Spicy Tofu Stir Fry

Recipe:

Servings: 4

For the tofu:

• 1 block of extra firm tofu

• 1 tbs soy sauce

• 2 tsp sesame oil ( can sub any oil)

• 1/2 tsp garlic powder

• 1/2 tsp onion powder

• 2 tsp tapioca starch (optional and can sub cornstarch)

For the sauce:

• 1/2 cup water

• 1/4 cup soy sauce

• 3 tbs agave or maple syrup

• 1 tbs chili garlic sauce (use less or more depending on desired spiciness)

• 1 tbs sesame oil (optional)

• 2 tsp fresh ginger minced

• 1/2 tsp garlic powder

• 1/2 tsp onion powder

• 1 tbs tapioca or cornstarch (this thickens the sauce)

Other ingredients:

• 1 cup brown or white rice or quinoa

• Mixed vegetables (fresh or frozen, as much or as little as you want)

1. Preheat oven to 425°F unless using an air fryer (for the tofu)

2. Drain liquid from tofu, wrap block in a paper towel and put something heavy on top of it to press the liquid out for about 10 minutes or so.

3. Cook rice according to package.

4. Cook vegetables in a large skillet on medium heat until desired texture.

5. After the tofu has pressed, cut it into cubes and cover with the soy sauce, sesame oil, seasonings, and starch. Stir to coat.

6. Bake the tofu for 25-30 minutes or air fry for 20-25.

7. While the tofu is baking, make the sauce by combining all the ingredients in a small sauce pan and heating over medium heat while stirring. When the sauce thickens, remove from heat.

8. Add the sauce and tofu to the vegetables and stir.

9. Serve with rice or quinoa if desired and enjoy!

This recipe may look like it has a lot of ingredients but most of them are optional depending on the flavors you like. When I first went vegetarian, I had a really hard time figuring out how to make tofu firm and crisp like the restaurants make it. All of the recipes that I saw online said to just fry it in a pan with some oil. Let me tell you, that does NOT work! At least not for me. Baking or air frying the tofu is the best way to draw out enough moisture from the tofu to make it firm and crisp. I don't know why it took me so long to figure this out, but once I did it was definitely a game changer. A lot of people also like to freeze their tofu to make it more firm but every time I've tried doing that I felt like it was annoying to have to thaw it out so I don't recommend it. This recipe can also be made with tempeh, which you should pan fry in some oil, not bake. I find that tempeh is pretty dry so adding moisture to it when cooking is ideal. The best part about this recipe is that not only does it taste like restaurant-quality, but you also get to choose how much veggies, sauce, and tofu you want. I've found that some restaurants don't give as much veggies as I would like and often add too much sauce. For the veggies I used two different packages of frozen mixed vegetables and it was a decent amount but I think it could've used a little more. Comment down below if you try this recipe and what you did or would do differently!