tofu adds protein and heartiness. Quick, under 200 calories, and gluten-free.
I don’t post a lot of stir-fry recipes because, as I’ve mentioned before, I tend to make them by feel, adding whatever amounts of vegetables and sauce feel right. Since I usually use the same basic ingredients, most of my stir-fries taste about the same. But not this one.
Adding a miso-based sauce to my stir-“fried” veggies (they’re really stir-steamed) took this easy dish to a new level. And if I hadn’t had a tub of miso that I needed to use up, I never would have thought of it. If you love the rich flavor of mellow white miso, you’re going to love this dish!
The only time-consuming part of this recipe is the chopping. I used packaged baked tofu (not something I usually buy but I got it on sale for half-off) and sliced the vegetables extra thin so that they cooked in a flash. Then, I served the cooked vegetables over buckwheat soba noodles because they also cook quickly, but if you’re in less of a hurry than I was, brown rice, quinoa, or your favorite whole grain would also make a nice “bed” for the stir-fry. Just do serve it on top of something–the sauce is intentionally thin and plentiful enough to deliver that great miso flavor to whatever’s underneath it.
Note: A quarter teaspoon of roasted sesame oil packs a whole lot of flavor and only 1/3 gram of fat per serving, but you can omit it if you need to.
Stir-fried Tofu and Vegetables with Miso Sauce
Ingredients
- 2 teaspoons minced garlic
- 1 pound baby bok choy
- 1 large carrot
- 6 ounces mushrooms
- 1/2 red bell pepper
- 8 ounces baked tofu
Sauce
- 2 tablespoons shiro (white miso)
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
- 1/2 cup water
- 1 teaspoon sriracha or other chile sauce
- 1 tablespoon mirin sweet rice cooking wine
- 1 teaspoon agave nectar or other liquid sweetener
- 1/4 teaspoon toasted sesame oil optional*
Instructions
- Wash bok choy, cut off the green tops, chop them coarsely, and place in a bowl. Slice the white parts about 1/2-inch thick and place in another large bowl. Cut the carrot into matchsticks and add it to the white bok choy bowl. Slice the mushrooms, and put them with the carrots. Slice the bell pepper thinly and add it to the bok choy greens. Dice the tofu and set aside.
- Place the miso and cornstarch into a bowl and gradually add the water as you whisk it to combine smoothly. Add the remaining sauce ingredients and set aside.
- Heat a large non-stick skillet or wok (or regular skillet that has been rubbed or sprayed lightly with canola oil). When it’s hot, add the garlic and stir for about 30 seconds. Add the white bok choy/carrot mixture and 2 tablespoons water and cover immediately. Steam for about 2 minutes. Add the bok choy greens, cover, and cook until just wilted, about 1-2 minutes. Stir in the tofu and the sauce and cook until tofu is heated through and sauce is slightly thickened. Serve immediately over noodles or whole grain.
Recipe Notes
*The sesame oil adds only 1 gram of fat and 10 calories to the entire dish (all three servings combined).
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Kalyn
Woo Hoo, congratulations Susan.
dmargster
Of course you won, Susan! Your blog is hands down the best recipe blog out there, vegan or otherwise. I have voraciously browsed the blogosphere for a number of years in search of recipes that are healthy, delicious and veg*n, and in my less-than-humble opinion no site comes close with yours. Please keep on doing what you're doing.
Needless to add, I will be making this stir-fry recipe…as soon as I have finished the leftovers of your Golden Potato and Tempeh Casserole I made last night.
Paul
Congratulations Susan!
Thanks for another great recipe, I'll be making this one tonight.
The Ordinary Vegetarian
Congrats on the Veggie Awards win, you most definitely deserve it!
I've never used miso in a stir fry sauce, I love this idea. Bonus: just picked up a new container of mellow white miso yesterday!
dajjoy
miso is a very delicous food. We always use miso in fish
moonwatcher
Congratulations, Susan–as another poster said, it's no surprise–your blog has been feeding me for nearly two years straight now, and you've taught me just about everything I know about cooking oil and animal free. Your blog is truly a gift to us, and you deserve the award hands down.
