Sweet & Sour Crispy Tofu

Full to bursting with flavour, vegan and gluten-free, our sweet and sour crispy tofu dish is a healthier and far more satisfying alternative to a weekend take away. It’s ‘fakeaway’!

The rich sweet and sour sauce is easy to make, the tofu is packed full of protein and when coated in cornflour and lightly fried, then stirred through the rich sauce it’s delicious. We’ve added pineapple and sweet peppers, but you can easily include sweetcorn to add extra fibre.

If you are new to tofu and wondering where and how to start including it in your plant-based eating then this is a great recipe to start with.

SWEET & SOUR CRISPY TOFU

Serves 4

Prep Time

Cook Time

INGREDIENTS

1 tablespoon of rapeseed oil

500g firm tofu

50g cornflour

Salt & pepper

1 red onion, finely sliced

1 sweet pepper, roughly chopped

425g (260 fresh or drained) pineapple chunks

Sauce

8 tablespoons of tomato puree

2 tablespoon tamari

2 tablespoons of maple syrup

2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

2 small garlic cloves

1 teaspoon grated ginger

To serve

Spring onions

Toasted cashew nuts – dry fry a handful of cashew nuts in a frying pan.

METHOD

Drain and slice the tofu into 2cm pieces, lay out 3 sheets of kitchen roll on top of one another, spread the tofu out onto it, then add 3 more sheets on top pat dry and leave to one side for 20 minutes. Rotate and pat dry.

In a bowl make the sauce, add the tomatoes puree, tamari, maple syrup, apple cider vinegar, garlic and ginger, stir to combine and set to one side.

In a bowl put the cornflour, with a good pinch of salt and ground black pepper. Place in the tofu cubes and coat evenly in the cornflour.

Heat a medium frying pan on medium-high heat with the rapeseed oil, add the coated tofu and cook for 10 minutes rotating occasionally until all sides of the tofu are golden.

Meanwhile, in a larger frying pan add a teaspoon of oil and add the onions, cook until they start to soften, then add the peppers and cook until the onions are soft.

Now add the sauce and the pineapple to the onions and peppers and stir together. Cook for 3 minutes – if the sauce becomes too thick add a couple of tablespoons of water to thin it a little. Then add the tofu, stir and cook for 5 minutes before serving the sweet and sour tofu over rice, with finely sliced spring onions and toasted cashew nuts.

HOW TO STORE

If you happen to have any leftovers, place in a bowl, cover and store in the fridge for up to 2 days or frozen. Reheat and useing the hob or microwave.