Name: Stir-Fried White Tofu with Green Peppers — 白玉豆干炒青椒
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 15 min
Ingredients: 4 slices White dried tofu (白玉豆干) (Non-GMO if available, sliced thin); 1 large Green bell pepper (青椒) (Seeded, sliced diagonally); 3 stalks Baby corn (玉米筍) (Sliced diagonally); 4 pieces Oyster mushrooms (秀珍菇) (Torn into strips); 2 tbsp Cooking oil (食用油) (Neutral oil); to taste Black peppercorns (黑胡椒粒) (Ground over tofu while frying); 1/2 tsp Salt (鹽); 1/4 tsp White pepper (白胡椒粉); 1 tsp Shacha sauce (沙茶醬) (Taiwanese satay sauce); 30 ml Water (水) (Just enough to soften vegetables)

This quick home-style stir-fry turns everyday white dried tofu (白玉豆干) into golden, pepper-scented bites tossed with crisp green peppers, baby corn, and oyster mushrooms. 一道五分鐘上桌的家常小炒，把平凡的豆干煎得金黃焦香，配上爽脆的青椒與玉米筍，清爽下飯又營養。

📹 Watch the Recipe

Recipe by 芭樂媽的家 Qistin Wong TV

🥘 Why This Recipe Works

In Taiwanese home kitchens, 白玉豆干 (bái yù dòu gān, “white jade dried tofu”) is the quiet workhorse of the dinner table. It is tofu that has been pressed and dried until firm, so it soaks up sauces without falling apart — the same reason temple cooks have relied on it for centuries as a protein stand-in in meatless meals. Here, Qistin Wong (芭樂媽) gives it the treatment it deserves: sliced thin and pan-fried until the edges turn golden and the surface crackles, with black pepper sprinkled straight onto the pan so the aroma bakes right in.

The supporting cast is all crunch and freshness — a big green bell pepper sliced on the diagonal, tender baby corn, and oyster mushrooms torn into strips that release their savory juice as they sear. A single teaspoon of 沙茶醬 (shacha sauce) ties everything together with its smoky, nutty depth, a flavor Taiwanese cooks reach for the way Western cooks reach for soy sauce. It is the kind of dish that makes a bowl of plain rice feel like a celebration.

This version: 10 ingredients, one pan, 15 minutes.

🛒 Ingredients

Ingredient	Amount	Notes
White dried tofu (白玉豆干)	4 slices	Non-GMO if available; slice into thin rounds
Green bell pepper (青椒)	1 large	Seeded, sliced diagonally
Baby corn (玉米筍)	3 stalks	Sliced diagonally
Oyster mushrooms (秀珍菇)	4 pieces	Torn into strips
Cooking oil (食用油)	2 tbsp	Neutral oil with high smoke point
Black peppercorns (黑胡椒粒)	To taste	Ground over the tofu while frying
Salt (鹽)	1/2 tsp	Add with the other seasonings
White pepper (白胡椒粉)	1/4 tsp	For gentle heat
Shacha sauce (沙茶醬)	1 tsp	Taiwanese satay sauce; adjust to taste
Water (水)	~30 ml	Just enough to soften the vegetables

👨‍🍳 Instructions

Step 1: Prep Everything

Slice the white dried tofu into thin rounds (about 0.5 cm) — thin enough to crisp, thick enough to stay springy.
Cut the green pepper in half, remove the seeds, and slice into long diagonal strips.
Slice the baby corn diagonally and tear the oyster mushrooms into thin strips along their natural lines.

Step 2: Sear Mushrooms and Tofu

Heat oil in a wok or skillet over medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms first and toss until fragrant and lightly golden.
Add the tofu slices in a single layer and let them sizzle undisturbed.
Sprinkle black pepper straight over the tofu — the heat bakes the pepper aroma right into the surface.
After about 2 minutes, flip the tofu and fry the other side until light golden. Stop at golden, not dark brown, so the tofu stays Q-elastic (Q彈).

Step 3: Season and Toss

Lower the heat to medium-low and add the green pepper strips.
Season with 1/2 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp white pepper, and 1 tsp shacha sauce.
Turn the heat back up to high and toss everything quickly so the seasonings coat every piece.

Step 4: Finish with Baby Corn and Water

Add the baby corn and pour in about 30 ml of water — just enough to create steam and soften the vegetables.
Toss until the water evaporates and the peppers turn tender-crisp, using the spatula to lift from the bottom so the tofu doesn’t break.
When everything is glossy and fragrant, turn off the heat and serve over steamed rice.

💡 Tips & Substitutions

Why is my tofu hard and dry?	Don’t over-fry. Stop at light golden — the residual heat finishes cooking the inside, keeping it springy and Q-elastic.
How do I get a deeper pepper aroma?	Sprinkle the black pepper on the tofu while it fries, not at the end. The oil carries the aroma into every bite.
The dish came out watery.	Use only about 30 ml of water and let it fully evaporate before serving. Too much water makes the vegetables soggy.
My tofu keeps breaking apart.	Lift and flip with the spatula from the bottom instead of chopping or pressing down into the tofu.
No shacha sauce on hand?	Substitute 1 tsp hoisin sauce, or a pinch of five-spice powder plus 1 tsp soy sauce, for similar smoky depth.

📊 Nutrition

Per serving (serves 2 as a side or with rice)
~230 cal · Protein: 14g · Carbs: 13g · Fat: 13g · Fiber: 3g

🌱 Why This Dish

The name 白玉豆干 (bái yù dòu gān) paints a small picture: 白 (white), 玉 (jade), 豆 (bean), 干 (dried) — “white-jade dried bean curd.” Pressed and dried tofu has been a cornerstone of Chinese vegetarian cooking for over a thousand years, prized in Buddhist temple kitchens as the most reliable meat substitute of the pre-modern world. Because it keeps without refrigeration and drinks up seasonings like a sponge, it became a staple of monastic cooking and of 家常菜 (jiā cháng cài), the everyday home dishes that anchor family meals across Taiwan and southern China.

The shacha sauce is a delicious reminder of Taiwan’s coastal crossroads. Its name comes from the Hokkien pronunciation of “satay,” and it carries the smoky, savory DNA of Southeast Asian grilling, filtered through Fujianese and Chaoshan kitchens before finding a permanent home in Taiwanese stir-fries. Paired with green pepper (青椒, qīng jiāo), whose crispness balances the tofu’s richness, this dish shows how vegetarian cooking in Taiwan is never an afterthought — it is a full tradition of its own, quick enough for a weeknight and rooted in centuries of meatless practice.

Dou Dou (豆豆)