Green Pepper with Smoked Dried Tofu (青椒炒香干)
青椒炒香干 · qing jiao chao xiang gan
Xiang gan — smoked dried tofu — is one of the most underrated ingredients in Chinese home cooking. It costs almost nothing, keeps for a week, and has a chewy, faintly smoky bite that soaks up sauce like a sponge. Stir-fried with green pepper it becomes the sort of five-ingredient dish that shows up on a family table three nights a week without anyone complaining.
Recipe author: HǎoWèi Test Kitchen
Home-cooking research team
Reviewed by HǎoWèi editorial team · Last updated 2026-08-29
Ingredients
- smoked dried tofu (xiang gan), sliced 3 mm thick香干（切 3 毫米片）🏮 asian200 g
- green bell pepper, cut into strips青椒（切条）🛒 local1 large
- pork loin, thin slivers猪里脊（切薄片）🛒 local80 g
- garlic cloves, sliced大蒜（切片）🛒 local3 cloves
- light soy sauce生抽🏮 asian1 tbsp
- oyster sauce蚝油🏮 asian1 tsp
- shaoxing wine绍兴酒🏮 asian1 tsp
- cooking oil食用油🛒 local2 tbsp
- sesame oil香油🏮 asian1/2 tsp
🌶️ Adjust to your taste
Pick a level and we'll show exactly how much to change — no more "适量".
Spice level
Saltiness
Oiliness
Make it vegetarian
Instructions
1Slice the smoked tofu into 3 mm strips and the green pepper into matching batons. Keeping the shapes consistent means everything cooks evenly and looks tidy.
🔍 Look for 3 minVisual: uniform 3 mm batons
You know it's right when: prep complete
2Bring a small pot of water to a boil, drop in the tofu strips for 30 seconds, then drain. This removes any stale fridge smell and softens the surface.
🔍 Look for 30 secVisual: tofu strips plumped and glossy
You know it's right when: water returns to a boil
3Heat 1 tbsp oil in a wok over high heat. Add the pork slivers and spread them flat. Sear for 20 seconds without moving, then stir-fry until the colour changes.
🔍 Look for High heat 1 minVisual: pork turning opaque at the edges
You know it's right when: sharp sizzle
4Add garlic and the remaining oil, then the tofu strips. Stir-fry for 1 minute so the tofu picks up a light golden edge.
🔍 Look for High heat 1 minVisual: tofu edges faintly golden
You know it's right when: nutty toasted aroma
5Add the green pepper, splash in shaoxing wine around the wok edge, then add light soy sauce and oyster sauce. Toss hard for 45 seconds.
🔍 Look for High heat 45 secVisual: pepper bright green and glossy
You know it's right when: sauce sizzling and reducing fast
6Taste, adjust salt if needed, drizzle sesame oil and serve immediately with rice or congee.
🔍 Look forVisual: sauce clinging thinly, no liquid pooling
You know it's right when: ready to serve
Tips
- · Blanching the tofu for 30 seconds is the single biggest upgrade — do not skip it.
- · Green bell pepper should stay crisp. If it turns olive, the wok was not hot enough.
- · Smoked tofu is already salty; taste before adding extra salt.
- · For a vegetarian version, drop the pork and add 1 tsp chili oil at the end.
Sources & references
Quantities, technique notes, and substitution ratios are cross-checked against established Chinese cookery references and standard food-science sources.
- Read our editorial policy
- Fuchsia Dunlop, Land of Plenty: A Treasury of Authentic Sichuan Cooking
- USDA FoodData Central — ingredient nutrition and portion data
- Traditional Chinese family-kitchen practice and regional taste records
Common questions
Can I skip Shaoxing wine? What's the substitute?
Dry sherry is the closest 1:1 swap (fidelity ~80%). No sherry? Use a splash of white wine plus a little water, or just skip it and add a tiny extra pinch of sugar — the wine's job is depth and removing meat's gamey notes, and a good marinade covers most of it.
Source: HǎoWèi substitution engine
What type of tofu should I use?
Silken/soft tofu (嫩豆腐) for mapo tofu and soups — silky, falls apart gently. Firm/extra-firm (老豆腐) for stir-fries, braises, and anything you want to keep its shape. If the recipe doesn't say, firm is the safe default for stir-fries.
Source: HǎoWèi ingredient guide
Is there a vegan substitute for oyster sauce?
Yes — 'mushroom oyster sauce' (often labeled vegetarian/vegan) is sold in most Asian grocers and increasingly in mainstream supermarkets. It behaves 1:1 and adds the same glossy umami. Watch labels if you're also gluten-free; most brands are GF, some aren't.
Source: HǎoWèi substitution engine
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