Sweet and sour chicken Fried Tofu * Updated*

This recipe is inspired by Aussie chef Kylie Kwong’s sweet and sour prawn dish that I saw many, many years ago when I was obsessed with cooking shows and before I even turned vegan. I loved the idea of a fresh sauce as opposed to the thick, ketchupy version that most Chinese restaurants serve. I never got around to it back then, but I always remembered that sauce… this super flavorful sauce is sweet, but not too sweet (although you could adjust up or down to your taste) clean, bright, and well balanced. The boiled and fried tofu is full of umami flavor and has a great texture with little effort. This sweet and sour is a flavor bomb in your mouth.

INGREDIENTS:

Sweet and Sour Sauce

• 2 C fresh ripe pineapple, chopped

• 1 inch knob ginger, grated or finely diced

• 3-4 cloves garlic, finely diced

• 1 large beefsteak or hot-house tomato, chopped

• 3/4 C rice wine vinegar (can sub w/ white)

• 5 T mirin

• 100 g (1/2 C ) white sugar

• 1 tsp. salt

• 1/8 - 1/4 tsp. white pepper (black is fine too)

• 1 T cornstarch

• 4 tsp. water

Stir Fry

• 1 red or orange bell pepper, sliced

• 1 yellow bell pepper, sliced

• 1 white or yellow onion, sliced

• 4 stalks green onion, cut into 2” pieces

• 2 T oil (avocado, grapeseed, vegetable)

Tofu

• 1 block extra firm tofu

• 6 C water

• 2 T cornstarch

• 1 tsp. garlic powder

• 1 tsp. onion powder

• 1/2 tsp. poultry seasoning (unsalted)

• 2 T kosher salt (for boiling water)- I use Diamond Crystal, use half the amount if using table salt, pink Himalayan, sea, or Morton

• ½ tsp. white pepper (or sub black)

• ¼ C neutral oil (high heat like avocado or grapeseed)
  

  
  
  
  

Prep

• Cut veggies, garlic, and ginger

Directions:

Sauce

1. In a large sauce pot, add vinegar, mirin, salt, and sugar. Cook over low heat until sugar is dissolved.

2. Add chopped ginger and garlic to the pot and bring mixture to a gentle boil, then reduce heat and let simmer uncovered- about 10 minutes.

3. While mixture is cooking, cut and peel fresh pineapple and dice tomato. Pro tip- grocery stores often sell pre-chopped, fresh pineapple. It’s an easy alternative to buying a whole one.

4. After vinegar sugar mixture has simmered for 10 minutes, add pineapple and tomato and cook for another 10 minutes until tomato has broken down and a sauce begins to form.

5. In a small bowl, mix together one tablespoon of cornstarch and 4 teaspoons of water and mix together until combined and a slurry is formed.

6. Pour the slurry in the sauce and mix through- let simmer for 2 minutes.

7. Once sauce has thickened, take off heat and set aside.

Tofu

1. Cut tofu into 1-2 inch cubes or if you prefer, rip pieces off for a more “chicken” look.

2. Add water to a large pot and bring to a boil- once boiling, add salt and tofu * like pasta or potatoes, salting the tofu water helps to impart flavor throughout, not just on the surface. It’s counterintuitive, but boiling the tofu also helps to draw out some of the extra moisture *

3. Cook tofu for 5 minutes, then cut off heat and let sit in the pot of salted water for another 5 minutes.

4. Drain the tofu.

5. In a medium size bowl, add tofu, 2 tablespoons of cornstarch, and spices- mix together until well combined, set aside.

6. Add oil to a pan and turn to high/ medium-high heat.   Check for readiness by flicking a little flour into the oil.  If it bubbles up, you’re good to go.

7. Fry tofu pieces until golden brown- flip on each side until all the tofu is nicely browned, about 10 minutes total.    Remove and place on a paper towel lined plate.  Lightly sprinkle with a little salt.  Let cool for a couple of minutes.

8. Set tofu aside while you make the sauce and stir fry.

Stir Fry

1. Heat oil in a wok or a large frying pan to medium-high heat and add in coated tofu pieces. Let cook on all sides until golden brown and crispy.

2. Remove tofu from the pan and place on a plate lined with a paper towel to drain the excess oil. Set aside.

3. Add the peppers and white onion to the hot pan and stir fry a couple of minutes until your onions become a bit translucent and peppers soften a bit. But please do not over cook. You want your veg to have a little snap to them and not have the life cooked out of them.

4. Next add in the prepared tofu and the green onion (reserving a little for the garnish). Fry for a minute or two, then add in the sweet and sour sauce. Cook another 2 minutes to warm through.

5. Plate up with Jasmin, sticky or brown rice.

6. Enjoy!

Ditch the take away and try making this classic Chinese dish.

Thanks for spending some time…

xx Debbie xx