This Sweet Sour Crispy Tofu recipe is a satisfying 30-minute meal filled with sweet and sour Chinese flavors. This vegan recipe is the answer to the every day dinner challenge. A healthy weeknight dinner that everyone will love!
Need a 30-minute meal? Try this Sweet Sour Crispy Tofu!
I love to cook Crispy Tofu and eat it as well. It has a very neutral flavor and that lends itself to being paired with any kind of seasoning, sauces, and ingredients. It’s hard to get crispy tofu, but it’s not impossible. Take extra-firm tofu and wrap it in a clean kitchen towel or paper towel and set something heavy on the top. The longer you let it sit, the better. Cooking it in a cast iron pan is the best way to make sure it’s nice and crispy.
Stir-fry is a staple at my home and is a family favorite. I love recreating healthy, vegetarian versions of take-out style dishes. This recipe is a simple, no-mess, no-fuss meal that hits the spot if you are craving some take-out style Chinese food. It is so satisfying with the thick, savory sauce with a wonderful fragrance of sweetness.
This recipe consists of firm tofu which is coated with rice flour and then pan fried with a small amount of oil to give it that extra crispy texture. The sauce is made with rice vinegar, soy sauce, brown sugar, ginger-garlic, and chili flacks, and it’s extremely easy to make.
You can serve this Crispy Sweet Sour Tofu over white rice, brown Rice, quinoa, or eat it as is. Any way you try it, this will be in constant rotation at our house because there’s no way that take-out can beat this healthy weeknight dinner!
Ingredients
- 14 oz extra firm tofu (396 g)
- 5 tbsp oil
- 1/2 cup rice flour
- 1/4 cup water
- 1 tsp garlic salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1/2 tsp ginger paste
- 1 tsp garlic paste
- tbsp oil
- 1/4 cup rice vinegar
- 3 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tsp chili flakes (or according to taste)
- 1/2 cup water
- 2 tsp corn starch
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1 tbsp tomato ketchup
- Spring onion and sesame seeds for garnishing
- Salt to taste
Instructions
- Drain all the water from the tofu package. Wrap it in a clean kitchen towel or paper towel and set something heavy on the top to rid of excess moisture, for about an hour. The longer you let it sit, the better.
- Cut tofu into bite sized cubes. Set aside.
- Mix rice flour, garlic salt, black pepper powder in a bowl.
- Add water and make a thick batter. It should be a smooth thick, like a pancake batter consistency.
- Place the tofu cubes in the batter and toss to coat evenly.
- Heat 5 tbsp oil in a cast iron pan/pan. Drop coated tofu in oil. Pan fry them from all the sides until light golden brown in color. Remove from heat and set on a towel-lined plate to drain oil.
- Mix cornstarch and 1 tbsp water in a bowl. Set aside.
- Heat oil in a pan. Add ginger-garlic paste and chili flakes. Sauté for few seconds.
- Add in remaining sauce ingredients and whisk together over medium heat until just bubbling.
- Then whisk in the cornstarch and water mixture for 10-12 minutes until thickened and reduced.
- Before serving, coat the crispy tofu with sauce in a large bowl. Toss crispy tofu cubes until coated evenly.
- Sprinkle sesame seeds and chopped spring onion.
- Serve over rice, vegetables, quinoa ,or eat it as is.
Notes
Home Chef Tip: If you want to bake the tofu, all you need to do is toss the cubes in 2 tbsp of cornstarch or rice flour in a large bowl and lay out in an even layer in a baking pan sprayed with oil. Bake in a preheated oven at 425ºF for 30 to 40 minutes or until crispy and golden brown.
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We hope you enjoy this simple Sweet and Sour Crispy Tofu recipe from SoFabFood Home Chef, Dhwani from Cooking Carnival, as much as we do. If you love this recipe, you can find more like it by visiting our 30-Minute Meals Section. For daily recipe inspiration, subscribe to our newsletter, like us on Facebook, and follow us on Pinterest. Enjoy!
