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Tofu and Mushroom Delight

A stir‑fry of tofu, onions, button and shiitake mushrooms in a savory sauce.

From the Recipes Wiki (Fandom) · 17 ingredients
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Why it works: Garlic and shiitake match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 292 recipes. Both carry coumarin, which smells sweet, hay. The science ↓

Tofu and Mushroom Delight

Time1 minute

Ingredients

Directions

Prepare

  1. Rinse tofu, set on several layers of paper towels and allow to drain to remove excess water.

  2. Cut tofu into 1‑inch cubes.

  3. If using dried shiitake mushrooms, rehydrate in water and slice.

Stir-fry

  1. Heat wok or heavy skillet until hot over high heat.

  2. Add 2 tablespoons soybean oil and brown the garlic about 10 seconds.

  3. Add sliced onions and mushrooms, and stir with a ladle until aromatic, about 1 minute.

  4. Add water and tofu.

  5. Bring to a boil and cover with pan lid.

  6. Steam cook 1 minute and remove cover.

  7. Add oyster sauce, soy sauce, sugar, salt, and white pepper.

  8. Mix water and cornstarch.

  9. Add cornstarch solution to stir‑fry, stir until thickened.

Serve

  1. Serve family‑style with freshly cooked rice or on noodles as a balanced meal.

  2. Garnish with thin slices of green onion, red and yellow peppers.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

786Calories
38 gProtein
10 gFat
140 gCarbs

Counts 13 of 16 ingredients. The other 3 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.

What these numbers assume: 13 portions
IngredientPortion assumedkcal
Flour1 cup (125g) all-purpose455
Oyster6 medium (84g)81
Tofu100g firm76
Sugar1 tbsp (12.5g) granulated49
Onion1 medium (110g)44
Shiitake1/2 cup (73g)34
Mushroom1/2 cup sliced (35g)15
Soy Sauce1 tbsp (15ml)9
Clove1 tsp ground (2g)7
Black Pepper1 tsp ground (2.3g)6
Pepper1 tsp ground (2.3g)6
Garlic1 clove (3g)4
Salt1 tsp (6g)0
Soybean Oilnot in our table0
Waternot in our table0
Saucenot 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. Garlic + shiitaketop 1% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together292 recipes

    Shared aroma: coumarin (sweet, hay).

  2. Garlic + oniontop 1% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together29,058 recipes

    Shared aroma: furaneol (caramel, strawberry).

  3. Tofu + shiitaketop 2% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together58 recipes

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

  4. Onion + shiitaketop 3% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together412 recipes

    Shared aroma: decanal (soap, orange peel).

  5. Mushroom + shiitaketop 4% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together552 recipes

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

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

What each ingredient does

Tofu
Provides the main protein and a soft, absorbent body that takes on the sauce.
Cornstarch
Thickens the cooking liquid into a glossy sauce that clings to the tofu and mushrooms.
Oyster sauce
Adds savory depth and umami to the sauce.
Button mushrooms
Release moisture and savory flavor as they cook, adding body to the stir-fry.
Onion
Adds sweetness and aroma as it softens in the hot oil.
Soybean oil
Conducts heat for stir-frying and carries the garlic and onion flavors.

The step that matters

Drain the tofu well before cooking. Excess surface water dilutes the sauce and turns to steam in the hot pan, so the tofu will not brown and the cornstarch sauce may thin out.

Swap the soybean

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (tofu, garlic, clove, onion, mushroom, shiitake, oyster):

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

Fit is the average pairing score against tofu, garlic, clove, onion, mushroom, shiitake, oyster. 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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