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.
agree on the adds. i also used another persons' suggestion, addeing fish sauce & oyster sauce. baked the tofu & loved the crispiness. @Dylan
Made as written - used Fresh Thyme Super Firm tofu - and it was delicious. Simple and tasty, I liked the way the garlic, shallots, peppers, lime juice and soy sauce soaked into the tofu. Did not miss having a “sauce”. Had fresh sweet basil from our garden. Going on our repeat list. I think the super firm tofu was the key to success.
As suggested by Tanya Sichynsky (NYT Cooking writer), consider serving it with peanut noodles with spicy tofu by Sue Li (substitute the spicy tofu with this tofu vegetable stir fry).