Black Pepper Tofu and Celery

Tofu and celery stir-fry with rice, garnished with green onions and sesame seeds.

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4.72 from 7 votes

Black Pepper Tofu and Celery

This black pepper tofu and celery recipe is a super simple and delicious stir fry!

Prep Time15

Cook Time30

Total Time45

Course: Dinner

Cuisine: Chinese

Servings:

Author: Lindsey Baruch

Ingredients

For your stir fry

1 tablespoon avocado oil
14 ounce block firm tofu
2 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon peppercorns ground up in a pestle and mortar or grinder
1 teaspoon chili flakes or gochugaru, Sichuan chili powder will work as well
4 garlic cloves thinly sliced
2 thumbs ginger thinly sliced into matchsticks
1 bundle celery sliced on a bias
1 bundle green onions sliced on a bias
juice of 1 lemon

For your sauce

1/4 cup soy sauce
1 tablespoon coconut aminos or more soy sauce
2 teaspoons rice vinegar or Chinese black vinegar
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 tablespoon cornstarch or flour
white rice
top with celery leaves, remaining green onions and sesame seeds with lemon juice

Instructions

Prep your tofu. To begin, drain and dry (with paper towels) your tofu. Cube into your desired size (I did medium to medium small sized cubes)
Crisp your tofu. Heat a cast iron or wok with a drizzle of avocado oil until piping hot. Add in your cubed tofu and brown on 1 side for 5-6 minutes, until you see browning on the bottom. Then flip, repeat on all sides until browned. Season with salt and remove from the pan.
Prep vegetables. While your tofu is browning, prep all your aromatics and vegetables. When slicing your celery, set aside the leaves, and set aside a little bit of the sliced green onions for garnish.
Grind up your peppercorns with a grinder, pestle and mortar or you can use pre-ground pepper if you prefer. Set aside.
Make your stir fry sauce (while the tofu is crispied!). Mix soy sauce, coconut aminos, vinegar, sugar with a whisk and cornstarch/flour until all mixed together.
Begin your stir fry. In the same skillet/cast iron/wok as the removed tofu, add a drizzle of olive oil and heat on medium-high heat. Add in your ground up peppercorns and pepper flakes (chili or gochugaru) to bloom the spices.
Then add in your garlic and ginger. Mix well until all the spices are incorporated on medium high heat.
Finish the stir fry by adding your celery and green onions. Mix well until your celery is softer but still crunchy - about 10-15 minutes.
Then add in your stir fry sauce as well as adding back in your crispy tofu. Stir well on medium to high-high heat and mix well until completely mixed together. The sauce should get glossy, saucy and thick at this point.
Make your topping! Mix until heated throughout. As it's heating, in a separate bowl, add in your celery leaves, toasted sesame seeds and reserved green onions. Mix with a dash of salt and a lemon squeeze. Mix well.
Serve! In a bowl, add in your fluffy white rice, the tofu stir fry and top with your quick celery leave/green onion/lemon salad. Finish with another lemon squeeze and enjoy!

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