Sweet and Spicy Tofu

Baked to a crisp and then lathered in a homemade glaze, this sweet and spicy tofu makes the perfect protein option for any dish!

One of the most common questions I receive is how to prepare tofu in a way that’s fun, easy and delicious. Tofu is one of those foods that seems to be intimidating to many people so I really wanted to create a recipe that feels accessible for all. This sweet and spicy tofu recipe might just be the recipe that convinces you to give tofu another shot! If you already love tofu, welcome to the tofu family, baby.

In this post, I’ll discuss all things tofu: preparing, flavoring, and baking. I’m using a tofu press and an air fryer but if you don’t have one of those items, don’t sweat it. I’ll give you some other options. The flavoring aspect uses mostly common pantry ingredients with the exception of potato starch; however, that’s an easy find at your local grocery store.

Buying the right type of tofu is key! For this recipe, I used the Nasoya Super Firm Organic tofu (sponsored). To see where Nasoya is sold local to you, check it out here. For my local friends, I picked up the Super Firm tofu from Market 32/Price Chopper. To see where Nasoya is sold locally to you, check our their store locator!

For this recipe, it’s best to use extra firm or super firm tofu!

Preparing the Tofu

Preparing tofu is one of the most important steps in getting your tofu tasting great. Tofu is like a sponge and when it’s packaged, it’s submerged in water. The first step is to press the tofu and get all the water out. I use a tofu press; it’s a gadget that essentially squeezes the tofu block, pressing the water out. If you don’t have a tofu press, you can wrap the tofu in some paper towels and set something heavy on it (big pot, some books, etc).

Here’s the tofu press that I use to make this process easier.

What happens if you don’t press the tofu? From a flavor perspective, it won’t soak up any of your marinade because it’s already saturated with water. From a texture perspective, the tofu can get mushy or it can take a very, very long time to brown and crisp. Trust me, you want to press the tofu.

The next step in the preparation of this recipe is to dice the tofu into cubes and then toss it with potato (or corn) starch. This helps to absorb any additional moisture from the tofu and creates a “breaded” exterior that will help make it chewier and crispier, rather than soggy or mushy.

It’s very important to TOSS and NOT MIX the tofu and potato starch together in a bowl. Mixing the tofu can crumble or break apart the cubes.

In other recipes, I might soak the tofu cubes in a marinade for thirty minutes so the tofu can absorb the flavor. In this recipe, we want to create a crispy exterior first.

Flavoring and Baking

After the tofu is coated in potato starch, I bake it in an air fryer to get it’s outer shell crispy. If you don’t have an air fryer, you can simply bake in your oven! Lay down parchment paper or a silicone baking mat on an oven safe baking pan, arrange the tofu and bake for 25-30 minutes until brown and crispy. In the air fryer, you’ll want to bake at 400 for 15-20 minutes until lightly golden brown and crispy.

If you don’t have an air fryer, this is the one I use and love. It has served me so well for a variety of recipes!

In terms of flavoring this tofu, we’ll be coating the tofu in a sweet and spicy glaze. To achieve the heat factor, I use red chili paste and red pepper flakes. If you don’t like it spicy, take out the red pepper flakes. For the sweetener, I’m using maple syrup but you could use any kind of sugar as well.

When you whisk the sauce, it will be very watery and runny. However, as the glaze is heated in a skillet, it will thicken to a honey-like consistency thanks to the corn starch. This glaze takes less than 2 minutes to achieve since the tofu has already been baked, requiring no further cooking.

Ingredients

This Asian-inspired sweet and spicy glaze is made using soy sauce, corn starch, lime juice, a neutral oil (avocado or sesame), red chili paste, ginger, garlic, maple syrup and red pepper flakes.

You start by making a corn starch “flurry” which is basically whisking the corn starch with water. If you’ve ever used corn starch, you know that it has a tendency to clump up easily. By whisking it with water first, we make sure that it doesn’t clump and that it will get evenly distributed in the glaze. Then you whisk in the rest of the ingredients. I like to make the glaze when the tofu is almost done baking because the corn starch can settle to the bottom. Right before you pour the sauce into the skillet, give it a good whisk to make sure it’s fully incorporated with no clumps and no corn starch at the bottom of the bowl.

How to Eat this

Believe it or not, this is another very common question. Basically, I treat tofu as I would chicken or beef: the main protein of a dish (but cruelty-free and vegan!).

The most common ways I love to eat tofu include in a noodle bowl or with rice and veggies. You can also add this tofu to a salad, to a sandwich, to spring rolls, to vegan sushi, etc. The possibilities are endless – the only limit is your taste palette and imagination!

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