Sweet and Sour Tofu
Author:Healthier Sweet and Sour Tofu with crispy, crunchy, chewy baked tofu, sweet, savoury, fruity, tangy sauce and chunks of bell pepper and pineapple. Just perfect served over fluffy rice!
Ingredients
For the Crispy Tofu
- 1 block extra firm or super firm tofu *
- ¾ cup / 129 g medium grind cornmeal , not super fine
- 1 teaspoon fine salt
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- ½ cup / 120 mls aquafaba , (liquid from a can of chickpeas) **
For the Healthy Sweet and Sour Sauce *** (see recipe notes)
- 2 teaspoons arrowroot or cornstarch
- 260 g / about ¼ of a large pineapple , chopped up into blender manageable chunks ****
- 3 tablespoons / 45 mls rice vinegar
- 3 tablespoons sugar , I used organic cane sugar but brown sugar or coconut sugar works well too
- ⅓ cup / 85 mls tomato ketchup
- 1 tablespoon Tamari or soy sauce
- 1 small clove of garlic
- 3 tablespoons / 45 mls water
To bring it all together
- 1 tablespoon neutral oil of choice , or use water to keep the recipe oil-free
- 1 medium onion , cut into large dice
- 2 bell peppers , cut into bite sized pieces
- 1 heaping cup / 170 g / about ¼ large pineapple ****cut into bite sized pieces
INSTRUCTIONS
For the Crispy Tofu
- Start by making the Crispy Tofu. Press the tofu. Use either a tofu press, or wrap it in a clean dish towel and place something heavy on top of it. A cast iron skillet with some cans inside or a stack of cookbooks works well ;O) Try to press it for 30 minutes, but if you are short on time just 10 minutes will do. While the tofu is pressing, preheat oven to 400°F (200°C) and line a large baking tray with a silicone mat or baking parchment.
- Cut the pressed tofu into cubes. I like them about ¾ inch diameter then put the cornmeal in a medium bowl, add the salt and pepper and stir well to combine. Pour the aquafaba into another medium bowl.
- Using one hand (to keep the other clean), place a handful of tofu cubes in the aquafaba. Make sure they are covered with it on all sides, then lift them out, give them a little shake over the bowl and transfer to the seasoned cornmeal bowl. Toss them around to coat well then gently pick them out and put them on the prepared baking tray. Don't do more than a handful at a time because you don't want them to soak too long in the aquafaba and the cornmeal coats better if there aren't too many being tossed around at a time. Repeat until they are all coated then make sure the cubes are spread out well on the tray. There should be a bit of space around each one so they can crisp up.
- Place the tray in the oven and bake for 15 minutes. Remove. Turn all the cubes over and bake for another 15 minutes. At this stage they should be done, but feel free to add on a few more minutes to get them even crispier. While it's baking make the sweet and sour sauce.
For the Healthy Sweet and Sour Sauce (see recipe notes) ***
- Put all ingredients into a blender and blend until completely smooth. It will be really foamy and an insipid kind of color but the foam disappears once it's been heated and the colour brightens up. Pour it from the blender into a pan ( a larger one than it looks like you will need because it does tend to foam up) and warm over a medium heat, stirring constantly until it is glossy and thick and darkened in color. It takes around 10 minutes. Don't leave it during this time and if it starts foaming up turn the heat down a little.
To bring it all together
- About 15 minutes before the tofu is due to finish, warm a large sauté pan or skillet over a medium heat and add the oil or a few tablespoons of water if you prefer to cook oil-free. Add the onion and cook for about 4 minutes, moving frequently until turning translucent. Then add the bell peppers and cook for another 2 to 3 minutes until just beginning to soften.
- Add the chopped pineapple and the sauce to the pan and allow the sauce to heat through. Once it's hot you can either add the baked crispy tofu to the sauce, or serve the tofu then spoon the sauce over the top of it.
NOTES
This recipe has been created using my Crispy Tofu recipe and my Healthy Sweet and Sour Sauce recipe. For even more detailed information about each of those components of this recipe, including success tips and substitution ideas please visit their individual posts.
*Blocks of tofu vary in size somewhat. Mine was 400g / 14oz. A slightly smaller or larger block will be fine.
**This amount is approximate. Just use whatever you get out of a 15 oz can of chickpeas. Do not use previously frozen aquafaba. It becomes a bit more watery and doesn’t stick the coating as well as freshly drained aquafaba.
***One batch of Healthy Sweet and Sour Sauce is just enough. It's saucy but in quite a clingy way without much excess. If you like lots of sauce I recommend making a double batch. If you don't use it all it will keep in the fridge for up to 4 days. It also freezes well.
****Fresh pineapple is best for optimum flavor but you can use frozen or canned if that's all you have access to. Bear in mind that you need some to make the Healthy Sweet and Sour Sauce too so you will need a total of about half a large pineapple or about 340 g / 2 heaping cups once diced.
NUTRITION
Calories: 321kcal | Carbohydrates: 54g | Protein: 11g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Sodium: 1095mg | Potassium: 429mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 29g | Vitamin A: 2035IU | Vitamin C: 130mg | Calcium: 59mg | Iron: 3mg
