Pan Fried Sweet Chili Tofu

Aug 16

Pan Fried Sweet Chile Tofu (Gluten Free, Vegan)

I would like to take this moment to formally warn anyone that is considering tofu for dinner that it is not an organically delicious thing to eat. To honestly enjoy it, you have to put the work in. Anyone that tells you differently must genuinely enjoy the taste of something resembling a wet sponge. However, I think this recipe does a pretty kick ass job of making it palatable. I’m telling you right now, do not rush step number 5. Pan fry the shit out of your tofu cubes until they’re all a beautiful golden brown. It’s. Worth. It. The bottom line is, tofu isn’t a perfect super food. But, what it lacks in taste, it makes up for in protein and amino acids. Holla.

The Recipe

Total Cook Time: 45 minutes (not including tofu pressing process)

Servings: 2

Ingredients:

2 cups white rice

1 packet of tofu (1lbs)

½ cup arrowroot

1 yellow bell pepper

5 tbsp sesame oil (ish)

½ cup sweet chili sauce

1 Tbsp sriracha

2 Tbsp gluten free soy sauce

2 teaspoons Garlic salt

A pinch of sesame seeds

1 packet of seaweed snacks

Instructions:

1. Press your tofu. If you don’t own a tofu press (like me), line a cutting board with a few layers of paper towels. Slice your tofu into two equal halves, long ways. Lay them side by side on the paper towels and layer a few more paper towels on top. Then, rest a heavy pot, skillet, or plate across the top and allow the tofu to drain for at least 30 minutes.

2. Once complete, toss out the paper towels (they’re hopefully drenched) and cut the tofu into cubes. I try to keep them smaller than an inch lengthwise.

3. Sprinkle with salt and then coat in arrowroot. Be generous with both!

4. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

5. Heat a large pan to medium/medium high with at least two tablespoons of sesame oil. One at a time add the cubes, giving them space apart from each other, and fry until golden brown. This will take several minutes. Flip the cubes and repeat. Although a bit tedious, this is the most important step. Please, please trust me.

6. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and add tofu, spacing them out completely. Bake for 10 minutes.

7. Chop the pepper and add to the same skillet that previously held the tofu. Add a teaspoon of sesame oil and sauté over medium low heat.

8. Combine gluten free soy sauce, sweet chili sauce, sriracha, and 1 Tbsp sesame oil in a bowl. Feel free to add a little wasabi if you’re looking for more kick! In my opinion, it’s truly difficult to screw this up (unless you overdo it on the soy sauce) so get freaky and experiment with different measurements or other traditional Asian cooking components (ie: rice vinegar, fish oil, coconut aminos, etc.)

9. After 10 minutes, remove tofu from oven and add it to your skillet with the pepper. Add the sauce and gently stir together. Allow your mixture to heat and flavors to combine.

10. Boil two cups of water. Once boiling, add instant rice and reduce heat to low. The rice will only take about five minutes. Fluff with a fork.

11. To serve, add rice to a bowl and top with sweet chili tofu mixture. For a little more texture and color, garish with chopped seaweed snack.