This Three Cup (San Bei) tofu ‘三杯豆腐 Sān bēi dòu fu) is packed with the aromatic Thai Basil and drenched in a droolworthy sauce.

It is one of my family’s favorite Taiwanese dishes to order when eating out. Although the ones I had normally used silken tofu, it’s just as tasty if not better with firm tofu.

What is Three-cup tofu (San Bei tofu)?
Three-cup is a direct translation from San Bei (三杯). It’s made from the three main ingredients: soy sauce, toasted sesame oil, and cooking wine and it doesn’t really require a cup of each, that’ll be too much. However, you’ll want to aim for equal (or as close) parts of these ingredients.

Three-cup (San Bei) Tofu Key ingredients
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Thai Basil – gives this dish that aromatic flavor which goes so well with sautéed ginger and garlic. It’s highly recommended to use Thai Basil, but can be substituted with sweet basil.

Ginger – one of my favorite roots! Slightly charred ginger in toasted sesame oil is so tasty and when paired with soy sauce, it releases a wonderful taste that goes well with rice. Don’t miss out on the garlic too.
Toasted Sesame Oil – I love how well this oil and ginger go together. This combo is one of the bases of my favorite fried rice or egg dishes (before vegan days) during my confinement period. Nagoya is the brand I used for more than 20 years.
Cooking Wine – This MiChiu is made from rice and adds a delicious savory taste to a meal. This is the brand I used but other similar Michiu works just as great.
How to make Three Cup (San Bei) Tofu
Step 1: Prepare the sauce
Mix together soy sauce, toasted sesame oil, sugar, Michiu, and water in a bowl until well-combined. Set aside for later.

Step 2: Prepare and cook the tofu
I’ve tried using soft tofu, firm tofu, and frozen tofu for this recipe and they all yield great results. So pick your favorite tofu and prepare using your preferred method.
Coat tofu generously with cornstarch, then brush a thin layer of oil on the tofu.
Cornstarch Brush a thin layer of oil
Preheat your air-fryer to 390F (Fries settings). I also greased my air-fryer to create a crispier texture.

Place a layer of tofu slices onto the greased air-fryer. Air-fry the tofu slices until golden brown with a shake of flip in between if needed.
You can pan-fry, air-fry, or bake the tofu. To bake the tofu, prepare the tofu the similar ways then bake at 400F-425F until golden brown with a flip in between if needed.

Step 3: Put everything together
Heat a large skillet and add the oil. Sauté ginger slices until aromatic or when you see the sides start to turn crispy or brown. Add the garlic and chile, then continue to sauté until garlic is fragrant.
Pour in the sauce and cook until the sugar has melted. Add the tofu and toss to combine.
Now, if you prefer to use just the skillet, then, add the Thai basil and continue to cook the tofu until the sauce thickened.
Step 4 (optional): Finish up in a clay pot for maximum flavor
This is an optional step but I love how this final step gives the tofu a more charred look especially once the sugar has caramelized at the bottom of the pot.
To finish up the cooking in a clay pot, heat a clay pot over low-medium heat. Add a drizzle of oil and sauté green onions and Thai basil until fragrant.
Transfer the tofu mixture into the pot and top with the remaining Thai basil. Cover and cook for another 1-2 minutes.
Top with more Thai basil Cover and cook for another 1-2 minutes
Serve warm with a bowl of rice.

How to cook tofu – 2 ways
Method 1: Pan-fried
1. Cut tofu into cubes, pressed with a paper towel to remove as much moisture as possible but not too dry. You’ll still need some moisture cornstarch can stick to it.
2. Coat tofu generously with cornstarch and gently press cornstarch onto the tofu so they stick together

3. Pan-fry tofu in low-medium heat until crispy on all sides. Try not to flip before the bottom layer turns golden brown or crispy.

Method 2: Air-fried
Follow the same steps 1 and 2 from above to coat the tofu with cornstarch.
Then, brush a thin layer of oil on the tofu. To create a more even golden brown and crispiness, I grease the inner air-fryer rack as well.

Preheat the air-fryer to 390F which is the fries settings. Then, carefully transfer the tofu slices onto the greased rack.
Since my air-fryer is smaller, I air-fried my tofu in a few batches. Air-fry for 4- 8 minutes, checking periodically until golden brown.
This Three cup (San Bei) tofu is:
- Delicious
- Flavorful
- Easy to make
- Kids friendly
- Customizable (replace tamari for gluten-free or remove chili for non-spicy version)

If you try this recipe, I would love to hear your feedback and see your beautiful re-creation. Leave me a comment, rate it, and tag @woon.heng and #woonheng to your photos on Instagram or Facebook. Happy cooking, friends!

