Better-Than-Takeout Vegan Black Bean Sauce Stir-Fry with Tofu and Fresh Vegetables

This quick stir-fry brings together crunchy vegetables, golden tofu, and a rich, savoury black bean sauce. It’s fast to make but full of flavour – perfect for evenings when you’re craving something bold but don’t want to wait on delivery. Serve over rice or noodles for a deeply satisfying bowl.

Dark grey bowl filled with wholewheat noodles topped with vegan black bean sauce, red pepper, green pepper, broccoli, and tofu.

Print Recipe

Prep Time 20

Cook Time 1

Total Time 30

Course Dinner, Lunch, Main

Cuisine Inspired by Chinese Flavours

Servings people

Calories 543

Ingredients

Sauce ingredients

3 tbsp soy sauce | Kikkoman or other light soy sauce
3 tbsp shoaxing wine
2 tsp sugar
2 tsp white miso paste
2 tsp tamarind paste
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
¼ tsp ground black pepper
¼ tsp salt
½ tsp cornflour | for the cornflour slurry
1 tsp water | for the cornflour slurry
¼ tsp gravy browning
235 g black beans | cooked weight

Stir fry ingredients

2 tbsp rapeseed oil
180 g brown onion | unpeeled weight; cut into slender petals
3 units fresh garlic cloves | finely sliced
½ tsp fresh ginger | finely grated
60 g red pepper | fine julienne (matchsticks)
60 g green pepper | fine julienne (matchsticks)
100 g broccoli | cut into small bite sized chunks
140 g firm tofu

Noodles

320 g wholewheat noodles | dried weight; + boiling water to re-hydrate
1 tsp sesame oil | to stop the noodles from sticking

Toppings

1 unit spring onion | sliced finely on the diagonal
1 tsp sesame oil | drizzle over the finished dish

Instructions

Prepare vegetables, tofu and noodles

Soak noodles in hot water for 8 minutes and drain thoroughly.
320 g wholewheat noodles
Peel and chop the onion, grate the ginger, peel and slice the garlic. Slice the green and red pepper, cut the broccoli into small bite-size chunks and slice the spring onion.
Cut the tofu into longer chunks (see the photo).

Make the sauce

Mix the sauce ingredients thoroughly in a bowl. Open the black beans. PLEASE DO NOT DRAIN THEM!
3 tbsp soy sauce, 3 tbsp shoaxing wine, 2 tsp sugar, 2 tsp white miso paste , 2 tsp tamarind paste, 1 tsp apple cider vinegar, ¼ tsp ground black pepper, ¼ tsp salt, ½ tsp cornflour, 1 tsp water, ¼ tsp gravy browning, 235 g black beans

Cook onion, ginger and garlic, add the sauce

Heat the wok/large frying pan until very hot (it almost smokes). This will seal the surface of the pan. Then add 1 tbsp oil and wait until the oil is hot, liquid and shimmering. Add the onions and stir fry for a minute. Add the ginger and garlic and stir-fry for 45 seconds. Add the black beans to the pan and mix. With the back of a spoon, crush some of the black beans (30-50%). Mix. Then add the sauce and mix to thicken. Simmer 5-10 minutes to reduce and thicken the sauce. During this time, taste the sauce. Now is the time to adjust to your palate. Mainly, you can adjust the salt, the sugar or the acid (apple cider vinegar). You could add more black pepper to increase the heat.
During this time, you will stir fry the vegetables and tofu
180 g brown onion, 3 units fresh garlic cloves, ½ tsp fresh ginger, 2 tbsp rapeseed oil

Stir fry the vegetables and tofu (sequentially); drain the noodles

Use a separate wok/large fry pan to cook the vegetables and tofu. Heat the wok/large frying pan until very hot (it almost smokes). This will seal the surface of the pan. Then add 1 tbsp oil and wait until the oil is hot, liquid and shimmering. Add the tofu and broccoli and stir fry for 1-2 minutes. Remember that adding ingredients sequencially to a wok reduces the wok's hea. Before adding more ingredients, ensure the wok is still very hot. If you need to tip cooked vegetables out to then get the heat back up, do it! Ensure the wok is still hot and then add the peppers and stir fry for one minute.
60 g red pepper, 60 g green pepper, 100 g broccoli, 140 g firm tofu
Drain the noodles in a sieve; add the sesame oil and turn the noodles through the oil.
1 tsp sesame oil

Assemble and dress the dish

Spoon the noodles into the bowls. Top with most of the hot black bean sauce. Top with the stir-fried vegetables and tofu. Top with a little more black bean sauce and dress with spring onions. Add a drizzle of sesame oil.
1 unit spring onion, 1 tsp sesame oil

Nutrition

Calories: 543kcalCarbohydrates: 89gProtein: 24gFat: 13gSaturated Fat: 1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 5gMonounsaturated Fat: 6gTrans Fat: 0.03gSodium: 1048mgPotassium: 654mgFiber: 8gSugar: 7gVitamin A: 692IUVitamin C: 57mgCalcium: 128mgIron: 6mg

Nutritional values are estimates only and will vary depending on specific ingredients used. Nutrition is per serving. Information is for the main recipe, not optional accompaniments.