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Stir Fried Bok Choy with Tofu Skin (腐皮青菜)

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Judy

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Updated: 7/18/2025

Stir Fried Bok Choy with Tofu Skin, by thewoksoflife.com

Walking through Asian grocery stores, one of the most overwhelming sections (other than, perhaps, the sauce aisle) is the selection of tofu products. There’s soft tofu and firm tofu in the familiar plastic boxes, but then there’s firm spiced tofu, tofu knots, fried fluffy soy puffs, fried dense soy puffs, tofu skin, and more. What does one do with all of these tofu products? Today, we’ll tackle your questions about “tofu skin.”

What Is Tofu Skin?

So what is tofu skin? It is the layer of film that forms on the top of soy milk when it is boiled. If you’ve ever noticed the layer of film that forms on top of dairy milk when heated, tofu skin is the vegan version of the same thing. When shopping, you can look for its many Chinese names: 腐皮 (fu-pi), 腐衣 (fu-yi), and 腐竹 (fu-zhu). Or, you can search by the many English names: “tofu sheets,” “tofu sticks,” “bean curd sheets,” or “bean threads.” You can buy it in large fresh sheets, which can be thinly sliced, dried, or tied into knots. Of course, there are unique applications with each. Stir Fried Bok Choy with Tofu Skin, by thewoksoflife.com

How Are They Used?

Fresh tofu skins are commonly used in cold Asian salads and quick stir-fries, because they’re already cooked and ready to eat. The large sheets of tofu skin that you find in the freezer section are usually applied as wrappers––like the beancurd rolls that are served as dim sum dishes (xian-zhu-juan, 鲜竹卷). As for the dried bean sticks, the applications are pretty much endless once they’ve been re-hydrated: in stir-fries, soups, braises, or salads. Today, I wanted to introduce you to tofu skin with a basic dish: Stir-fried Bok Choy with Tofu Skin. If you’ve only ever had plain boxed tofu, you’re missing out by not trying other types! So far, our non-Chinese friends’ reactions to it have been rave reviews! There will be more recipes to follow, but this one is a great place to start! Stir Fried Bok Choy with Tofu Skin, by thewoksoflife.com

NOTE: If you don’t have access to fresh tofu skins, you can also use the dry soybean stick/threads. If you’re using dried, soak in cold water until softened (this will take a few hours). After soaking, blanch the tofu skins in boiling water for a couple of minutes, drain, and they’re ready to cook with.

Bok Choy with Tofu Skin: Recipe Instructions

Heat the oil in a wok over medium heat. Add the ginger, and cook for about 30 seconds before adding the garlic. Stir Fried Bok Choy with Tofu Skin, by thewoksoflife.com

After a few seconds, turn up the heat to high, and add the bok choy. Stir-fry everything together. When the bok choy has begun to wilt, stir in the salt, sugar, sesame oil, and white pepper. Stir Fried Bok Choy with Tofu Skin, by thewoksoflife.com

Now add the water and fresh tofu skins (bean threads). Do not stir! It’s important to keep the tofu skin on top of the bok choy so that it doesn’t touch the wok (or it will stick). Cover the wok with the lid, and steam for a minute.

Then open the lid, drizzle in the cornstarch mixture, and stir-fry gently to mix everything together.

About

Judy

Judy Leung is the matriarch of The Woks of Life family, working on the blog alongside husband Bill and daughters Sarah and Kaitlin. Born in Shanghai, China, she immigrated to the United States at sixteen. Fluent in both English and three Chinese dialects, she also plays the important role of researcher and menu translator! Drawing from over four decades of cooking experience and travel, Judy aims to bring Chinese culinary traditions to readers and preserve recipes that might otherwise be lost to time. Her expertise spans from Shanghainese cooking and everyday homestyle dishes to a variety of regional foodways, showcasing the depth and breadth of Chinese cuisine for a global audience. Over the last decade, she’s helped transform The Woks of Life into what Saveur Magazine has deemed “the internet’s most popular Chinese cooking blog,” co-written a New York Times bestselling cookbook, and become convinced that we will never run out of recipes to share!