Hot and Sour Seared Tofu With Snap Peas Recipe (2024)

I veganized this by swapping agave for the honey and using equal parts (additional) soy and lime instead of fish sauce. I also increased the recipe by half, to serve 4, with extra for lunch the next day. And then I made some extra sauce for drizzling over the plated dish, because the sauce really got absorbed during that last stir-fry and because it's so good! We all loved it. I'll definitely make it again, and the sauce is going into my "must-memorize" list for emergency stir fries.

I drain tofu by putting it on a clean cutting board that is slanted enough to drain directly into sink -- to do this put a saucer (or any item) under one end. Put a few heavy plates on top the tofu cube. No need for towels this way, the water flows out in about 20 minutes.

I cooked this today and it worked out very well. I served it over brown rice which was given its own interesting smoky flavor with the addition of a teabag of lapsang souchong tea to the rice as it simmered. I will make this again!

This is a winning weeknight dish. I've done it with various combinations of greens added to the snap pea/scallion mixture. Thinly sliced baby bok choy is an addition that works really well. The sauce is great and easy to double if you like a little extra.

This is one of my favorite stir-fry recipes. I usually nearly double the amt of peas or other veggies. Still, with rice it's barely enough for 2 hungry people without any other dishes or soup.
I have to laugh at the suggested 20 minute time. There's a significant amount of prep, lots of ingredients, chopping, grating, squeezing, tofu prep. I wouldn't doubt that it takes me 45 minutes or more just to have everything lined up for cooking.

When searing tofu, I usually sprinkle it with a thin layer of nutritional yeast after patting it dry, on both flat sides. It sears better and adds a nutty flavor to the tofu.

The pure greenness of this dish just says SPRING. It honors the sugar snap peas, which are most delicious raw. The sauce here, however, is a close second. Double the sauce.

thanks for the tip about using a teabag of lapsang souchong to get smoky flavored rice! I've never tried that before.

Delicious sauce and so easy to make this dish. I had some very fresh ahi tuna purchased from the farmer's market in the morning and I thought, why not make a substitute? The ahi worked beautifully but I will also make this with tofu sometime soon.

I used Miso instead of fish sauce and coconut blossom instead of sugar. Served over rice noodles with a little extra soy sauce. Delicious!

Double the sauce, but not the lime juice.

Followed others' suggestions to go easy on the lime, double the sauce, use more honey & ginger, and per Melissa Clark, resisted the urge to mess with the tofu & just let it sear. Husband loved it, asked when we're having it again. It's a keeper!

I agree, more sauce is needed. Also, you can't add it if the pan is too hot or the sugar causes it to burn. The flavors and ingredients of this dish are spot on but the technique or process could use some refinement.

The sauce was very good but we all agreed that the tofu was awful. The crispy outside and marshmallow inside texture didn't go over well and also prevented the tofu from absorbing the flavor. We tossed it. Next time, if we bother, we'll use chicken thighs or tuna in place of the tofu.

I doubled the sauce except for the lime, and only used half a jalepeno to avoid too much heat for the kids. Replaced most of the sesame oil with peanut oil. The sugar snap peas turned out great -- next time I'll do more of them. I needed to cook the tofu 4 min per side to get it golden, but it turned out unpleasantly chewy and lacking flavor. Probably user error, but maybe next time I'll just dice it and stir-fry the tofu along with the veggies so it soaks up the sauce more?

Followed others' suggestions to go easy on the lime, double the sauce, use more honey & ginger, and per Melissa Clark, resisted the urge to mess with the tofu & just let it sear. Husband loved it, asked when we're having it again. It's a keeper!

Quick —use dried Chile flakes

I doubled the sauce except for the lime, and only used half a jalepeno to avoid too much heat for the kids. Replaced most of the sesame oil with peanut oil. The sugar snap peas turned out great -- next time I'll do more of them. I needed to cook the tofu 4 min per side to get it golden, but it turned out unpleasantly chewy and lacking flavor. Probably user error, but maybe next time I'll just dice it and stir-fry the tofu along with the veggies so it soaks up the sauce more?

Double the sauce, but not the lime juice.

next time making with shrimp

Great recipe but a little heavy on the lime- I'll add less next time i make it

I made this again tonight, and was just as pleased as I was the first time I made it. A few substitutions: snow peas for sugar snap peas, ginger juice for grated ginger, sriracha for chopped chiles. And I didn't have any cilantro to sprinkle on top. But it was so good! Will keep and make again.

This turned out to be an absolute delight. I made it with zucchini as one of the alternative suggested vegetables, and I plan to make it again with green beans. I highly recommend using Wildwood high-protein sprouted tofu if you can get it; I buy mine from Whole Foods (and it was on sale!), and as it is much firmer, denser, and drier than conventional water-soaked tofu, it sears better than conventional water-soaked tofu.

There were no sugar snap peas at my grocery store, so I tried snow peas. It did not work; too woody. Also, 1 tsp of honey was not enough. I used the juice of 1 medium-large lime and 1 tsp of honey, and it was just sour; not sweet and sour. A tablespoon would probably be about right.

When searing tofu, I usually sprinkle it with a thin layer of nutritional yeast after patting it dry, on both flat sides. It sears better and adds a nutty flavor to the tofu.

pretty bland. tofu and veggies are good, as is garlic and ginger, but sauce is way too little and not tasty enough. in fact it is pretty obvious that considering the amount of vegetables that approximately 4.5 tablespoons of sauce is inadequate.

The sauce was very good but we all agreed that the tofu was awful. The crispy outside and marshmallow inside texture didn't go over well and also prevented the tofu from absorbing the flavor. We tossed it. Next time, if we bother, we'll use chicken thighs or tuna in place of the tofu.

I used edamame beans instead; wonderful texture and taste. Sauce is great.

I used Miso instead of fish sauce and coconut blossom instead of sugar. Served over rice noodles with a little extra soy sauce. Delicious!

My Japanese friend taught me to freeze tofu before using which tastes wonderful. It absorbs more flavor and the texture changes to be more fibrous and substantial.