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Five Spice Tofu with Chili Ginger Sauce

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This Five Spice Tofu with Chili Ginger Sauce is so fast and easy to make. It’s sweet, sticky & spicy with amazing depth of flavour. A perfect mid-week meal!  

Five Spice Tofu with Chili Ginger SAuce in a bowl with rice and bok choy. Chopsticks to the side and cherry blossoms and sesame seeds scattered around

I love food that is packed with BIG  flavours, and I love vegan tofu recipes, and this Five Spice Tofu with Chili Ginger Sauce is so full of bold flavour and tofu, that it can’t possibly disappoint.

It is also incredibly quick and easy to make. In fact, it can be cooked in the time it takes a pan of rice to cook.

Tofu seems to have a bit of a bad rep but cooked well, it is really good. I think a lot of people have a bad first experience with it because they don’t know how to cook it properly.  It’s sad because tofu really deserves some love! Start with this recipe and you will be a fan for life!

FREEZE TOFU FOR THE BEST TEXTURE

In my recipe notes at the end I explain all about freezing and pressing tofu to get a better texture. You don’t have to freeze or press it before making this recipe but you will get a crispier result and a better texture if you do. Once pressed, all you need to do is dredge it in gently spiced flour, fry until deliciously crispy (with or without oil) then smother it in the lip smackingly delicious sauce.

This Five Spice Tofu with Chili Ginger Sauce is seriously the bomb! If you know any tofu sceptics then this might well be the dish to win them around.

Five Spice Tofu with Chili Ginger Sauce in a bowl with bok choy. Cherry blossom in background and a scattering of sesame seeds all around.

The sauce itself only takes about ten minutes to make but can also be made in advance and stored in the fridge. It keeps well for up to one week and just needs to be gently reheated before serving. It also freezes well. I often make double and freeze half as I like to have some emergency fast food in the freezer for those times when I’m too exhausted to cook.

HOW TO SERVE FIVE SPICE TOFU WITH CHILI GINGER SAUCE

Serve this Five Spice Tofu with Chili Ginger Sauce with generous amounts of fluffy rice, noodles, quinoa or other grains. A sprinkling of sesame seeds, chopped green onions or finely diced red chili finish it off really nicely.

Let me know what you think by rating this Five Spice Tofu with Chili Ginger Sauce and leaving your feedback below and if you love tofu and big flavours be sure to check out my Tofu in Purgatory!

This Five Spice Tofu with Chili Ginger Sauce is so fast and easy to make. It’s sweet, sticky & spicy with amazing depth of flavour. A perfect mid-week meal!

Five Spice Tofu with Chili Ginger Sauce

This Five Spice Tofu with Chili Ginger Sauce is so fast and easy to make. It's sweet, sticky & spicy with amazing depth of flavour. A perfect mid-week meal!
4.8 from 5 votes
Print Pin
Course: Entree, Main Course
Cuisine: gluten-free, vegan
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total time: 25 minutes
Makes: 3
Calories: 320kcal
Author: Melanie McDonald

Ingredients

For the sauce

  • 2 large cloves garlic , either grated or chopped very finely
  • 1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger (see recipe note)
  • 2 tablespoons arrowroot powder or cornstarch, (arrowroot gives a better look to the sauce)
  • 60mls | 1/4 cup rice vinegar (you can sub this for apple cider vinegar )
  • 1 tablespoon sesame oil (omit to make recipe oil free)
  • 120mls | 1/2 cup natural tomato ketchup
  • 2 tablespoons Tamari (you can sub this for soy sauce or coconut aminos )
  • 1/4 teaspoon chili flakes
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground pepper
  • 1/2 teaspoon Chinese five spice
  • 60mls | 1/4 cup maple syrup
  • 240mls | 1 cup water

For the tofu

  • 1 large block firm tofu , that has been pressed and cubed (see recipe note)
  • 2 tablespoons all purpose flour (you can sub this for gluten-free flour if necessary)
  • 1 teaspoon Chinese five spice
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil (optional)

Instructions

For the sauce

  • Add the arrowroot/cornstarch to a pan and slowly add the vinegar, stirring as you go to make sure there are no lumps.
  • Now add all of the other sauce ingredients and stir well.
  • Place over a medium/low heat and and keep stirring until it becomes thick and silky. Don't stop stirring as it will get lumpy. It will take about 10 minutes. Once thick turn down to the lowest setting possible and keep warm.

