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Spiced Bok Choy and Tofu

A quick stir-fry of bok choy, shiitake mushrooms, scallion, garlic, jalapeño, ginger, tofu, and a sauce of soy, water, and sugar substitute.

From the Recipes Wiki (Fandom) · 12 ingredients
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Why it works: Sesame and shiitake match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 142 recipes. Both carry 1-octen-3-ol, which smells mushroom, earthy. The science ↓

Spiced Bok Choy and Tofu

Time5 minutes

Ingredients

Directions

Stir-fry the vegetables

  1. Heat oils in a large skillet or wok over high heat.

  2. Add bok choy and mushrooms, and stir-fry for 5 minutes, or until tender-crisp.

  3. Add scallion, garlic, jalapeño and ginger, and stir-fry for 1 1/2 minutes.

Add the sauce and tofu

  1. Meanwhile, mix water, soy sauce and sugar substitute together in a cup.

  2. Stir into bok choy mixture, and top with tofu.

  3. Cover, and cook just to heat through, for 1 minute.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

598Calories
22 gProtein
47 gFat
32 gCarbs

Counts 11 of 12 ingredients. The other 1 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.

What these numbers assume: 11 portions
IngredientPortion assumedkcal
Peanut1 oz (28g)161
Sesame1 tbsp (14g)120
Olive Oil1 tbsp (14g)119
Tofu100g firm76
Sugar Substitute1 tbsp (12.5g) granulated49
Shiitake1/2 cup (73g)34
Mushroom1/2 cup sliced (35g)15
Bok Choy1 cup (70g)9
Soy Sauce1 tbsp (15ml)9
Garlic1 clove (3g)4
Ginger1 tsp grated fresh (2g)2
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. Sesame + shiitaketop 1% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together142 recipes

    Shared aroma: 1-octen-3-ol (mushroom, earthy).

  2. Peanut + sesametop 1% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together349 recipes

    Shared aroma: 2-ethyl-3,6-dimethylpyrazine (roasted, nutty).

  3. Clove + gingertop 1% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together6,038 recipes

    Shared aroma: estragole (anise, licorice).

  4. Shiitake + garlictop 1% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together292 recipes

    Shared aroma: coumarin (sweet, hay).

  5. Shiitake + mushroomtop 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
Adds protein and a soft, absorbent texture that takes on the sauce flavour.
Shiitake mushrooms
Add savoury, meaty depth and moisture as they release juices while cooking.
Bok choy
Provides the main crisp-tender bulk and fresh, mild sweetness when briefly cooked.
Soy sauce
Supplies salty, savoury flavour that seasons the whole dish.

The step that matters

Stir-frying the bok choy and mushrooms over high heat. Cooking over high heat quickly drives off surface moisture so the vegetables sear and stay tender-crisp rather than steaming into a soggy mass. Overcrowding the pan or cooking too long lowers the heat and releases too much water.

Swap the clove

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (peanut, sesame, shiitake, mushroom, garlic, ginger, sauce):

  1. Corianderfits better
  2. Cuminfits better
  3. Turmericfits better
  4. Clovethe original

Fit is the average pairing score against peanut, sesame, shiitake, mushroom, garlic, ginger, sauce. 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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