Sticky Ginger Tofu Stir-Fry with Purple Sprouting Broccoli and Cashew Rice

# Sticky Ginger Tofu Stir-Fry with Purple Sprouting Broccoli and Cashew Rice

Purple sprouting broccoli has a frustratingly short season, and if you've ever caught it at its peak — tender, slightly bitter, with those vivid violet florets — you'll know it's worth building a whole meal around. This stir-fry does exactly that, pairing it with crispy tofu lacquered in a sticky ginger sauce and a toasted cashew rice that earns its place on the plate.

This isn't a complicated dish. It's the kind of weeknight dinner that looks like you've made an effort without actually demanding much of you.

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What you'll need (serves 2)

For the tofu:

• 280g firm or extra-firm tofu
• 2 tbsp cornflour
• 1 tbsp neutral oil (sunflower or rapeseed)
• Salt and white pepper

For the sticky ginger sauce:

• 3 tbsp low-sodium soy sauce
• 1 tbsp rice vinegar
• 1 tbsp maple syrup or honey
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• 2 tsp fresh ginger, finely grated
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tsp cornflour mixed with 2 tbsp cold water (slurry)

For the stir-fry:

• 200g purple sprouting broccoli, trimmed
• 1 red pepper, thinly sliced
• 3 spring onions, sliced
• 1 tbsp neutral oil

For the cashew rice:

• 180g jasmine or basmati rice, cooked
• 40g cashews, roughly chopped
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• Small handful of fresh coriander (optional)

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How to make it

Step 1: Press and prep your tofu

Pressing tofu is non-negotiable if you want it crispy rather than steamed and soggy. Wrap the block in a clean tea towel, place something heavy on top — a cast iron pan, a few cookbooks — and leave it for at least 20 minutes. Once pressed, cut into roughly 2cm cubes and toss with cornflour, salt, and white pepper until evenly coated.

Step 2: Make the sauce

Whisk together the soy sauce, rice vinegar, maple syrup, sesame oil, ginger, and garlic in a small bowl. Mix the cornflour slurry separately and keep it nearby — you'll add it at the end to thicken things up. Taste the sauce before it hits the pan. It should be salty, tangy, and slightly sweet. Adjust accordingly.

Step 3: Fry the tofu

Heat a tablespoon of oil in a non-stick frying pan or wok over a high heat. Add the tofu in a single layer and resist the urge to move it. Leave it for 2–3 minutes until a golden crust forms on the bottom, then flip each piece and repeat on the other sides. This patience is what separates crispy tofu from sad tofu. Once golden all over, remove and set aside.

Step 4: Stir-fry the vegetables

In the same pan, add another splash of oil and turn the heat up high. Add the purple sprouting broccoli first — it needs the most time — and cook for 2 minutes, tossing regularly. Add the red pepper and cook for another minute. You want everything to have a little colour and char at the edges, not stew in its own steam.

Step 5: Bring it all together

Return the tofu to the pan. Pour over the sauce and stir everything to coat. Add the cornflour slurry and stir continuously for about 60 seconds as the sauce thickens and goes glossy. It should cling to the tofu and broccoli rather than pool in the pan. Scatter over the spring onions.

Step 6: Toast the cashews and finish the rice

In a dry pan over a medium heat, toast the cashews for 2–3 minutes until golden and fragrant. Toss through the cooked rice with sesame oil and coriander if using. The toasty, nutty flavour makes a real difference to what could otherwise be a fairly neutral base.

Serve immediately — stir-fries wait for no one.

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What makes this work nutritionally

This dish is a solid example of a well-balanced plate without needing to overthink it.

Tofu provides a complete plant protein, meaning it contains all nine essential amino acids. A 140g serving (roughly half the tofu in this recipe) delivers around 17g of protein. It's also a source of calcium, particularly important if you're eating mostly plant-based, and contains isoflavones, which research has consistently linked to cardiovascular benefits.

Purple sprouting broccoli is nutritionally dense even in small quantities. It's rich in vitamin C, folate, and glucosinolates — the sulphur compounds that give brassicas their slightly bitter edge and have been associated with reduced cancer risk in observational studies. Importantly, it retains more of these compounds when cooked quickly at high heat, which makes stir-frying one of the better cooking methods for it.

Cashews add healthy unsaturated fats and a modest amount of plant-based iron and magnesium. They also bump up the calorie and fat content of the rice in a way that slows digestion and helps sustain energy levels rather than causing a rapid blood sugar spike.

Ginger does more than flavour things. It contains gingerols and shogaols — bioactive compounds with anti-inflammatory and digestive properties. The amounts you'd get in a meal like this are modest, but meaningful over time as part of a varied diet.

The overall macros for this dish will vary slightly based on your rice portion and how much sauce you use, but you're broadly looking at a meal with around 35–40g protein, 55–65g carbohydrate, and 18–22g fat per serving — which makes it genuinely useful for anyone tracking macros without being a diet food.

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What the evidence shows

Tofu has had an unfair reputation for years, partly driven by concerns about phytoestrogens — plant compounds that weakly mimic oestrogen in the body. The worry was that these could interfere with hormonal balance, particularly in men or in people with a history of hormone-sensitive cancers.

The current evidence doesn't support that concern in typical dietary amounts. A 2020 meta-analysis published in Nutrients reviewed over 400 studies and found no adverse hormonal effects in men consuming soy foods regularly. Major cancer charities including Cancer Research UK now state that moderate soy consumption is safe, even for people who have had breast cancer.

Separately, a growing body of research supports plant-forward eating patterns — not because meat is inherently harmful, but because diets rich in vegetables, legumes, and whole grains are consistently associated with lower rates of cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, and all-cause mortality. This stir-fry fits neatly into that kind of eating without requiring you to label yourself anything.

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Common stir-fry mistakes (and how to avoid them)

Too much in the pan at once. Overcrowding drops the temperature, and your ingredients steam rather than fry. Cook in batches if needed.

Sauce added too early. Adding the sauce before your protein and veg have proper colour means everything simmers rather than caramelises. Get the fond in the pan first, then introduce the liquid.

Cold tofu from the fridge. Frying cold tofu means it takes longer to heat through, giving moisture more time to escape and steam your crust away. Let it come closer to room temperature while you prep everything else.

Skipping the pressing step. Tofu is mostly water. If you don't remove it, you're frying water rather than tofu. Even 15 minutes of pressing makes a significant difference.

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Practical takeaways

• Press the tofu for at least 20 minutes — use a heavy pan, a book, whatever's to hand.
• If purple sprouting broccoli isn't in season, tenderstem broccoli or long-stem broccoli work well here. Cavolo nero is a wilder swap but genuinely worth trying.
• The sauce recipe doubles easily and keeps in the fridge for up to a week — it's useful on noodles, salmon, or roasted aubergine.
• Toast your cashews every time. It takes three minutes and transforms them.
• For extra protein, add a soft-boiled egg on the side, or increase the tofu portion to 400g split between two.

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