Basil Tofu
Updated November 3, 2025
Julia Gartland for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Samantha Seneviratne.
- Ready In
- 25 min
- Rating
- Comments
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Ingredients
Vegetable or grapeseed oil
1 shallot or small red onion, halved and sliced
1 red bell pepper, halved, seeds removed and finely diced
4 ounces green beans, trimmed and thinly sliced into ½-inch pieces
Salt
4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 to 3 Thai chiles, finely chopped
2 (14- to 16-ounce) packages extra-firm tofu, drained and broken into irregular 1-inch pieces
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons dark soy sauce
2 tablespoons lime juice, plus 1 lime, quartered, to serve
1 cup Thai, holy or sweet basil leaves
Cooked jasmine or short-grain white rice, to serve
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)
18 grams carbs; 222 calories; 2 grams monosaturated fat; 4 grams polyunsaturated fat; 2 grams saturated fat; 9 grams fat; 5 grams fiber; 911 milligrams sodium; 23 grams protein; 6 grams sugar
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
- Step 1
Heat a wok or a large 12-inch skillet on medium-high. When it’s hot, drizzle in 2 tablespoons of oil, add the shallot and toss until softened, 1 minute. Add the red bell pepper and green beans, season with ½ teaspoon of salt and toss for 1 minute. Add the garlic and Thai chiles and toss until fragrant, about 1 minute.
- Step 2
Add the tofu, soy sauce and dark soy sauce, and stir fry until the tofu is well coated and thoroughly warmed, 3 to 4 minutes. Finally, add the lime juice and basil leaves, and toss until the basil is wilted, about 30 seconds.
- Step 3
Serve with rice, with lime wedges on the side.
Private Notes
Comments
Three small changes that really brought this to life - added a tablespoon of rice vinegar, a teaspoon of sugar and a teaspoon of cornstarch to the soy sauce mixture. Otherwise made as is and it was delicious!
I used to live in Thailand and have done a version of this for years. Instead of the soy sauce, I use oyster sauce (which is what the street vendor I went to used). I tear the tofu into smaller pieces -- close to crumbled is good, actually, because it crisps a bit and it soaks up more sauce. Leave out the bell pepper and amp up the garlic slightly. Thai or holy basil preferred, but any kind works. Serve a fried egg on top. This is a great super-fast dinner recipe.
This recipe has potential. I thickened the sauce with some corn starch as it was too watery. Next time I may add some vegetable broth as well to increase the amount of sauce instead of just adding soy sauce. I would mix the cut up tofu with cornstarch and bake in oven to get crispy before adding to wok. I would also double the amount of green beans and simply cut them in half instead of slicing.
I thought I was going to love this recipe, but found it way TOO SALTY. I added no additional salt. I would recommend using low sodium soy sauce and then salt to taste. To me, the soy sauce overpowered the flavor of this dish.
I made this last night and used one package of tofu and half a package of ground chicken sausage. It’s zucchini time in our garden, so I substituted zucchini for the green beans. It was delicious! What an easy recipe. It showed up on my newsfeed at just the right time.
I made this as written and it was just OK. I like some of the suggestions for additions to make a nice tangy sauce, and I am planning to make it again with these adjustments.