Sweet and sour tofu
Sweet and sour tofu is a go to when I’m feeling the need for Chinese food. Chinese food from a restaurant or a takeaway is a no for me; it is so full of sugar! This recipe is sugar free but tastes just as good. You can read more about why I avoid sugar here.
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This is comfort food in my opinion, a big steaming bowl of rice and chunks of tofu that are crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, with vegetables, fruit and a sweet sticky sauce! This recipe is also sugar free and gluten free too!
Tofu
Tofu is a great alternative to meat; it is full of calcium and iron and contains all nine amino acids. It is also a great source of protein.
For me the best thing about tofu is the part a lot of haters dislike the most: it’s flavourless! This is often seen as a negative thing but people who think this are looking at it all wrong. It is flavourless, so you can add whatever flavour you like, it is so versatile.
How to make tofu crispy
This recipe calls for crispy tofu. This is not to say you overcook your tofu so it becomes crispy and dry, far from it. The key here is make the outside crispy while keeping the inside tender and soft, so overcooking is a no no. To make this happen you need to press your tofu. There is no alternative to this; you need to get the excess liquid out as best you can so that you have the best chance of crisping it up.
Then you need the wonder ingredient in this recipe: corn flour! This makes the outside of the tofu really crispy and it is gluten free too.
Not a fan of tofu?
Dislike tofu or are allergic to it? No problem, this recipe works really well with cauliflower. Par boil the cauliflower first so it is cooked but still firm. Then coat in corn flour and follow the rest of the steps.
Sweet and sour tofu
This sweet and sour tofu is a delight, try it out and I promise you wont be disappointed. I’ve used a combination of red onion, carrots and pineapple in this recipe but other ingredients would work well too, like tender stem broccoli, baby corn or mange tout. The choice is yours. If you like this recipe then please share it, remember sharing is caring.
Health and happiness
Laura x
SWEET AND SOUR TOFU
Equipment
Ingredients
The main ingredients
- 1 225g block Tofu
- 1 Red onion
- 1 Large Carrot
- ½ Fresh pineapple
- 1 Tablespoon Corn flour
For the sauce
- ¼ Cup Tomato Puree
- 2 Cloves Garlic crushed
- 3 Tablespoons Tamari
- 4 Tablespoons Honey
Toppings
- 1 Tablespoon Sesame seeds
- 2 Spring onions
Instructions
- Use a tofu press to get rid of excess liquid. This is a very important step if you want crispy tofu. Press for as long as you have time for but I find that 15 minutes is usually just enough.
- Chop the pressed tofu into bite sized cubes and put in a bowl along with the cornflour and toss to coat the tofu completely
- Add a spray of olive oil (if using) to a hot frying pan or skillet and fry the tofu on a medium to high heat until crispy and cooked through, usually around 8-10 minutes
- While this is cooking you can prepare the vegetables, chop the the onion into large chunks, thinly slice the carrots into inch long pieces and chop the pineapple into bite sized chunks
- When the tofu is finished cooking transfer to a bowl and set aside
- Re spray the pan and cook the vegetables on a medium to high heat until starting to soften and become slightly charred, usually around 10 minutes
- Meanwhile start the sauce, add all of the ingredients to a sauce pan and cook through
- When the vegetables are cooked, add the tofu back in to the pan to warm through and add the sauce, mix well
- Serve immediately over your favourite rice or noodles
Notes
