Asian Celery, Beijing Style with Crispy Tofu

This is one of those dinners I make when I want something satisfying but don’t want to feel weighed down afterwards. The celery stays tender-crisp, the smoked tofu gets properly crunchy, and the umami packed sauce brings everything together. If your rice is already cooking, dinner can be on the table in no time at all.

The Beijing Origins of This Asian Celery Recipe

This recipe is my version of a classic Beijing dish, which is traditionally made with pork. I make mine with smoked tofu, which gives the dish a satisfying savoury depth and a wonderfully crisp contrast to the tender-crisp celery. It’s a dish that is much loved in Northern China, where celery is used in classic Chinese recipes like savory dumplings, meat pies, or in zhajiangmian.

I learned, from Fuchsia Dunlop, that texture and how you feel after eating a certain dish carry a lot of weight in how food is judged in China. This is one of the reasons I love this recipe because of the different textures it combines:crisp, smoky tofu, tender-crisp celery and a glossy, savoury sauce. This dish also leaves you feeling full but without a food coma – a pleasant experience all around.

Can I make Beijing Style Celery with European Celery?

The secret is in how you cut it: slice the celery diagonally and as thinly as you can muster. It makes a big difference to the mouthfeel. The thin slices cook quickly, soak up the sauce and keep a little bite, rather than leaving you chewing on a big, chunky piece of celery fibre.

Chinese celery is a little different from the celery you’ll usually find in European supermarkets. It’s thinner, more delicate and more tender. This recipe was originally inspired by that style of cooking, but I’ve adapted it specifically for the sturdier Western celery that I can easily find where I live.

Swaps and Alternatives

Make it without smoked tofu. Because this recipe is traditionally made with pork I use smoked tofu. Smoked tofu reminds me of the flavor profile of smoked meats and works well here. If you can’t source smoked tofu use regular tofu and make sure to fry it until it’s crispy. The frying process really makes a different to the taste and develops some of the umami of the tofu.

Use lemon juice, if you can’t source chinkiang vinegar. This vinegar has a very specific taste that’s hard to substitute. The purpose of the vinegar in this recipe is to add acidity and give it a little tang. If you can’t source this vinegar, I would use lemon juice as a substitute for the acidity. You won’t get the specific taste, but the recipe will still work without it.

Tips for Making Asian Celery Beijing Style with Crispy Tofu

The most important thing first: Don’t rush the tofu. The tofu needs time to develop that crisp exterior. That’s what gives this dish its contrast. If the tofu is only lightly browned, it tends to disappear into the sauce.

If you have one, use a wok for this recipe. There’s something about woks which just makes stir-fries taste better. Woks allow the ingredients to heat up quickly and brown with less oil, the celery also retains a little more bite. However, woks also allow the ingredients to cool down quicker, so if you do use a wok, make sure to serve immediately.

Serve immediately. Textures matter: the crunchy fried exterior of the tofu is a compliment to the fibrous celery. This is why it’s so much better to serve this recipe immediately because both the celery and tofu lose their texture when you combine them and wait before serving.

Cut the celery into small pieces. Celery is a vegetable known for its high amount of fiber. Especially the European celery can be quite sturdy. This is why it’s important to cut it into bite sized pieces to make sure it’s easily edible. If your celery is cut small enough, you won’t have to chew on large pieces of it. Small pieces also soak up more of the sauce, which is what brings the taste in this recipe.

What to Serve with Asian Celery Beijing Style with Tofu

Pair this recipe with fresh jasmine rice. If you don’t have rice on hand or want another alternative, serve this dish with bao buns. I love serving this recipe with bao buns, because they are so good at soaking up the sauce, if you pair it with the celery dish.

Serve as a main or side dish. This dish can be served as a side dish paired with other side dishes or as the star of the meal if you’re in a rush. I pair this recipe with sesame oil carrot salad for a very quick meal.

Ingredients

• 1 large bunch of Celery
• 2 packets of smoked tofu (this should be roughly 14 ounces of 400g)
• 1 handful of spring onions, finely chopped
• 2 tbsp of soy sauce
• 2 dried chilies whole
• 2 slices of ginger, chopped into 2.5 cm strips
• 1 tbsp of chinkiang vinegar
• 1 tbsp of neutral cooking oil, I use sunflower oil
• 1 tsp black beans sauce in chili oil (optional – this adds a little spice) I use the Laoganma brand.
• 1 tsp toasted sesame seeds to serve

How to Make Asian Celery Beijing Style

Prepare the celery by slicing it diagonally into two centimeter long strips. Prepare the spring onions and ginger by chopping them into pieces.

Cut the tofu into small cubes. If you don’t have toasted sesame seeds on hand, prepare a small skillet on the side and gently heat the sesame seeds. Toss the seeds frequently to make sure they don’t burn and take from the heat once golden brown.

Heat a wok or large skillet over high heat. Add the vegetable oil and let it heat up. Once heated, add in the tofu cubes and let them fry for roughly ten to fifteen minutes until golden and crispy on the outside. Take the fried tofu out of the wok while keeping the hot oil.

Now add the chilies, cut spring onions, and ginger slices to the wok. Stir until they become soft and fragrant.

Add in the celery to the wok. Stir everything to combine, and then continue to cook until the celery becomes wilted and slightly translucent. You can see this by checking the color, it usually changes from a bright green, to a more muted color. Make sure the majority of the celery has reached this consistency and color. It’s ideal when the celery has a bit of bite but isn’t raw anymore.

Once combined, splash the soy sauce and chinkiang vinegar over the wok. This should lead to a lot of steam, use a ladle, wooden spoon or cooking chopsticks (if you have them) to quickly combine everything.

Finally add in the teaspoon of black bean sauce. Use less if you are sensitive to spicy food or leave out completley. Finally, toss the wok to combine everything and serve immediately.

How to Store Asian Celery Beijing Style

This recipe tastes best, when it’s piping hot and served immediately. I generally do not store this recipe unless I make it for lunch and eat the leftovers for dinner. If you do store it, try to eat it as soon as possible. The tofu and celery eventually becomes soggy, which isn’t what you’re looking for.