Crispy Chilli Tofu
This is our take on one of our favourite Chinese takeaway dishes. It's spicy, full of umami flavour, sticky, gooey and incredibly moreish, with a base of orange juice and sweet chilli sauce adding the main sweet tang. Serve with rice and top with spring onions for the ultimate dish!
Serves
Ingredients
For the tofu
<item-todo-done>1 tbsp Sriracha - or other chilli sauce<item-todo-done><item-todo-done>3 tbsp soy sauce<item-todo-done><item-todo-done>100g sweet chilli sauce<item-todo-done><item-todo-done>250ml orange juice<item-todo-done><item-todo-done>1 x 280g block of firm tofu<item-todo-done><item-todo-done>50g cornflour<item-todo-done><item-todo-done> vegetable oil for frying<item-todo-done><item-todo-done>2 lemons<item-todo-done>
To serve
<item-todo-done>1 tsp sesame seeds<item-todo-done><item-todo-done>1 spring onion<item-todo-done><item-todo-done>130g rice<item-todo-done>
Before you start
Tofu press or 2 clean tea towels and a weight such as a heavy book | Large, deep frying pan on a high heat | Large plate covered with kitchen paper
Press the tofu
- First, press the tofu using a tofu press or place it between two clean tea towels, lay it on a plate and put a weight on top
- Leave for at least half an hour to drain any liquid and firm up before you start cooking
Coat the tofu
- Carefully slice the pressed tofu into 1 cm-wide sticks and spread them out on a board
- Sift cornflour over the top, coating the pieces generously
- Use tongs or two forks to turn the pieces and sift over more cornflour until the tofu is covered on all sides
- The thicker the better with the cornflour as this coating gives the cooked tofu its crunchy texture
Cook the tofu
- Pour enough oil into the pan to fully coat the bottom and heat until it makes the tip of a wooden spoon sizzle
- Carefully place the tofu pieces in the pan, with a bit of space around each one (you may need to cook them in batches)
- Cook for 5 minutes, turning the pieces every minute or so until they are starting to turn golden brown
- Transfer to the plate lined with kitchen paper
- Tip away the excess oil in the pan and reduce the heat to medium-high
Make the sauce
- Cut the lemons in half and squeeze the juice into the pan, catching any pips in your other hand (be careful as the pan may spit)
- Add the orange juice, sweet chilli sauce, sriracha and soy sauce and bring to the boil
- Simmer for 5-7 minutes until the liquid has reduced to a syrupy consistency
Finish cooking the tofu and serve
- Add the tofu strips back to the pan and stir until fully coated
- Continue to cook, stirring regularly, for 5 minutes and then remove from the heat
- Finely slice the spring onion and sprinkle over the tofu along with the sesame seeds before serving with rice