Vietnamese Sticky Tofu
This is one of those recipes we keep coming back to again and again. There's something about the combination of sticky, caramelised tofu with those punchy Vietnamese flavours, ginger, garlic, chilli, that just hits every time. The tofu gets this incredible crispy-edged, glossy coating that's sweet and savoury and a little bit addictive. It's the kind of dinner that feels a bit special but doesn't ask too much of you on a weeknight. Make it tonight, we promise you won't regret it.
Before You Start
- Tofu press (or 2 clean tea towels)
- Microplane or fine grater
- Shallow bowl
- Wok
- Frying pan
- Griddle pan
- Mixing bowl
- Press tofu for at least 30 minutes before cooking
Ingredients
- 4 tbsp soy sauce
- 2 tbsp toasted sesame oil
- 2 tsp sesame seeds
- 2 ½cm fresh ginger
- 30ml lime juice
- 50g cornflour
- 80g soft brown sugar
- 160ml coconut water
- ¼ tsp salt
- 1 garlic clove
- 1 red chilli
- 4 spring onions
- vegetable oil for frying
- 2 head(s) of pak choi
- 1 x 280g block of firm tofu
Method
Preparing the tofu
- 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 30 minutes to drain and firm up before you start cooking
Preparing the spices
- Meanwhile, peel the ginger by scraping off the skin with a spoon and finely grate it
- Peel and grate the garlic
- Rip the stem from the chilli, cut it in half lengthways and remove the seeds if you prefer, then thinly slice
- Finely chop two-thirds of the spring onions
- Ribbon the remaining spring onions and keep to one side to garnish
- Put the cornflour in a shallow bowl
- Cut the drained tofu into 8 slices and roll them evenly in the cornflour to coat
Frying the tofu
- Place the frying pan on a medium-high heat
- Pour enough vegetable oil into the pan to cover the base generously
- Heat until a wooden spoon dipped into the oil sizzles around the edges
- Lay the tofu in the pan and fry for 5–6 minutes, turning halfway
- Drain on kitchen paper
Stir frying the sauce
- Pour 1 tablespoon oil into the wok and place over a high heat
- Add the grated ginger and garlic, the chopped spring onions and the sliced chilli
- Stir-fry for 90 seconds
- Sprinkle over the sugar and stir until a syrup forms
- Stir in the soy sauce and coconut water
- Bring to a rolling boil and cook for roughly 15 minutes, until the liquid has reduced by two- thirds
- Add in the lime juice
- Reduce the heat to low
- Heat the rice or cook it following the instructions on the packet
Cook the pak choi and serve
- Put the griddle pan on a high heat
- Cut the pak choi into quarters
- Put it in a mixing bowl and toss with the sesame oil and salt
- Lay the pak choi on the hot griddle pan, cut-side down, and cook until they get black char lines
- Transfer to plates
- Place the slices of prepared tofu in the wok, one by one, and toss carefully so they’re well covered in the sticky sauce
- Divide the rice between plates
- Top with the sticky tofu
- Drizzle over any leftover sauce
- Garnish with reserved spring onions and sesame seeds
- Serve with the chargrilled pak choi
Tips & Variations
- Press the tofu well: We know it's tempting to skip this bit but don't. Even 30 minutes under a heavy pan makes the tofu so much firmer and it'll take on the sauce properly.
- Adjust the heat: If you like it spicy, leave the chilli seeds in. If you're cooking for people who don't love heat, take them out and add a pinch of chilli flakes to your own bowl at the end.
- Serve it right: We love this over steamed jasmine rice with some quick pickled cucumber on the side. The freshness cuts through the sticky glaze perfectly.
Why This Works
The trick is pressing the tofu properly before it goes anywhere near the pan. That step makes all the difference between tofu that soaks up the sauce and goes beautifully golden, and tofu that just steams and goes a bit sad. The sticky glaze clings to every edge and builds up this gorgeous caramelised layer that tastes way more impressive than the effort involved.