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Crispy chilli tofu is the one. A classic on Chinese takeaway menus throughout Britain and further afield, the dish (and it's non-vegan counterpart) has been adopted as a favourite all over the world.
The recipe uses orange juice for a sweet tartness and apple cider vinegar for a sour edge, as well as sweet chilli sauce for spiciness and tomato ketchup (believe it or not) for delicate sweetness.
Altogether these ingredients combine into a homemade 'fake-away' with a healthy(ish) edge.
Ever tried freezing tofu? We started experimenting recently and freezing tofu changes the texture - you get a much firmer, 'meatier' texture once it's been frozen and defrosted. It takes quite a while to defrost though, so you need to plan ahead!
PrintCrispy Chilli Tofu
- Prep Time: 1 hour 15 mins
- Cook Time: 15
- Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
- Yield: 4 1x
Ingredients
- 1 block of firm tofu (400g) - frozen, defrosted and then pressed for at least an hour
- 4 tbsp cornflour
- Optional: 2 tbsp vegan beef seasoning, we use Tubby Tom's Steak Haus
- 2 tbsp coconut oil
- 1 inch piece of ginger – chopped finely
- 3 garlic cloves - crushed
- ¾ cup sweet chilli sauce
- 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 1.5 cups orange juice
- 6 tbsp tomato ketchup
- 3.5 tbsp soy sauce
- 4 spring onions – cut into chunks
- 2 large carrots – cut into matchsticks
- 2 red peppers – cut into strips
- Chilli flakes to taste – optional
- Sesame seeds for serving – optional
- 300g brown rice
Instructions
- Once your tofu has defrosted, press it for at least an hour. Once pressed, cut the tofu into 1cm wide strips, then coat in a mix of 2 tbsp of the cornflour and the vegan beef seasoning (if using)
- Heat up your oil in a frying pan. Once hot, add the tofu and cook until crispy and golden on all sides - you should end up with a nice crunch on the outside but still have a chewy middle.
- Set the tofu aside while you make the sauce.
- Add the garlic and ginger to a wok and cook for a minute on a medium heat.
- Put the orange juice, apple cider vinegar, sweet chilli, ketchup and soy sauce into the wok and continue cooking on a medium-high heat.
- Add in the veggies – red pepper, carrot and spring onions and stir well.
- Mix the remaining 2 tbsp of cornflour with a splash of cold water and stir well. It should turn into a runny white liquid.
- Pour the cornflour mix into the wok and stir well, the sauce should thicken almost instantly.
- At this point, taste the sauce and add chilli flakes, more sweet chilli or soy sauce, depending on your taste.
- Add the tofu to the wok and make sure it gets a good coating of sauce.
- Serve with rice and sprinkle with sesame seeds to serve.
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Stir-Fry
- Cuisine: Chinese
Keywords: Crispy Chilli Tofu
Made this the other night for my non-vegan boyfriend and he lost his sh*t! He said that it was nicer than any dish he'd ever had in an actual Chinese restaurant! Only thing I didn't do was freeze/un-freeze the tofu as I didn't have time. Really looking forward to experimenting with this next time to get that "meatier" texture. Still delicious without doing this step though!
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