Crispy Sweet and Sour Tofu
I can’t stop fiddlin’ with stuff. This is the new sauce for the Sweet and Sour Seitan, and decided to give it a go with tofu instead. To everyone who was asking about a tofu version, here you go!
The instructions are similar but not quite the same as the seitan. If you’ve made the seitan version, skim though these directions real fast before making the tofu version.
I also think that this sauce is better than the old one, so unless you’re in love with its predecessor, make this sauce instead for both the tofu and the seitan.
Crispy Sweet and Sour Tofu
Serves Two
1 Tub Extra Firm Tofu, pressed
2 tsp Ener-g Egg Replacer + 4 tsp water, mixed
1/4 Cup Cornstarch
1/4 Cup Peanut or Canola Oil
Sesame Seeds for garnish
Sauce
3 1/2 Tbs Seasoned Rice Vinegar (you can eyeball the 1/2 Tbs)
1/4 Cup Water
2 Tbs + 2 tsp Sugar
1 Tbs Tamari
1 Tbs Ketchup
1 tsp Molasses
1/4 tsp Ginger Powder
1/2 tsp Salt
1 1/2 Tbs Cornstarch + 2 Tbs water
Slice the tofu into triangles or small cubes. Smaller = better for this recipe, since smaller pieces won’t have a tendency to break when you toss them, and they have a bigger surface area to volume ratio (read: they’ll be crispier).
Toss tofu with the egg replacer/water mixture until coated. Then toss in cornstarch until each piece is coated and dry, adding more cornstarch if needed.
Heat oil in a large non-stick skillet or wok.
While oil is heating, mix sauce ingredients except for the cornstarch/water into a small sauce pan and whisk over medium heat until sugar and salt is dissolved. Add cornstarch mixture and whisk until the sauce thickens. If you leave the sauce unattended now it will thicken and burn, so keep an eye on it. When thick, turn off heat and set aside.
Place tofu in the hot oil, being careful not to burn yourself. You don’t want the tofu to be crowded or the pieces will stick to each other, so fry it in batches if needed. Fry for 3-5 minutes until golden on the bottom, then gently turn and brown the other side.
Drain tofu from oil (in the sink like you’d drain pasta, being very careful), and place tofu in a large bowl. Pour sauce on top and gently toss to completely coat. Sauce should be thick and sticky – it shouldn’t pool at the bottom of the bowl.
Top with sesame seeds and serve immediately.
Made this tonight. Love that it is naturally gluten-free. The tofu was awesome. I also doubled the sauce and stir fried onion, red pepper, and pineapple as a base. Delicious!
I couldn’t help but smile at the comment about it not crisping- when they didn’t use cornstarch. And it tasted like tofu? Oh no! Couldn’t have that!
Lol. Awesome recipe!
-Sea
This was fabulous! :)
I’ve tried several different recipes for various tofu-based dishes and none of them turned out quite as I had hoped they would.
This did, and it was splendid! Thanks!
I just tried this recipe tonight. I loved it and my incredibly picky husband loved it! I did add red and green bell peppers, onion, and pineapple to it. The only problem I had was that when I added the veggies to the tofu it made the tofu not crispy anymore. But next time i will just keep them seperate until I serve it. Thanks for the recipe!
I made this tonight and it rocked! Great sauce, and the tofu had a wonderful texture. Thanks for sharing :)
i made this dish last night and it was incredible. my date said it tasted “restaurant quality”. i recommend making double the sauce–and be sure to press the tofu really well.
deee-lish!
I make this all the time and it always comes out great!! Since I’m vegetarian, I use regular egg and I shake the egg and then the cornstarch with the pieces of tofu in a tupperware to coat them…like shake and bake!
Thanks for the recipe!
I made this yesterday and it is delicious. It’s definitely better right out of the pan. I reheated it in the microwave for lunch today and the crispiness is gone, but it’s still tasty. Thanks so much for your great recipes!
i am a vegetarian chef and this style is different.I fry the tofu and then toss in sauce,garnish with black and white sesame seeds and green onions.
I made this for my family tonight for dinner – so yummy! Even my extremely picky brother liked it. I was quite surprised. I might add just a little less vinegar next time, and throw in some pineapple, onion, and red pepper, as someone else commented, to add more colour.