For the tofu

  • Cut the pressed tofu into bite sized cubes.
  • Mix the chinese five spice into the flour then pour over the tofu and toss to make sure every cube is coated well.
  • Heat a fry pan over a medium to high heat. If you want to use oil add it to the pan.It is optional. Using oil will make the tofu crispier. It's still good without though.If you choose not to use oil then be sure to use a non stick pan.
  • Once the pan/oil is very hot add the tofu. Cook on each side until golden brown and crispy. It will take 5 - 10 minutes to cook on all sides.
  • Remove from the heat and set aside. If you used oil put it on some paper towel to soak off any excess.
  • To serve you can toss the tofu through the sauce or you can serve it separately and have everyone drizzle their own tofu at the table.

Notes

I keep my fresh ginger in the freezer. When you need some you can take it out and grate it (while frozen) then return what's left to the freezer. I don't bother peeling it and just grate through the skin. It keeps well for months and months.
Press the tofu in a tofu press or by wrapping it in a clean dish towel and placing something very heavy on it, like a pile of books or heavy wooden cutting board, or a plate with some tin cans on it. Leave for at least 30 mins but the longer you leave it the drier it will get and the crispier the cooked tofu will be.
I always freeze my tofu when I buy it as when it has been frozen and defrosted it has a much nicer texture. I'm not sure why but trust me it does. It doesn't have to have been frozen for this recipe but if you have the time to do it then do.

Estimated nutrition per serving:

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 320kcal | Carbohydrates: 42g | Protein: 11g | Fat: 14g | Fiber: 2.4g | Sugar: 25g | Vitamin A: 92% | Vitamin C: 4% | Calcium: 27% | Iron: 14%
Tried this recipe?Tag @avirtualvegan on Instagram and hashtag it #avirtualvegan


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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Alli says

    October 22, 2018 at 11:12 pm


    Starting making this and then realised I didn’t have chinese five spice! Still tasted fantastic – I used GF flour and pepper for the tofu and simply omitted the five spice for the sauce. Will have to try again with the right ingredients ;) Thanks for the clear instructions – made a huge difference. One tip – I didn’t have ‘natural’ tomato sauce so next time I’ll reduce the maple syrup considerably to allow for this & reduce the sweetness a little.
    Thanks for a great recipe :)

    Reply

  3. Dawn says

    August 18, 2018 at 1:34 pm

    Do you use all of the sauce for this? I’d like to double the ingredients as well as add veggies and want to ensure I have enough sauce, though don’t want to make too much!

    Reply

    • A Virtual Vegan says

      August 18, 2018 at 4:18 pm

      You do use all of the sauce, but I do like things very saucy so there is a generous amount. You could probably get away with doubling the ingredients, but I would double the sauce too just to be safe. If you don’t use it all it will keep for up to a week in the fridge and it freezes well so it wouldn’t go to waste.

      Reply

  4. Sarah says

    May 26, 2018 at 11:25 am


    Gorgeous sweet sticky sauce – so easy to make for a non cook like me! The tofu crisped up really nicely too after following your tips – can I freeze the remainder after it has been pressed and dried?

    Reply

    • A Virtual Vegan says

      May 26, 2018 at 11:37 am

      I’m so glad you enjoyed it Sarah. Yes it will be fine to freeze. It changes the texture a little, but for the better in my opinion.

      Reply

  5. Wendy says

    February 26, 2017 at 8:57 pm

    So are you freezing the fresh block of tofu or do you press it then freeze it?, I am familiar with oressing but have never frozen before seems like it would give it a. Ice chewy texture.

    Reply

    • A Virtual Vegan says

      February 26, 2017 at 9:40 pm

      As soon as I get it home I freeze it in it’s packaging without opening it. I am not sure of the science behind it, but I think it must be something to do with the ice crystals forming inside it and breaking it down that makes it better. Then I defrost it and press it before cooking with it. If I forget to defrost it the day before (which often happens), I just soak it in a sink of warm water to hurry it along.The texture is completely different when done this way and I love it!

