Vegan Baby Corn Stir-fry
I think it’s no secret how much I enjoy East Asian flavors. Soy, sesame, garlic and ginger are some of my favorite flavor “go-tos”. Baby corn is also a fun ingredient I like to use in stir-fries. In honor of March being “baby themed”, I figured I’d share a recipe. Sometimes I feel like we rely on meat too much as our main protein in dinners so I’m always looking for meatless meals. This stir-fry has tofu in it and it works great with all the crunchy veggies!
Let’s get to it!
You’ll start with the tofu. You’re going to cook it in sesame oil to give it a nice browned crust. Heat the sesame oil in a nonstick skillet over medium heat and add the tofu. Cook about five minutes on each side, or until it’s crispy and browned.
I used a marinated tofu I found at my local Asian market to give my stir fry a depth of flavor, but any firm tofu will work. You just want something that’s not going to fall apart as it cooks. Once the tofu is done, take it out of the pan with a slotted spoon, leaving any sesame oil left in the pan.
Now add the water chestnuts, sugar snap peas, and ginger to the pan and cook over medium heat a few minutes to get them a little browned.
I used fresh water chestnuts. I’m sure many of you have had the canned version of water chestnuts, but have you ever had fresh? They are so much better! I should probably apologize now because once you’ve had fresh you’ll be ruined on the canned forever! They have more crunch and a lovely sweetness, it almost reminds me of a less sweet Jicama. They actually look just like they sound, chestnuts from the sea. :). They can be found in the produce section. You just peel the brown skin off and eat. If you cannot find fresh water chestnuts, you can use canned but honestly I would recommend just beefing up your stir fry with more sugar snap peas instead.
Fresh water chestnuts, peeled and unpeeled.
Cook the snap peas and water chestnuts, just until the peas have softened slightly and they just start to brown.
Now you’ll put it all together. Add the browned tofu and baby corn back to the pan and pour in the soy sauce. Stir and cook another few minutes for the flavors to meld.
Serve over white or brown rice with extra soy sauce on the side (as my dad says, “you can always add, but you can never take away”) and sesame seeds sprinkled on top.
This stir-fry is a great vegan dinner that is filling without being heavy. The veggies are crunchy and crisp with plenty of flavor from the ginger and soy. It’s great the next day for lunch!
Enjoy!
Save Recipe
Ingredients
- 8 ounces firm tofu cut into bite-sized cubes
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- 1/2 teaspoon fresh minced ginger
- 1 pound fresh water chestnuts, peeled and sliced
- 1 1/2 cups sugar snap peas
- 1 15 ounce can baby corn, drained and cut in half
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce plus more for serving
- sesame seeds for garnish
- cooked rice for serving
Instructions
- Heat sesame oil over medium heat in nonstick skillet. Add tofu and cook 5 minutes on each side, or until crispy and browned.
- Remove from pan with a slotted spoon, leaving sesame oil left in the pan.
- Add water chestnuts, sugar snap peas, and ginger and cook over medium heat just until peas have softened slightly and start to brown.
- Add tofu, baby corn, and soy sauce. Stir and cook another few minutes.
- Serve over white or brown rice with extra soy sauce on the side and sesame seeds sprinkled on top.