I LOVE miso, and add it routinely to soups, so this will be great to try. Can't wait!
xo
moonwatcher
dreaminitvegan
Congrats on the Veggie Blog Award!
Your stir-fry looks wonderful! I have made a miso ginger sauce before but not in a while. Like you I always have to adjust the sauce accordingly.
bordervegan
This looks so delicious. I can't wait to make it!
Trinity (of haiku tofu)
Yum yum yum! That stir-steam looks awesome. Congrats on the Veggie Blog Award- I voted for you!
Tiffany C.
That stir-fry looks delicious. Congrats on the Veggie Blog win–your work is truly awesome. 🙂
taleoftwovegans
Congratulations, I can't think of a more deserving winner. Your blog constantly provides me with great recipes (have yet to find one I haven't liked) and ideas so thank you so much for keeping it up! 🙂
-K
Xtreme English
Congratulations! and thanks for the new recipe for stirfry. can't wait to try it.
btw, I've become a fan of Singapore noodles. so yummy. and I can even live without the tofu.
Cosmos
you deserve to win. I am addicted to your tofu omelet for one by the way!
Anonymous
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Reply me your comment and if can the concept be adopted in other country.
custom desk
Tofu has been in my diet for months now and it really helped me to avoid pork and beef.
Laina
Congrats, Susan!!! We appreciate you so much!
I've never tried miso. Where would I get it and what is it?
This looks like a great, easy meal.
Thanks,
Laina 🙂
SusanV
Thanks, Laina! About the miso: It's a fermented paste made of soy beans, rice, and/or other grains. You can find it in Asian markets, but you have to be careful because some of the brands contain fish (bonito). A safer place to buy it is in a natural food store where it's often organic and completely vegan and all-natural. It's available in different colors, and generally speaking, the darker it is, the stronger the taste. It is a high-sodium ingredient, so use it sparingly (you can also find lower-sodium versions if you look). In this recipe, I used instead of broth, soy sauce, and salt so it alone provides the saltiness.
carrie
how long does miso last once it is opened?
SusanV
Keep it tightly covered in the refrigerator and it will last for months. I’ve kept it up to a year without any problem.
moreclick
owww it is a delicious =) thnks
Isabel Ramos
Congratulations, Susan!
Congratulations on the great recipes, of course; but also congratulations on your texts and on your excellent photos!
Big hug, from Germany (very cold!, the weather, not the hug :-))
chow vegan
Looks delicious! and congratulations! 🙂
Elaine
Congrats, Susan, on your win, I was another who voted for you! I subscribe to several blogs but yours is the one I find myself saving recipes from the most.
Can't wait to try this recipe and also try out my new Tofu Xpress. I love miso so this will be a great new way to use it. Thanks for all the wonderful recipes and ideas, they help so much when faced with another day of "what to make for dinner"!
Bill Medifast
I am a big stir fry fan, especially when it comes to emptying out the fridge from all those left over vegetables. This looks like a great recipe that may actually require me to buy fresh vegetables.
You can never go wrong with stir fry! Thanks for sharing this recipe.
Bill M.
Carolyn
The recognition is well deserved, congratulations! And I just ordered Nava's E-book, it will be a fabulous resource for the coming season. We should all be striving to come up with some noteworthy dishes for the next couple of months!
sarahk
Congratulations, Susan, and thanks for another great recipe. It's always exciting when I see that you've posted a new one and I was especially thrilled to realise that I had all the ingredients to hand except the red bell pepper.
We're heading into summer here and this was the perfect recipe to make at the end of a hot day. Not much prep, lots of lovely fresh vegetables and very little time spent over the hot stove. This will be added to my list of recipes in high rotation.
FoodFitnessFreshair
That looks delicious. Tofu is so versatile!