      Reply

  6. Laloofah says

    December 16, 2016 at 10:54 am

    This looks so delicious I wish I could just reach through my computer screen with my fork & leave your future readers to wonder why your post has a photo of an empty bowl on it. LOL I appreciate your offering oil-free alternatives/tips in your recipes that call for oil. I just want to mention that I never heat my non-stick (Berndes) pans on anything higher than medium heat, and seldom even that. For one thing, it can ruin the coating, for another it can release toxic fumes: https://www.drmcdougall.com/misc/2006nl/april/teflon.htm

    Reply

    • A Virtual Vegan says

      December 17, 2016 at 12:02 pm

      Ha ha! That made me laugh. Virtual eating. Maybe the calories wouldn’t count then ;O) As for Teflon coated pans, I don’t personally use them for the reasons you have stated. There are some excellent non-stick pans around now that do not contain Teflon. I have a great Starfrit The Rock pan. They are non-stick and have no chemically weird coating. They are also really reasonably priced.

      Reply

  7. Paul Gabriel says

    November 16, 2016 at 11:48 am

    Thanks for publishing oil-free versions. Besides that, since I’m a sissy. When it comes to heat, so I halved the ginger and added a small can of tomato sauce. We thought it was delicious.

    Reply

    • A Virtual Vegan says

      November 16, 2016 at 8:36 pm

      Sissy’s are very welcome here ;O) I am so glad you enjoyed it and were able to adapt it to your taste. Thanks so much for stopping by to let me know!

      Reply

    • A Virtual Vegan says

      July 15, 2016 at 7:53 pm

      I’m sorry Susan. Yes cube it before browning it. I have now made it clear in the ingredients list that it needs to be cubed. Thanks for bringing it to my attention.

      Reply

      • Susan says

        July 15, 2016 at 7:58 pm

        Thanks for your quick response. I did see where the instruction to cube the tofu was in the sauce part of the directions.

        Thanks again – just reheating to finally get dinner!

    • A Virtual Vegan says

      April 28, 2016 at 9:14 pm

      Yay! That’s what I like to hear. Thanks so much for letting me know and for sharing the recipe link on Facebook. :O)

      Reply

  10. Justine @ JustineCelina.com says

    March 13, 2016 at 8:12 am

    Oh yummy! I’ve been on a huge tofu kick lately. Also, totally digging the styling of these photos. So fresh and fun! :)

    Reply

    • A Virtual Vegan says

      March 13, 2016 at 8:22 am

      Thank you Justine. The tofu in this recipe is so crispy and delicious and gloriously scented with Chinese 5 spice. I just adore it! And thank you for the compliment on my photos. You were actually my inspiration there! I love the pretty flowers etc that you add to your shots. I’ve been buying lots of flowers and experimenting. I am loving the results!

      Reply

  11. Sandra says

    March 12, 2016 at 12:56 pm


    What a brill recipe – so easy and quick to make. We had it for tea tonight and it was fab. Steve (a meat eater) said it tasted ‘just like Chinese’!

    Reply

    • A Virtual Vegan says

      March 12, 2016 at 1:00 pm

      That so good to hear Sandra and it’s an even bigger compliment that a meat eater enjoyed it! It does kind of taste like a Chinese takeout doesn’t it? Thanks so much for stopping by to let me know :0)

      Reply

  12. Lynda says

    March 6, 2016 at 11:31 pm


    Made it , eaten it, fed it to the family. It really is very good, easy to make. I will definitely be making it for dinner guests.

    Reply

    • A Virtual Vegan says

      March 6, 2016 at 11:39 pm

      I am so glad that you and you’re family enjoyed it Lynda. Thank you for taking the time to let me know :O)

      Reply

    • A Virtual Vegan says

      March 6, 2016 at 11:58 am

      Thank you! And yes I wanted to create a spring like theme. There are so many beautiful flowers etc around at the moment. I’ve just been out picking apple blossoms for today’s photos!

      Reply

  14. haukehawk says

    March 6, 2016 at 6:11 am

    Oh wow, these tofu cubes look absolutely delish!! Will deffo get back to this recipe next time I make mine :-)

    Reply

  15. Gin says

    March 5, 2016 at 8:00 pm

    This dish will totally convince tofu haters to rethink their position. I can just imagine how good this is! Those flavors rock!

    Reply

    • A Virtual Vegan says

      March 5, 2016 at 8:09 pm

      I totally agree, in fact I had someone let me know on Facebook earlier that they made it for their tofu sceptic family and it went down a storm. It’s so tasty!

      Reply

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