Cashew Celery
Updated Oct. 12, 2023
- Total Time
- 20 minutes
- Prep Time
- 15 minutes
- Cook Time
- 5 minutes
- Rating
- Notes
- Read community notes
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Ingredients
Yield:4 servings
- 2teaspoons cornstarch
- ¼cup vegetable stock or water
- 2½tablespoons Shaoxing rice wine
- 4teaspoons soy sauce or tamari
- Neutral oil
- 4 to 6celery stalks (about 8 ounces), trimmed and sliced diagonally
- 1(1-inch) piece fresh ginger, peeled and finely chopped
- 2garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 3scallions, trimmed and sliced
- 6ounces dark, leafy greens (such as gai lan, choy sum, kale or spinach), halved lengthwise if they’ve got thick stems, then cut into 2-inch lengths
- 5ounces five-spice-flavored or plain extra-firm tofu, cut into ½-inch-thick strips
- 1cup roasted, unsalted cashews
- Kosher salt
- Toasted white sesame seeds, to serve
- Cooked white or brown rice, to serve
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)
299 calories; 21 grams fat; 3 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 11 grams monounsaturated fat; 5 grams polyunsaturated fat; 19 grams carbohydrates; 5 grams dietary fiber; 4 grams sugars; 12 grams protein; 507 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
Powered byPreparation
- Step 1
Combine the cornstarch, stock, rice wine and soy sauce in a bowl and whisk until smooth; set aside.
- Step 2
Heat a wok or large skillet over medium-high. Once it’s hot, add 1 to 2 tablespoons of oil, along with the celery. Cook, tossing, for 2 to 3 minutes, until the celery is slightly softened; push it to the side. Add the ginger, garlic and three-quarters of the scallions, then toss for 30 seconds until fragrant. Add the greens and toss for 1 to 2 minutes until slightly wilted. Toss in the tofu and cashews and stir fry for another 1 to 2 minutes, until the tofu is warmed through.
- Step 3
Stir the cornstarch mixture, then swirl it into the wok or skillet and toss until the sauce thickens and coats everything. Taste and season with a little salt, if needed.
- Step 4
Top with the remaining scallions and the sesame seeds; serve with rice.
Private Notes
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Cooking Notes
Above Average Cook
This was delicious, and the whole family declared it so. I had to make a few mods based on what I had on hand -- leftover Sauvignon Blanc instead of rice wine for the sauce, and a can of drained chickpeas instead of tofu. Wouldn't change a thing!
Kate
Delicious weeknight meal with ingredients we always have available. The cashews and celery play well off one another. Similar to others, I pan fried the tofu first for better texture. I also doubled the sauce as the original seemed a bit skimpy and was happy I did. It is a light flavored sauce and doubling ensured that it coated everything nicely and was substantial enough to add flavor to the rice.
Kate
Excellent! Used peanuts instead of cashews, and used baby bok choy for the greens. Very quick to pull together, and tasty.
AOB
Excellent. Pressed the tofu then ripped it into pieces. Tossed with about 2 TB oil and 5-spice powder. Spread onto sheet pan and roasted it at 425° for about 30 minutes, stirring periodically. Gives tofu such great texture. Increased amount of celery and tripled the sauce. Soooooo good!!!
Kayann
I used sliced and whole snap peas instead of celery and it was wonderful!
Julie
Made it just as directed...except we used dry sherry instead of rice wine because that's what we had. Delicious! Really nice combination of textures and tastes!
Allison
I didn’t measure super carefully and probably added more garlic and ginger then it called for. I also cubed the tofu and lightly fried it by itself before adding it to the final dish. I also added just a Glogau Boyster sauce. It was absolutely delicious.
Lori B
I don't like celery, nor does anyone in my family. I will sub Fennel.
katie
This sounds delicious and exactly like what I’d like for dinner tonight—but I don’t have any wine (rice or white) on hand. What do you guys think about subbing a mix of rice vinegar and mirin? Other ideas?
