Description
Crispy tofu tossed in a Chinese sweet and sour sauce with onions, bell peppers and pineapple. A meatless and deliciously vegetarian stir-fry! #tofu #chinesefoodrecipes #stirfry #vegetarian
Ingredients
Units
Scale
Sauce
3 tbsp ketchup
2 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp Chinese black vinegar
1 tbsp chili sauce
1 tbsp sesame oil
pinch of salt
1 tsp cornstarch
3 tbsp water
Stir-Fry
1/2 yellow bell pepper
1/2 red bell pepper
1/4 c pineapple
1 small onion
1 tbsp sliced ginger
1 tbsp sliced garlic (about 2–3 cloves)
1/2 tsp Szechuan peppercorns
5 dried chilis (cut in half, seeds removed)
400 g (~14 oz) firm tofu
1/2 -1 cup (65-128 g) cornstarch
oil
1 tbsp soy sauce
Instructions
Prep Tofu
- Remove tofu from packaging and dry it off as best as you can. Make sure to carefully squeeze out any remaining water from the tofu block.
- Next, cut the tofu into large chunks about 1 in/2 cm or so in size.
- Sprinkle 1-2 tbsp of soy sauce on it carefully mix together.
- Wait a minute or so for the tofu to soak up the fluid, then dredge the tofu chunks in cornstarch and set aside. The cornstarch is going to give the tofu a crispy coating while simultaneously drawing out any excess water, allowing it to be crispy and chewy when fried so don’t skimp on it.
Sauce
- Mix all ingredients together. Whisk to combine. Set aside.
- Vegetable Prep
- Roughly cut up the bell peppers, onion and pineapple into 1 in/2 cm sized chunks (roughly the same size as the tofu chunks). Place in a bowl and set aside.
- In a small bowl, combine sliced ginger, sliced garlic, Szechuan peppercorns and dried red chilis. Set aside.
Stir-Fry
- When ready, heat a generous amount of oil over high heat in a wok.
- When the oil is HOT, add tofu and fry until golden brown and crispy. This should take around 5-10 minutes depending on the heat of your stovetop.
- When crispy and golden brown, remove tofu from oil, transfer to a plate or bowl and set aside.
- Remove the majority of the oil from wok, leaving 1-2 tbsp of oil behind.
- Add sliced garlic, sliced ginger, Szechuan peppercorns and dried red chilies to the wok. Cook over high heat until fragrant, stirring constantly until fragrant (this should be about 1-2 minutes). Be careful not to burn it.
- Once fragrant, add chopped bell peppers, onion and pineapple. Cook on high heat for 2-3 minutes, stirring constantly. You want the vegetables to pick up the heat of the wok, be slightly cooked but still crisp.
- When ready, add crispy tofu and stir to combine.
- Finally, add sauce and stir so that everything is evenly coated in sauce.
- Let cook for 1-2 minutes in the heat to allow for the sauce to thicken.
- Prep Time: 10
- Cook Time: 15
- Category: Vegetarian
- Method: Stir-fry
- Cuisine: Chinese
Keywords: sweet and sour tofu, stir-fry, vegetarian, Chinese, vegan, tofu, peppers, pineapple