Skip to main content
Main

Simmering Tofu Stir-fry

A quick tofu stir-fry with vegetables, apple, soy sauce, and olive oil.

From the Wikibooks Cookbook · 6 ingredients
Jump to recipe ↓

Why it works: Tomato and olive are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 15,539 recipes. Both carry 3-hexenal, which smells apple, fruity. The science ↓

Simmering Tofu Stir-fry

Ingredients

Directions

Prepare

  1. Slice tofu into manageable slices (no more than ¼ inch thick).

  2. Slice all vegetables and apple.

Cook

  1. Simmer tofu and vegetables in a light mixture of olive oil and soy sauce over medium‑high heat.

  2. Cook until tofu is golden brown and vegetables have thoroughly soaked up juices.

Serve

  1. Serve with a side of rice or couscous and season.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

530Calories
13 gProtein
33 gFat
52 gCarbs
What these numbers assume: 11 portions
IngredientPortion assumedkcal
Vegetable1 tbsp (14g)120
Olive Oil1 tbsp (14g)119
Apple1 medium (182g)95
Tofu100g firm76
Onion1 medium (110g)44
Bell Pepper1 medium (119g)31
Tomato1 medium (123g)22
Soy Sauce1 tbsp (15ml)9
Chili1 tsp (2.7g)8
Black Pepper1 tsp ground (2.3g)6
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 Wikibooks Cookbook.

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. Tomato + olivetop 1% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together15,539 recipes

    Shared aroma: 3-hexenal (apple, fruity).

  2. Pepper + tomatotop 7% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together17,923 recipes

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

  3. Tofu + olivetop 8% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together678 recipes

    Shared aroma: ethyl isobutyrate (fruity, ethereal).

  4. Onion + tomatotop 8% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together20,633 recipes

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

  5. Onion + olivetop 8% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together29,779 recipes

    Shared aroma: 2,4-decadienal (seaweed).

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

What each ingredient does

Firm tofu
Provides the main protein and body, and browns on the surface when simmered over high heat.
Vegetables
Add moisture, sweetness and texture, and soak up the seasoned cooking liquid.
Apple
Adds natural sweetness that balances the savory soy sauce.
Soy sauce
Supplies salty, savory flavor and colors the tofu and vegetables as the liquid reduces.

The step that matters

Cook until tofu is golden brown. Tofu has a high water content and stays pale and soft if it is not cooked long enough. Enough heat and time let surface moisture evaporate, so the tofu browns and firms up, and the vegetables absorb the seasoned juices.

Swap the apple

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (tofu, onion, pepper, tomato, sauce, olive):

  1. Avocadofits better
  2. Limefits better
  3. Mangofits better
  4. Applethe original

Fit is the average pairing score against tofu, onion, pepper, tomato, sauce, olive. 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.

You might also like

Tomato SoupTomato Soup526 recipesCream of Tomato SoupCream of Tomato Soup107 recipesTomato BisqueTomato Bisque61 recipesApple SoupApple Soup33 recipes