Dentists Fort Myers
Wow, I really think that this dish is very delicious! Thanks for sharing the recipe. I just hope that I can find Shiro Miso in a supermarket.
Tokkar
This looks positively yum! I might just have to try it this weekend!
Hey, I have a question for you. What recipes would you recommend for someone who is A) allergic to soy and B) allergic to the nightshade family (peppers, potatoes, tomatoes, etc.)? My roommate is an unfortunate recipient of the above two items, and I am an Italian chef.
Yeah.
Peppers, tomatoes…bring 'em on!
I also love experimentation with Asian cuisine, which means soy.
By the bye – her doctor said she shouldn't eat wheat or barley.
I'm at a loss in fixing a lot of things, so any help you could provide would be wonderful!
Crystal
Congrats on the award!!
Thanks for sharing the sauce recipe. While I go by feel too, I tend to forget what I put in each stir-fry, so I do like to write that part down.
Braelin
This was excellent- mine was more of a noodle/veggie bowl- but something different and very, very enjoyable. Thanks!
Experimental Culinary Pursuits
Congrats on the award!
I recently discovered the joys of cooking with Miso too – have a large tub sitting in my fridge now. My favorite way is to infuse it into Eggplant.
SallyT
I love toasted sesame oil. The flavor to fat ratio is so worth it to me.
Way to go on the award!
moonwatcher
Hi again Susan,
Well, I had originally planned to make your recipe as isthe first time, but then the result of another recipe intervened. I had been meaning to try the Pad Thai recipe out of the Engine 2 Diet book, and had everything on hand. Though I toyed with the idea of inserting your stir fried tofu cubes, I decided to follow the recipe verbatim. To my disappointment, the recipe was quite dry, and the tofu squares rather bland. Something had to be done, since I had a lot of it left over. So I decided to "fuse" a version of your miso sauce and give it a Thai or southeast Asian flare. Instead of the quarter teaspoon of sesame oil, I used a teaspoon of peanut butter, and because I didn't have any suitable hot sauce, a substituted a yellow curry paste–and also a dash of lime juice. The results were delicious, and definitely brightened up the left-overs, along with the some crunch fresh veggies, like diced cucumber, shredded napa cabbage and carrots and minced green onion, and (I know you don't like this much) lots of cilantro. So just wanted to let you know this miso sauce is quite versatile, and coats rice noodles and veggies nicely. And next time I'll stick with the template of your basic recipe for fried tofu cubes, the one listed with asparagus and somen. They are to die for! (And they can be made without any oil to great effect, if that is necessary.)
And, once again, calamity is the mother of improvisation–and one of your recipes saves the day again!
xo
moonwatcher
Impr
Anjali
Hi! These things look delicious! Please check out my new blog!! http://ecstaticvegan.blogspot.com/
Mindy
Made this for dinner tonight, the sauce is absolutely delicious!! I loved it and can't wait for leftovers for lunch tomorrow!
Alejandra
I had miso in my house and I didnt wanted to make soup..so when I saw this recipe I instantly thought of it!! ( I also had mirin and soy sauce in my house..I usually eat japanese food )
Defenitly a keeper!! Im so happy I´ve found this blog…really…a lot of thanks for all the hard work and for teaching us to eat healtly!!
pd: sorry for the grammar mistakes..im from argentina ( spanish country 😛 )
m
MMMMMMMM! Turned out delicious!! I did up the chili paste a little, as I like spice, and added water chestnuts at the request of my boyfriend. We had to force ourselves to stop eating it, it was so yummy. The little that was left over tasted great heated the next day too.
nicole
Is there anything I can substitute for the mirin in this recipe? Thanks 🙂
Susan Voisin
You can use water or wine.
Ryan Elizabeth
Hi!
Just wanted to thank you for this recipe! I have a whole tub of white miso paste, am constantly looking for new ways to use it and this recipe hit the spot! I threw together a stir fry with this miso sauce and HOLY MOLY was it delish. Having it again for dinner tonight, can’t wait! 🙂