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Sweet and Sour Tofu Stir-Fry

A stir‑fry of tofu, vegetables, and pineapple in a sweet and sour sauce.

From the Recipes Wiki (Fandom) · 18 ingredients
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Why it works: Broccoli and cauliflower match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 127 recipes. Both carry 4'-methylacetophenone, which smells bitter almond. The science ↓

Sweet and Sour Tofu Stir-Fry

Time3 minutes

Ingredients

Directions

Blanch the vegetables

  1. In a large pot of boiling water, cook the broccoli, cauliflower, and carrots for 3 minutes.

  2. With a slotted spoon, remove the vegetables from the pot and plunge immediately into ice water.

  3. Drain well and set the vegetables aside.

Make the sauces

  1. In a small bowl, combine the cornstarch and 2 tablespoons of the pineapple juice.

  2. In another small bowl, combine the brown sugar, apple juice concentrate, and the remaining pineapple juice with the rice vinegar.

Stir-fry and serve

  1. In a wok, heat the peanut oil.

  2. Add the ginger, garlic, and jalapeño. Stir-fry until the garlic and ginger are fragrant, about 1 minute.

  3. Add the drained vegetables and stir-fry 3 minutes.

  4. Add the tofu, tomato, mushrooms, and pineapple.

  5. Re-stir the fruit juice mixture to blend and add it while continuing to stir and toss the vegetables.

  6. When all the ingredients in the wok are mixed together and the liquid is bubbling, re-stir the cornstarch mixture.

  7. Add this mixture to the wok, stirring constantly as the liquid thickens and clings to the vegetables.

  8. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

  9. Turn onto a platter and serve immediately, accompanied by rice.

  10. If there are leftovers, bring them to room temperature before serving rather than reheating them.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

1008Calories
30 gProtein
21 gFat
184 gCarbs
What these numbers assume: 15 portions
IngredientPortion assumedkcal
Flour1 cup (125g) all-purpose455
Peanut Oil1 tbsp (14g)119
Apple Juice1 medium (182g)95
Pineapple1 cup chunks (165g)82
Tofu100g firm76
Broccoli1 cup chopped (156g)55
Sugar1 tbsp (12.5g) granulated49
Carrot1 medium (61g)25
Tomato1 medium (123g)22
Mushroom1/2 cup sliced (35g)15
Black Pepper1 tsp ground (2.3g)6
Garlic1 clove (3g)4
Vinegar1 tbsp (15ml) distilled3
Ginger1 tsp grated fresh (2g)2
Salt1 tsp (6g)0

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 + cauliflowertop 1% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together127 recipes

    Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).

  2. Pineapple + appletop 4% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together530 recipes

    Shared aroma: ethyl isobutyrate (fruity, ethereal).

  3. Broccoli + carrottop 6% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together1,442 recipes

    Shared aroma: 2-methoxy-4-vinylphenol (clove, smoky).

  4. Carrot + ricetop 7% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together2,477 recipes

    Shared aroma: trans-2-nonenal (cardboard, fatty).

  5. Broccoli + ricetop 8% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together684 recipes

    Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).

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

What each ingredient does

Cornstarch
Thickens the juice mixture into a glossy sauce that clings to the vegetables as it heats.
Tofu
Provides protein and a firm, chewy texture that holds up to stir-frying.
Apple juice concentrate
Adds concentrated sweetness and fruit flavour to balance the vinegar.
Rice vinegar
Adds acidity that gives the sauce its sour edge against the sweetness.
Pineapple juice
Adds sweetness and fruity moisture to the sauce base.
Broccoli
Adds bulk, bright colour and a crisp-tender bite after blanching.

The step that matters

Re-stir the cornstarch mixture before adding it. Cornstarch settles to the bottom of its bowl. Stirring it back into suspension just before adding it ensures even thickening, and adding it to bubbling liquid while stirring constantly prevents lumps and activates the starch to thicken the sauce.

Swap the pineapple

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (broccoli, cauliflower, carrot, sugar, apple, rice, vinegar):

  1. Cherryfits better
  2. Plumfits better
  3. Limefits better
  4. Pineapplethe original

Fit is the average pairing score against broccoli, cauliflower, carrot, sugar, apple, rice, vinegar. 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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