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Beef Tofu Green Soybean Stir-fry

A stir-fry of beef, tofu, green soybeans, broccoli, and red pepper in a soybean oil sauce.

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Why it works: Broccoli and ginger work together. They rank in the top 6% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 652 recipes. Both carry linalool, which smells floral, citrus. The science ↓

Beef Tofu Green Soybean Stir-fry

Ingredients

Directions

Cook the vegetables

  1. Heat first tablespoon of soybean oil in a large skillet or wok over medium-high heat.

  2. Add red pepper strips and broccoli florets.

  3. Cook, stirring constantly, until crisp-tender.

  4. Stir in green soybeans and cook one minute, or until green soybeans are no longer frozen.

  5. Remove vegetables with a slotted spoon, place in a bowl, cover, and set aside.

Make the sauce and beef

  1. Heat second tablespoon of soybean oil in the same skillet or wok.

  2. While oil is heating, make a paste of ginger, cornstarch, soy sauce, water, and one teaspoon soybean oil in a measuring cup or small bowl.

  3. Set the paste aside.

  4. Add strips of beef sirloin to the hot oil and stir and cook until almost done.

  5. Add the soy sauce paste mixture and stir well.

Combine and serve

  1. Add the vegetables back to the wok or skillet and toss well.

  2. Add strips of tofu and toss lightly until tofu is heated throughout.

  3. Serve over hot steamed rice or Asian noodles.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

878Calories
53 gProtein
22 gFat
115 gCarbs

Counts 7 of 10 ingredients. The other 3 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.

What these numbers assume: 7 portions
IngredientPortion assumedkcal
Flour1 cup (125g) all-purpose455
Beef100g cooked250
Tofu100g firm76
Broccoli1 cup chopped (156g)55
Bell Pepper1 medium (119g)31
Soy Sauce1 tbsp (15ml)9
Ginger1 tsp grated fresh (2g)2
Soybean Oilnot in our table0
Soybeannot in our table0
Waternot in our table0

One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.

Recipe from the Recipes Wiki (Fandom).

Steps grouped into stages for easier reading; the method is the source's own.

Explore the science

The flavor team

The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.

  1. Broccoli + gingertop 6% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together652 recipes

    Shared aroma: linalool (floral, citrus).

  2. Ginger + tofutop 8% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together284 recipes

    Shared aroma: methyl 2-methylbutyrate (fruity, apple).

  3. Soybean + gingertop 8% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together33 recipes

    Shared aroma: 1-octen-3-one (mushroom, metallic).

  4. Broccoli + tofutop 8% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together103 recipes

    Shared aroma: linalool (floral, citrus).

  5. Pepper + gingertop 9% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together6,800 recipes

    Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).

Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs

What each ingredient does

Sirloin steak
Provides the main protein, which browns quickly in hot oil and stays tender when cooked briefly.
Cornstarch
Thickens the soy sauce mixture so it clings to the beef and vegetables instead of pooling.
Green soybeans
Add firm texture and a mild, sweet bean flavor that holds up to quick stir frying.
Tofu
Adds soft, absorbent protein that takes on the flavor of the soy sauce glaze.
Broccoli
Adds crisp-tender texture and body, cooked quickly so it stays bright green.

The step that matters

Cook the beef until almost done, then add the sauce. Beef cooked over high heat overcooks and toughens fast. Removing it at almost done lets it finish gently in the sauce, and cornstarch thickens only once the liquid simmers.

Swap the soybean

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (pepper, broccoli, ginger, sauce, tofu):

  1. Sesamefits better
  2. Cashew nutfits better
  3. Beansfits better
  4. Soybeanthe original

Fit is the average pairing score against pepper, broccoli, ginger, sauce, tofu. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.

“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.

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