Stir-fry Tofu and Kangkong

Stir fry tofu and kangkong is a humble dish made of fried tofu and kangkong (or water spinach) and flavoured with liquid seasoning, oyster sauce, sugar, corn starch, salt and pepper. This stir-fry tofu and kangkong recipe can make you can enjoy a high quality plant-based protein together with a leafy veggie which benefits your gut health. One bite of this dish can give you the cruch and freshness from the kangkong leaves in contrast to the soft and mild beany flavor of the tofu. Coated with some savoury sauce, the stir fry tofu and kangkong may be enjoyed as a side dish or appetizer, but is still best when paired with some hot steaming rice.

STIR FRY TOFU AND KANGKONG RECIPE

Ingredients:

• 500 grams tofu (cut into serving pieces)
• 1 bunch of water spinach
• 4 tablespoons oyster sauce
• 3 tablespoons liquid seasoning
• Salt to taste
• ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• ¾ cup water
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 2 tablespoon fried garlic bits (optional)
• Sesame seeds (optional)

Directions:

1. Prepare the tofu and cut into large cubes. Set aside.
2. Heat some oil in a pan. Fry the tofu cubes until brown and crispy. Flip all sides to cook evenly. Transfer them to a strainer or paper towel to drain excess oil. Set aside.
3. Using the same pan, add the onions and garlic and saute for a few minutes. Once the garlic is light brown, add the oyster sauce and stir a bit. Turn the heat to medium low. Add the liquid seasoning and mix well.
4. Combine water and cornstarch in a bowl to make a slurry. Mix well.
5. Pour the slurry into the mixture and stir well. Season with salt, pepper and sugar. Stir until the sauce thickens. 
6. Once thick, add the kangkong. Mix gently until softened. Then, add the fried tofu cubes. Toss gently until well coated with the sauce.
7. Add some fried garlic bits (optional) and then let it simmer for a few more minutes. Turn the heat off.
8. Transfer the stir fry tofu and kangkong to a serving plate. Enjoy this as an appetizer or have it with a big bowl of hot steaming rice. Yum!

WHAT IS KANGKONG

Kangkong, or water spinach, is one of the most famous veggies in the country. This veggie may be compared to the spinach and watercress. The difference lies on how they are grown. Kangkong grows in both soil and water unlike the spinach which needs extreme amounts of sunlight.

Kangkong is the very first veggie I would say if you ask me of something leafy. There are many types of veggies but leafy veggies really hit different. When preparing veggies, I really want to educate my niece a bit when it comes to nutrients. When you see a vegetable, you instantly associate them with a lot of vitamins and minerals. But did you know that kangkong is fully packed of iron and vitamin C? Yes! Even if its not citrus! Aside from this, the kangkong is also high in both calcium and magnesium.

If you haven’t tried this stir fried kangkong and tofu recipe, then you’re definitely missing out in life!

STIR FRY TOFU AND KANGKONG

If there is one dish which me and my niece both love, that’s the stir fry tofu and kangkong. My niece started loving the kangkong the first time she tasted one from the sinigang. She was asking me for other kangkong recipes so I immediately prepared this dish for her.

There are only a few kangkong recipes out there and one of the easiest one is to turn them into stir fried. Not only are you using only a few ingredients, but you can highlight the taste of the kangkong in this way. Just like other leaves, the kangkong tastes “too leafy”. We call this taste “lasang chlorophyll” (HAHAHA Does any of you call it this way too?)

Surprisingly, the stir fried kangkong is a part of the Chinese cuisine. (This is why you see this at Chowking!) Its Chinese variety is called ongchoy. The stir fried kangkong is usually enjoyed as a side dish to sweet and sour pork, noodles and or dim sums.

Unlike the Chinese cuisine, I usually enjoy the stir fried kangkong alongside fried tofu. I purposely make the kangkong saucy so I can dip the tofu in the sauce. This routine gave me the idea of simply combining the tofu in the dish to have it also well coated with the sauce.

Stir fried tofu and kangkong has been one of my favorite veggie dishes. What I like about this dish is the “leafiness”. Ohhh, fiber. I am healthy! Constipation? Gone in an instant!

If you wanna know how to prepare this very nutritious dish at home, read and follow the quick and easy steps below. Happy cooking!

HOW TO MAKE STIR FRY TOFU AND KANGKONG

Preparing this stir fry tofu and kangkong is pretty straightforward. All we need to do is to stir fry the ingredients until they come together into one satisfying dish. This dish can be prepared in around 30 minutes.

Our meat source for this recipe would be the tofu. Although plant-based, the tofu is packed with high quality proteins! Cut them into cubes and pat them dry first before frying to prevent oil splattering. You can also coat them in cornstarch first if you like. When brown and crispy, set them aside.

Our sauce will be made with just the simple oyster sauce and liquid seasoning. (You can add some sugar if you like it sweeter). Saute your aromatics, add the sauces and some slurry to make it thick.

When you buy the kangkong from the market, it usually comes as a bunch. Take note that we only need the leaves and some stalk from the kangkong but not the large stem.  Add the kangkong to the sauce. You will be surprised how little the kangkong will shrink when heated so I suggest adding more leaves if you like. Make sure that the kangkong leaves are coated with the sauce.

Then, add the fried tofu. You can opt to serve this separately but tofu is so much better when also coated with the oyster sauce. Do not overcook the kangkong leaves as they can get mushy.

When done, enjoy this stir fry tofu and kangkong with some hot steaming rice. For snacks, I also sometimes use it as a palaman to crackers and Fita. Yum!

COOKING TIPS

• If you want to explore other veggies, you can try replacing the kangkong with spinach!

Stir-fry Tofu and Kangkong Recipe in Tagalog

Mga Sangkap:

• 500 grams ng tokwa (hiniwa sa serving pieces)
• 1 bugkos ng kangkong
• 4 kutsarang oyster sauce
• 3 kutsarang liquid seasoning
• asin
• ½ kutsaritang paminta
• 1 kutsarang asukal na pula
• ¾ tasang tubig
• 1 kutsarang cornstarch
• 2 kutsarang pritong bawang (optional)
• Sesame seeds (optional)

Paano Lutuin:

1. Ihanda ang tokwa at hiwain ng malalaking cubes. Isantabi.
2. Magpainit ng mantika sa kawali. Iprito ang mga tokwa hanggang maging golden brown. Baliktarin ang mga ito para maluto ang ibang sides. Ilipat sa strainer o paper towel para tumulo ang sobrang mantika. Isantabi.
3. Gamit ang parehong kawali, ilagay ang sibuyas at bawang. Igisa ng ilang minuto. Kapag light brown na ang bawang, saka ilagay ang oyster sauce. Babaan ang apoy sa katamtaman saka ilagay ang liquid seasoning. Haluin ng mabuti.
4. Para sa slurry, paghaluin ang tubig at cornstarch sa isang bowl.
5. Ibuhos ang slurry sa mixture at haluin. Timplahan ito ng asin, paminta at asukal. Haluin hanggang lumapot ang sauce.
6. Kapag malapot na ang sauce, saka ilagay ang kangkong. Haluin hanggang lumambot ang mga dahon. Ilagay ang mga pritong tokwa para malagyan ng sauce.
7. Maglagay ng pritong crispy bawang (optional) at haluin ng konti. Lutuin lang ito ng konti pang minuto bago patayin ang apoy.
8. 8.    Ilipat ang stir fry tofu at kangkong sa serving plate. Enjoyin ito bilang appetizer o samahan ng maraming kanin. Yum!