Recipe for tofu stir-fry with cabbage and cashews {vegan}

Recently our friend Bev stayed with us for a week-plus while recovering from foot surgery, and this made her a captive audience for my cooking experiments. Working with what I had in the pantry one day, I whipped up a turkey version of this vegetarian tofu stir-fry, with cabbage and cashews and mushrooms, and we loved it so much (and ate so much of it) that I had to make it again for you. Bev doesn't like very spicy food, so instead of adding chili paste, which might have been my first instinct, I used a bit more sesame oil, to enhance the nutty flavor of the cashews. Though I've never been a huge fan of cooked cabbage -- I love raw cabbage, in slaws and salads -- I've decided to work harder at liking it. And, as it's so nutritious, I'm making a special effort to incorporate cabbage into our diet more often, starting with soups and stir-fry dishes. Serve this tofu stir-fry over white or brown rice.

Tofu stir-fry with cabbage and cashews

From the pantry, you'll need: garlic, cashews, sesame oil, reduced-sodium soy sauce, oyster sauce, cornstarch.

Serves 4-6.

Ingredients

2 tsp oil (peanut, rice bran, vegetable, etc.)
14-oz package extra-firm tofu, drained well and diced
8 oz sliced cremini mushrooms
2 scallions, thinly sliced (white and green parts)+ extra for garnish
1 clove garlic, peeled and sliced
6 cups thinly shredded cabbage (1/2 of a large head of cabbage)
1/3 cup roughly chopped cashews
1-1/2 Tbsp sesame oil
3 Tbsp reduced-sodium soy sauce
2 Tbsp oyster sauce (omit for vegetarian)
1 Tbsp cornstarch mixed with 2 Tbsp water
Cooked white or brown rice (3/4 cup per person)

Directions

In a wok or large frying pan, heat the oil over high heat.

Stir-fry the tofu, mushrooms, and scallions for 3-4 minutes. Add the garlic, and stir for another 30 seconds.

Pile all of the cabbage and cashews into the wok, and drizzle with the sesame oil. Stir some of the tofu mixture up and over the cabbage. Cover the wok, and cook for 2-3 minutes, to wilt the cabbage.

Uncover the wok, add the soy sauce (and oyster sauce, if using), and keep stir-frying to distribute the ingredients.

Make a small well in the center of the wok, and pour in the cornstarch-water mixture. It will thicken the liquid almost instantly. Stir to coat all of the vegetables.

Serve hot, over cooked rice, garnished with sliced scallions.

[Printer-friendly recipe.]

More tofu rice bowl recipes:
Broccoli tofu stir-fry with brown rice
Tofu and green bean stir-fry with spicy peanut sauce
Vegan red curry tofu and kale with brown rice
Tofu, bok choy and portobello mushroom fried rice
Red curry tofu with spinach and mushrooms

Other recipes that use these pantry ingredients:
Pumpkin-pistachio kale fried rice bowl with maple tofu cubes, from Happy. Healthy. Life.
Brown rice bowl with lemongrass, tofu, and cashews, from The Kitchn
Sesame tofu, from Use Real Butter
Tofu stuffed with brown rice and mushroom dressing, from FatFree Vegan Kitchen
Creamy coconut-tofu rice, from One Hot Stove

Tofu stir-fry with cabbage and cashews

From the pantry, you'll need: garlic, cashews, sesame oil, reduced-sodium soy sauce, oyster sauce, cornstarch.

Serves 4-6.

Ingredients

2 tsp oil (peanut, rice bran, vegetable, etc.)
14-oz package extra-firm tofu, drained well and diced
8 oz sliced cremini mushrooms
2 scallions, thinly sliced (white and green parts)+ extra for garnish
1 clove garlic, peeled and sliced
6 cups thinly shredded cabbage (1/2 of a large head of cabbage)
1/3 cup roughly chopped cashews
1-1/2 Tbsp sesame oil
3 Tbsp reduced-sodium soy sauce
2 Tbsp oyster sauce (omit for vegetarian)
1 Tbsp cornstarch mixed with 2 Tbsp water
Cooked white or brown rice (3/4 cup per person)

Directions

In a wok or large frying pan, heat the oil over high heat.

Stir-fry the tofu, mushrooms, and scallions for 3-4 minutes. Add the garlic, and stir for another 30 seconds.

Pile all of the cabbage and cashews into the wok, and drizzle with the sesame oil. Stir some of the tofu mixture up and over the cabbage. Cover the wok, and cook for 2-3 minutes, to wilt the cabbage.

Uncover the wok, add the soy sauce (and oyster sauce, if using), and keep stir-frying to distribute the ingredients.

Make a small well in the center of the wok, and pour in the cornstarch-water mixture. It will thicken the liquid almost instantly. Stir to coat all of the vegetables.

Serve hot, over cooked rice, garnished with sliced scallions.

[Printer-friendly recipe.]

More tofu rice bowl recipes:
Broccoli tofu stir-fry with brown rice
Tofu and green bean stir-fry with spicy peanut sauce
Vegan red curry tofu and kale with brown rice
Tofu, bok choy and portobello mushroom fried rice
Red curry tofu with spinach and mushrooms

Other recipes that use these pantry ingredients:
Pumpkin-pistachio kale fried rice bowl with maple tofu cubes, from Happy. Healthy. Life.
Brown rice bowl with lemongrass, tofu, and cashews, from The Kitchn
Sesame tofu, from Use Real Butter
Tofu stuffed with brown rice and mushroom dressing, from FatFree Vegan Kitchen
Creamy coconut-tofu rice, from One Hot Stove

Comments

I love cooked cabbage and this sounds delicious. I especially like the use of cashews which I don't think I've ever used in stir fry at home!

Kalyn, I'm really determined to get more cabbage into our diet this year. It's low calorie, and really good for me, so I've set about finding ways to love it. This stir-fry is one way.

This is a great recipe, especially as I have fallen in love (again) with cabbage and haven't quite figured out how to use it. And you are singlehandedly filling up my chicken and turkey pinterest board with your must-make dishes.

Jamie, we loved this just as much with tofu as with turkey. The cabbage softens and sweetens as it cooks.

I do love the silkiness of cabbage when it's cooked. This looks a lot like the Buddist's Delight I made recently for Chinese New Year.

Jeanette, I'm going to go look on your blog for a recipe for Buddist's Delight. Love the name.

Lydia,
I'm delighted my daughter is such a fan of sautéed cabbage (she prefers Savoy above all others, and has since about age 10) because it inspires me to use our farm share cabbage easily and often.
Thanks for this--I think my whole family would love it, even the teens who harumph when I make a meatless meal.