Crispy Tofu and Asparagus Stir-Fry
Freeze-dried tofu, dried asparagus, and a soy-ginger sauce you mix at home. One pan, no fridge.
- calories
- 620
- weight
- 5 oz
- cal / oz
- 124
- protein
- 24 g
- serves
- 2, scales
- prep
- 10 min
- cook
- 15 min
- total time
- 25 min
- water
- 400 ml boiled
- cost
- $$
Calorie and protein figures are my own estimates, good enough for planning a food bag and not meant as precise nutrition data.
- Dinner
- Canister stove
- Liquid fuel
- Grill grate
- Car camping
- Basecamp
- Backpacking
- Vegetarian
- Vegan
- Dairy free
- Nut free
- One pot
- Dehydrate ahead
- Shelf stable
- Actual cooking
Ingredients
| Extra firm tofu, pressed and dehydrated | 8 oz fresh weight | about 2 oz dry once dried; freeze-dried tofu also works |
|---|---|---|
| Dried asparagus tips | 1 cup | blanched and dehydrated at home |
| Instant rice or dried rice noodles | 1.5 cups dry | |
| Soy sauce | 1/4 cup | carried in a leakproof bottle |
| Garlic powder | 1 tsp | |
| Ground dried ginger | 1 tsp | |
| Brown sugar | 1.5 tsp | |
| Cornstarch | 2 tsp | |
| Salt | 1/2 tsp | |
| Vegetable oil | 3 tbsp | dropper bottle |
| Sesame oil | 1/2 tsp | |
| Sriracha packets | 2 |
Method
- Pour 400 ml of boiled water over the dried tofu and asparagus in a bag or bowl. Twenty minutes. They will not rehydrate in the pan.
- Cook the rice or noodles first, set them aside covered, and wipe the pot.
- Drain the tofu and asparagus, saving 1/3 cup of the soaking water. Squeeze the tofu gently so it browns instead of steaming.
- Stir the soy sauce, garlic powder, ginger, brown sugar, cornstarch, and salt into the reserved water.
- Get 2 tbsp of oil hot in the pot, add the tofu, and leave it alone for two minutes at a time so it crusts. Four or five minutes total.
- Add the last tbsp of oil and the asparagus. Two minutes, high heat, minimal stirring, until the tips take some color.
- Pour in the sauce. It thickens in under a minute. Kill the heat, add the sesame oil, and spoon it over the rice with sriracha.
Cast iron and two pounds of fresh asparagus do not go backpacking. What survives the trip is the sauce and the technique: a soy-ginger-cornstarch slurry that glazes everything in the last thirty seconds, and enough heat that the tofu browns rather than stews. Fresh garlic and ginger become powders, and the asparagus gets blanched and dried at home.
The long soak is the part people skip and regret. Dried tofu that goes into hot oil still hard stays hard, and cornstarch needs the sauce to be liquid before it hits the heat. Squeezing the water back out of the tofu matters just as much as putting it in.
Packing
Dry tofu and asparagus share one bag. Sauce powders (garlic, ginger, sugar, cornstarch, salt) premix into a small bag at home so you are not measuring five things in the dark. Soy sauce and both oils ride in bottles inside a ziplock.
Variations
- Skip the rice and eat it straight from the pot to save a step and a wash.
- Freeze-dried edamame in place of the asparagus if you cannot dry your own.
- A tablespoon of peanut butter powder in the sauce makes it a satay, but it stops being nut-free.
https://www.lodgecastiron.com/blogs/recipe/crispy-tofu-and-charred-asparagus-stir-fry