Sarah
Delicious! Love the celery crunch and creamy cashews. We doubled the sauce and used a 14 oz package of tofu. Our family of four with two teens demolished it with no leftovers. Will always make a generous double recipe in the future.
Leah
here's a tip: cut the celery much smaller than I did or you won't be able to get more than celery on your fork lol
CynthiaH.
Great seasoning, ingredients, easy, fast. I substituted cubed chicken tenders in place of the tofu this time. Will try tofu next time and, personal preference, will cut cashews to 1/2 cu.
Jim
7/19/23 Nido gave us a bunch of celerey and this recipe Came in handy. Added carrots and mushrooms and chicken. No tofu and no greens. Subbed peanuts. Turned out better than I thought.
Max
Delish! I coated my tofu in cornstarch and air fried for texture. Didn’t have any leafy greens on me so used the farmer’s market celery leaves. Will be making again
Tim L.
Made as written, and it's delicious. An underrated delight. My favorite kind of weeknight meal, easy to prepare with maximum enjoyment!
mark c
Very good but it was a bit dry. Next time I’ll add more liquid and corn starch proportionately to create more sauce.
ANDinCDMX
It's good. It's easy, yes, but with various sous/prep it takes longer than 20 minutes. I would add a bit more soy sauce and/or slightly increase volume of sauce. I think other comments about pan frying etc tofu first would also work well.
A.A.
Love this! It's simple and easy, comfort food in the best way possible. We increase the celery and use mustard greens. We also believe ginger and garlic should be measured with your heart and our hearts like a lot. We also double the sauce. Part of our weekly rotation!
Chris
Asparagus, celery and pea pods Extra firm sprouted tofu, crumbled and tossed with soy and corn starch cooked first to brown. Good, would make again
Wallis McClain
A few questions 1. Is it just me, or do most recipes seriously underestimate prep times? 2. What does “a one inch piece of ginger” really mean? Ginger varies so much in thickness that one inch of a fat piece of ginger root could easily be four times the amount of a slimmer slice. Why not say “1 Tbs of minced ginger”? 3. Same goes for “one clove” of garlic
Vida
Per the feedback here, I doubled the sauce, doubled the garlic and ginger, used the whole package of tofu, and added a small amount of snap peas. We found it just ok. The sauce definitely needs to be doubled, but even doubled and with more garlic and ginger, it's just not that flavorful. I was excited to find a dish that's not a salad or soup where celery is the star. But we didn't really think the celery was that fantastic. It was worth a try, but I don't think it's worth making again.
L
Very good, add sechuan pepper corn @ the end Good w farro
mally
maybe add some corn.
mally
this is excellent. didn't have leafy greens so used leafy tops of celery. used mirin instead of rice wine which I didn't have.
Kelly
Double sauce. Full package of tofu. Increase garlic and ginger. Cook garlic and ginger first. Air fry tofu in five spice, soy sauce, and sesame oil.
Kelly
Double sauce. Increase garlic and ginger. Use full package of tofu. Air fry tofu in soy sauce, five spice, sesame oil. Cook garlic and ginger first.
LW
Sauté celery for a bit longer/double sauce/fry tofu separately in good pain that does not stick- try bok Choi instead of chard next time
Laura
Made this with about half Sake and half Rice Vinegar since I didn't have the rice wine and it seemed to work pretty well, although I don't know what to compare it to since I've never tasted it. Also used baby bok choy. It was good and easy! I followed others' idea and coated the tofu in some oil, soy sauce, and cornstarch and I'm glad I did. Next time: more sauce and increase the amount of celery and bok choy.
Elyse
Followed the recipe exactly except used rice vinegar instead of rice wine. Very bland.
carina
Delicious, used extra firm tofu, pressed then air fryed for 10 mins at 200. Perfect texture. Fresh cashews, freshly roasted= seriously yum. Did 5ml gochuchang. Worked very well. Next time will try the 5 spice.
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