Spicy Chili Tofu
A simple, yet deeply savory, vegetarian meal
Ingredients
- 24 oz. extra firm silken tofu, drained, cut in ½ ” pieces and drained
- 1 cup cornstarch
- 2 two eggs, beaten
- Peanut or Canola oil for deep frying
- 1 T. finely chopped garlic
- 1 red bell pepper, seeded and sliced
- 1 yellow bell pepper, seeded and sliced
- 1 carrot, sliced into 2 inch sticks (or 1 cup long beans cut into 2 inch pieces)
- 1 T. fresh ginger, peeled and grated
- 4 scallion stalks, chopped
Sauce
- 2/3 cup vegetable broth
- 2 t. cornstarch, mixed with 1 T. cold water to make a paste
- 2 T. Lee Kum Kee Chili bean sauce
- 2 t. vinegar
- 2 T. dry white wine
- 1 T. lime, lemon or orange juice
- 2 T. soy sauce (or tamari sauce)
- 2 T. brown sugar
- 1 ½ T. sesame oil
- 1 T. cilantro leaves, finely chopped – optional
- 1 T. Honey Ginger Pepper Sauce, or other delicious pepper sauce
- 1 t Honey Mustard Pepper Sauce
Equipment
No special equipment required.
Method
Drain on paper towels and pat dry the tofu cubes to remove excess liquid. Fill a wok to about ¼ way up with oil and heat to 375 degrees F. Add two garlic cloves to flavour the oil and discard when brown. When the oil is shimmering, dust tofu cubes in corn starch/flour and dredge with egg mixture. Fry the tofu in batches until just brown on both sides. Do not put them too close together or they will steam. Use a slotted spoon and remove them from the hot oil. Drain on paper towels and set aside. Sauté the bell peppers, carrots or long beans for a couple of minutes and set aside. Turn the heat down to medium and sauté the garlic cloves, scallion and ginger until soft. Mix all the sauce ingredients together in a small bowl and add to the sautéed ginger, scallion and garlic. Simmer for a couple of minutes to meld the flavours. Add the tofu and sautéed bell peppers and carrots, tossing carefully so everything is well coated with the sauce. Garnish with cilantro. Serve with Jasmine white rice.
Friday 08/01/2021
Asian Fare
Author: Robert Lumsden