Three Cup (San Bei) Tofu – 三杯豆腐
Ingredients
- 14 oz [397g]firm tofu drained
- 8-10 slices [35g] ginger
- 5 cloves garlic sliced
- 1 red jalapenõ chopped (or any chili)
- 1 cup packed fresh Thai basil sub with basil or adjust to your preference
- corn starch for coating
- a handful of chopped scallion/green onion
- oil for cooking
Sauce:
- 3 tablespoons Chinese cooking wine Michiu or use rice wine/dry sherry/vegetable broth
- 3 tablespoons light soy sauce or tamari
- 3 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
- ½ tablespoon sugar
- ⅓ cup [80g] water
Instructions
- Mix the sauce ingredients in a bowl until well combined and set aside.
- To prepare the tofu, pat the tofu dry with paper towels and cut into cubes or rectangle slices, about 1cmm thick.
- Place ¼ cup corn starch in a shallow plate or baking sheet pan. Then, coat the slices generously with corn starch, making sure all sides have a thin layer of starch.
- Preheat the air-fryer using the fries settings (390F).
- Brush the top side of the tofu with a thin layer of oil. Then, grease the inner air-fryer rack.
- Using a tong or a pair of chopsticks, transfer tofu slices onto the greased rack in a single layer.
- Air-fry tofu slices until golden brown, about 4-8 minutes. Check periodically and flip if needed. To pan-fry the tofu, please check the section 'Crispy Tofu – 2 ways' or notes below.
- Transfer the air-fried tofu to a cookie rack to cool while you work on the next batch.
- To cook the tofu, heat a large skillet with 2 tablespoons of oil. Then, sauté ginger slices until the sides turn crispy and aromatic.
- Add the garlic and chopped chile and continue to cook until the garlic is fragrant.
- Pour in the sauce and cook until the sugar has melted.
- Add the tofu slices then toss everything to combine. If you prefer not to serve it in a clay pot, then add the Thai basil along with the tofu and continue to cook until the sauce has reduced.
- To cook the tofu in claypot: Heat a claypot and add a drizzle of oil. Then, sauté green onions and half of the Thai basil until aromatic.
- Transfer the tofu into the clay pot then top with the remaining Thai basil, cover and cook it over low heat for another 1- 2 minutes. This step will create a charred bottom which give the tofu a more flavorful taste.
- Turn off the heat and serve warm with rice.
Video
Notes
- How to Pan-fry tofu
- Prepare tofu similar to Step 2 and 3
- Heat a large skillet with a thin layer of oil
- Shallow pan-fry the tofu until golden brown. Remove & set aside.
- Continue to Step 9
Feel free to pin the below picture on your Pinterest Board for easy reference.

I am allergic to soy and sesame so I used pumpkin seed tofu, coconut aminos instead of the soy sauce, and omitted the sesame oil. It turned out really good and was a big hit with my family.
Just made this recipe for dinner.
Delicious, total success!
Thanks for sharing!
Heguiberto
Hello Heguiberto, thanks a lot for your feedback. So glad you liked it. :0)
Can you freeze this tofu after cooking and then reheat it later? 🙂
Hello again Chris, since this tofu is pan-fried and thinner, yes, they are good for freezer. 🙂
WoonHeng, you never cease to amaze me with your delicious tofu recipes! As usual, everything about this dish from the texture of the tofu to the delicious combination of aromatics in the sauce is wonderful! Loved it and can’t wait to eat the leftovers tomorrow!
Absolutely brilliant. I was wondering why you didn’t thicken the sauce, but in hindsight a watery sauce is easily absorbed by the chunks of Tofu. Thanks 🙂
The starch on the tofu ends up thickening the sauce. If you don’t starch your tofu, make sure you add a little starch slurry to compensate.
Sooo good! I loved the ginger slices in this dish as well. Recommended.
Thanks so much, Andre. I love the ginger a lot in this dish too. Best, Woonheng
I truly love your super easy Asian recipes Woon Heng! This is another one to add to my favorite recipes. I’m a noodle girl, but it as nice to change it up and try out this tofu dish. So flavorful! I love it. Waiting for my brown rice to cook and I’m going to dig in! Thank you for the recipe!
My Tofu took a long time to pan fry. This is my first recipe using tofu and I chose Medium Firm. It tasted good but what should I do to increase cook time? I cooked on medium low at first then set to medium. No air fryer in the house, yet.
Hello Crystal, thanks for reaching out. Medium tofu has more water content compared to firm, so yes you are right, it needs more time to pan-fry. In the future, if you prefer to use medium tofu, you can drain the liquid more before pan-frying. Also, medium tofu is softer, so it breaks easier. 🙂 You can also rub a layer of cornstarch so it helps with getting the crispy layer. Let me know if you need anything else. Have a beautiful day. Best, WoonHeng
I love this San Bei Tofu recipe. It is easy to make with easy to access ingredients. Your easy to follow step by step instructions (with pictures) and video make it much easier for me. This dish had a great taste. Thank you for a great recipe.
What is a replacement for Chinese cooking wine?
Hello Sabrina, you can try some dry sherry or sake. If you can’t have cooking wine, then you can use broth instead. Thanks!
Oh my, Janti. Thanks so much for sharing your feedback, it means so much. I’m glad the instructions, pictures, and videos are helpful. Much appreciated. Best, WoonHeng
This was delicious! I had some eggplant and red bell pepper that I added. I love the taste of the sauce with the Thai basil. Thank you!
Thanks so much Brittany!! love your subs and so glad you to hear you loved the taste. woohoo. Best, WoonHeng
Would you recommend shaoxing cooking wine as a substitute for the wine you used?
Hey Mary, yes, you can, and I would start with 2 tablespoons instead. 🙂 Thanks a lot
I made this recipe to use up the remainder of the Thai Basil I had left over from Woon Heng’s Thai Basil Tofu dish (definitely give this a go if you haven’t already!)
The San Bei Tofu dish is simple and tasty- perfect for a quick weekday dinner 😊
Thanks a lot for sharing your wonderful feedback, Fiona. Greatly appreciate and wishing you a great day. Best, WoonHeng
This was seriously delicious! I’ll definitely be repeating it soon. Thanks so much for the recipe. 🙂
Thanks so much Mandy. I greatly appreciate your sweet message and feedback. Hope you get to try some other recipes soon. Best, WoonHeng
I made san bei the other night and I am so happy I did! I had fun making this dish, and I seriously can’t wait to try it again. Thank you WoonHeng! I can’t wait to make more of your delicious eats!
Can I use regular basil for this recipe?
Hi Shro, yes you can. 🙂