Spinach with Tofu (Bocai Doufu)
菠菜豆腐
A gentle, healthy home stir-fry — soft tofu and tender spinach in a light garlic sauce. Simple, nutritious, delicious.
📋 Ingredients
What Is Spinach with Tofu (Bocai Doufu)?
💡 Ingredient Notes: Spinach with Tofu (菠菜豆腐, bō cài dòu fu) is a classic Chinese home-style stir-fry — simple, healthy, and comforting. Soft tofu and tender spinach are gently cooked with garlic in a light savory sauce. It's the kind of dish Chinese families eat weekly — light, nutritious, and quick. There's an old myth that spinach and tofu shouldn't be eaten together (due to oxalic acid), but modern nutrition has debunked this — it's perfectly healthy and delicious.
Ingredients You'll Need
The Dish
- 1 block soft tofu, cut into cubes
- 300g spinach, washed and trimmed
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tbsp cooking oil
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tsp sesame oil
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp sugar
- 1 tsp cornstarch + 2 tbsp water
📝 Instructions
Blanch the spinach
Blanch spinach in boiling water for 30 seconds, then drain and squeeze out excess water. This removes oxalic acid and keeps the spinach bright green.
Cook the tofu
Heat oil in a wok. Add garlic and fry 15 seconds. Gently add tofu cubes and stir-fry for 2 minutes — be gentle so they don't break.
Combine
Add the spinach, soy sauce, salt, and sugar. Gently toss. Add cornstarch slurry to create a light sauce. Drizzle sesame oil.
Serve
Serve immediately with steamed rice.
💡 Pro Tips
- 💡Blanch the spinach — removes oxalic acid and prevents a chalky texture.
- 💡Be gentle with the tofu — soft tofu breaks easily. Use a gentle folding motion.
- 💡This is a light dish — don't add heavy seasonings. Let the ingredients shine.
📊 Nutrition Facts
❓ Frequently Asked Questions
Is it true spinach and tofu are bad together? No — this is an old myth. The oxalic acid in spinach was thought to bind with calcium in tofu, but the amounts are negligible. It's perfectly healthy.
