Sweet and Sour Tofu

 

 This recipe is so good! The sauce tastes extremely similar to Orange Chicken or Sweet and Sour pork, but with Tofu. I have been looking for a recipe like this for a long time.

Sweet and Sour Tofu Recipe (Vegan)

from Jessica in the Kitchen

Ingredients

Crispy Tofu

• 1 16 ounce block of firm or extra firm tofu pressed, and torn into 1 inch pieces (I used medium tofu for this)
  
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder (or 1 clove garlic, minced)
  
• 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/3 cup cornstarch
• 1/4 cup oil for frying

Sweet and Sour Sauce

• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup ketchup
• 1/4 cup white vinegar
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce gluten free if needed, or liquid aminos or tamari
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 medium bell pepper, chopped
• 1/2 cup chopped/cubed pineapple (I used canned mandarin oranges which worked great)
  
• 1/2 medium red onion chopped
• 1/2 tablespoon sesame seeds for garnish
• chopped scallion for garnish

Instructions

Crispy Tofu

• In a medium-sized bowl place the pressed and torn tofu pieces. Add the soy sauce and toss to coat. Add in the garlic, sea salt, ground black pepper and cornstarch and toss to thoroughly combine, ensuring all the tofu pieces are covered with the seasonings and the cornstarch.
• Heat a pan or wok over medium-high heat, and add the oil. When hot, add the tofu and toss to crisp up on all sides until the tofu is cooked and crisped on all sides, about 5 to 8 minutes. Feel free to do this in batches if desired. Remove tofu pieces and set aside.

Sweet and Sour Sauce + Putting it All Together

• In the same pan, lower the heat to over medium-high heat, and add in the onions, pineapples or mandarin oranges and bell peppers.
• Saute until the onions are translucent and the pineapples are slightly browned, about 5 minutes.
• In a separate bowl, whisk together the sugar, ketchup, vinegar, water, soy sauce, and garlic powder for the sweet and sour sauce and stir together until fully combined.
• Pour in the sauce over the veggies. Add back in the crisped up tofu, and stir to combine. Bring to a slight boil, then reduce to a simmer for about 5 minutes until the sauce has thickened up. Taste test and add more sugar or soy sauce if you desire. Remove from heat until needed.
• Remove from heat and top with sesame seeds and chopped scallions. Serve and enjoy!

Notes

You can enjoy this with some noodles or hot rice. It makes extra gravy on purpose  !