SWEET AND SOUR TOFU

      Sweet & Sour Tofu is a simple twist given to the most popular Chinese recipe.  This Tofu recipe is a wonderful combination of Sweet & Sour taste, which is definitely a tongue tickler.  Within various Chinese Cooking methods, Sweet & Sour method is one variation, which is fancied all around the world.  It is cooking Chicken, Fish, Pork or Tofu along with Sweet & Sour Sauces.  It goes extremely well with simple Fragrant Jasmine Rice or Fried Rice Varieties.

For Sweet & Sour Chicken Recipe, Click here...

    Tofu is one must have ingredient in my pantry, and it comes out to be a useful ingredient when I need to fix up something quickly.  Tofu is a versatile ingredient and could be cooked up in quite a number of ways.  Tofu can be so bland and boring if you don’t know how to cook it. I didn’t really like it at the beginning, but when you find some recipes you enjoy, you’re going to fall in love with this versatile ingredient.

    This recipe is perfect for vegetarians who are in search for an all vegan version of Sweet & Sour Chicken/Pork. And when it comes to Tofu, there comes a number of varieties.  I have used Extra Firm Tofu in this recipe, which is easy to handle and also absorbs all the flavours & tastes when cooked along with the sauces.

     This is a very simple recipe.  But the real trick and taste lie in the consistency of the sauce. And you need to simply coat the cubed Tofus with Corn Flour and then deep-fry until crispy, before tossing them up in sweet & sour sauce.  When you bite into the tofu pieces it should be slightly crunchy, but at the same time, they should be delicate, smooth and succulent. The Sweet & Sour Sauce should be light, and it should coat the tofu pieces all around evenly. And they shouldn't turn soggy. Some recipes call for Pineapples or Cucumbers along with Tofu, Onions and Bell Peppers.  But I have made this in the simplest way - just the Tofus & the Sauces, finally garnished with Spring Onions.    

    Any dish with a mix of tastes and flavours have always fancied me, especially sourness and sweetness mixed together, hold my taste buds to an extreme that they linger in my senses too deeply.  This dish is one kind that suits the trick. 

For more recipes with TOFU, Click here...

Cuisine : Chinese
Course : Side Dish
Spice Level  : Low
Difficulty : Medium
Serves : 3-4
Author : SM

Preparation Time - 10 - 15 Minutes
Cooking Time - 10 -15 Minutes

HOW TO MAKE SWEET AND SOUR TOFU

SWEET AND SOUR TOFU

For Sweet & Sour Sauce:

Tomato Ketchup - 3 Tablespoons
Chilli Sauce - 3 Tablespoons 
Plum Sauce - 1 Teaspoon
Rice Wine Vinegar - 1/4 Teaspoon
Oyster Sauce - 1/2 Teaspoon
Honey - 2 Tablespoons
White Pepper Powder - 1 Teaspoon
Salt - To Taste
Sugar - 1 Teaspoon

For Garnishing:

Spring Onion - 1 Stalk

METHOD:

For Crispy Tofus:

• Remove the Tofu from the box and discard the water.
• Pat dry the Tofus with a clean kitchen towel.
  
• Then, cut the Tofu tube into 1.5 - 2 cm thick cubes.
• Sprinkle some cornflour on to a plate. 
• Coat the Tofu cubes with the cornflour, shake off the excess flour and keep it aside.
  
• Heat oil in a wok, let the oil fume off.
• Now reduce the flame to medium-low.
• Now, gently drop the coated Tofus in to the hot oil.
• After a few minutes, flip it up and fry until the Tofus turn crispy and golden colour.
• Fry the Tofu in batches.  Do not overcrowd the wok.
• Transfer the fried Tofus to a plate lined with kitchen towel to absorb the excess oil.
  

For Sweet & Sour Tofu:

• Mix the ingredients mentioned under 'For Sweet and Sour Sauce' in a bowl and keep it aside.
• Heat 2 Tablespoons of oil in a wok or a pan and sauté minced Garlic until fragrant.
• Pour in the Sweet & Sour Sauce and bring it to boil.
• Add the fried Tofu Pieces and mix well until all the tofu cubes are well coated with the sauce.
• Leave this on a low flame for a few minutes, until all the sauces are evenly absorbed.
• Garnish Sweet & Sour Tofu with chopped spring onions.
• Dish out and serve it immediately with Jasmine Rice, White Rice, Brown Rice, Fried Rice, Noodles or any other dish of your choice.
  

SWEET AND SOUR TOFU

NOTES:

• Just coat the cubed tofus with corn flour, shake off any extra flour and immediately fry them.  Leaving them in the flour for a long time with make them soggy and wouldn't yield you with a crispy texture.
• Make sure the Tofu isn't wet while coating it with the flour.
• Can mix all the above-mentioned sauces or skip sauces like Plum Sauce, Oyster Sauce etc.,
  
• And for Chilli Sauce Any type of Red Chilli Sauce, Chilli-Garlic Sauce or sweet Chilli Sauce can be used for the recipe. 
• If you like a bit of spiciness in this Sweet & sour recipe can add Sriracha Sauce.  If doing so, just add 1/4 - 1/2 a Tablespoon of the Sauce and balance the sweetness, as it is very hot.
• Can add Green, Red and Yellow Capsicums(Bell Peppers) to add colour to the dish.
• If adding Pineapple cubes, adjust the sweetness accordingly.
• Can serve Sweet & Sour Tofu, sprinkled with white sesame seeds.