Minced Beef with Tofu, Peas, and Oyster Sauce Recipe

Minced Beef with Tofu, Peas, and Oyster Sauce is a delicious savory entree to enjoy with a steamy bowl of rice for pure comfort on a cold evening. It’s an easy to make dish that is like a non-spicy version of mapo tofu, and appealing to kids because of the sauce and soft texture.

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Delicious, high protein, & convenient to make

You will love how easy it is to make minced beef with tofu, peas, and oyster sauce. One of my sons really loves tofu and peas and I tend to make this dish for him right after he gets his braces tightened because everything is so soft, the sauce coats the rice so that it’s easy to eat, high in protein.

This recipe comes together quickly using ingredients that can stay fresh in a refrigerator for a few days. One pound packages of ground beef sealed in a square brick stay fresh and are easy to freeze to defrost when needed. Tofu stays fresh for weeks.

However, I have another son who loves beef but doesn’t like beef with tofu or peas, so I have to make this dish along with something with broader appeal. Do you ever have to juggle multiple preferences along with allergy needs? This recipe is dedicated to my tofu loving son so that he can learn to make it by himself when he’s ready. <3

How to Prepare the Tofu

I don’t like it when tofu releases a lot of liquid and waters down my recipes. In my recipe for Pan Fried Tofu, I recommend cutting slits on two sides of the tofu box and then tip the container on its side for a couple of hours to drain the tofu.

Sometimes I forget to do this step or I run out of time. I use our microwave as a shortcut. Transfer the tofu to a microwave safe bowl and microwave it for 2 minutes, then take it out and allow it to cool for 5-10 minutes. While the tofu cools, more liquid will come out of the tofu and you can go ahead and drain it right before you are ready to use.

Allergy Aware Adaptations

If you are cooking Minced Beef with Tofu, Peas, and Oyster Sauce for someone with a soy allergy, one would think that this recipe is impossible to make but actually you still end up with quite a delicious dish by omitting the tofu and cooking just the beef, peas, and sauce. Since I first wrote this post, I also learned about soy-free tofu by Big Mountain, which is a great substitute.

Additionally, people with a soy allergy will need to modify the recipe with soy-free soy sauce (1/4 cup), sugar (1 tsp), and cornstarch (2 teaspoon) instead of using soy sauce and oyster sauce (amounts are approximations, adjust to taste).

It’s easy to adapt this recipe for someone with an oyster allergy, you could either use a vegan oyster sauce (made from mushrooms) or omit the oyster sauce and use extra soy sauce and a bit of sugar.

Easy substitutes for a pea allergy, use other ready to heat and serve, bite-size, tender frozen vegetables such as shelled edamame, carrots, etc..

If you are unsure of what ingredients to use, be sure to see what is in my cupboard to see if they will work for you.

This recipe is free of peanuts, tree nuts, eggs, milk, fish, and sesame as written. 

I also make variations of this dish using ground bison instead of ground beef. If you haven’t tried ground bison before it is delicious and is leaner than beef. You can also substitute ground beef with ground turkey or ground chicken. You can also make the dish budget friendly by using half the beef.

I also sometimes use sole filets instead of beef. I find that dover sole filets are more delicate and cut pieces will break into tiny pieces so I recommend cooking the filets whole. Petrale sole filets are bigger and sturdier so it’s okay to cut each filet into 2-3 pieces. I leave out the onions, pan fry the fish filets until they are 75% cooked, and then add the rest of the ingredients and cook until the tofu and peas are heated through and the sauce thickens.

5 from 7 votes

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Minced Beef with Tofu, Peas, and Oyster Sauce Recipe

Minced Beef with Tofu, Peas, and Oyster Sauce is a delicious savory entree to enjoy with a steamy bowl of rice for pure comfort on a cold evening. It's easy to make and appeals to kids because of the soft texture and like a non-spicy version of mapo tofu. Double the cornstarch and water if your family likes a lot of sauce. Serve with freshly cooked rice or quinoa.

Course main dish

Cuisine Chinese

Keyword minced beef and tofu

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes

Total Time 25 minutes

Servings 4

Calories 370 kcal

Author Sharon Wong @NutFreeWok

Ingredients

• 1 pound firm or medium tofu drained
• 1/4 cup water room temperature
• 2 tablespoons oyster sauce adjust to taste
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 2 teaspoons cornstarch (double cornstarch and water if more sauce is desired)
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 1/2 cup onion chopped (approximately 1/2 medium)
• 1 pound lean ground beef
• 2 cups frozen petite peas defrosted

Instructions

1. Cut some slits on the top of the tofu box and drain the tofu for a few hours in a bowl in the refrigerator OR drain and transfer to a microwave safe bowl and microwave for 2 minutes.
2. Cut tofu into approximately 16-20 pieces and set aside for 10 minutes or until ready to use.
3. In a small bowl, combine the water, oyster sauce, soy sauce, and cornstarch and stir, set aside until ready to use.

4. Preheat a large frying pan on medium heat for a minute, add oil, swirl to coat, and saute chopped onions for 1-2 minutes until translucent.

5. Add beef and saute until browned (spoon out excess fat as desired).

6. Drain the tofu again, add tofu and peas into the pan, gently stir into the beef.
7. Stir the sauce and add to the pan, continue cooking until heated through and the sauce thickens (2 minutes).
8. Stir again and simmer for another minute, adjust to taste with more oyster sauce, serve over rice.

Recipe Notes

Estimated calorie count is 370.

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