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LOOK AT THAT CRISPY TOFU! I’ve tried my hand at crispy tofu a few times and this is by far my favorite way to cook it! There’s just nothing worse than soggy tofu and this recipe is FAR from that. This Crispy Tofu with Sweet Chile Sauce is crunch and sweet and just PERFECT.
Stephen joked recently that I (and all other food bloggers) describe each recipe as they’re “new favorite recipe- omg so good!”. lol. It’s not inaccurate. The truth is- I’ve been working extra hard on my recipes lately to make sure that they’re 1) generally simple and approachable 2) something you would see and think “I’m going to make that for dinner tonight!” and 3) well tested and fool-proof. By the time I’ve achieved all of those things, I’m so happy with the recipe and can’t wait to share it!
And this Crispy Tofu with Sweet Chile Sauce is absolutely no exception. It’s so simple to make and have I mentioned that it’s perfectly crispy?
It IS fried in a skillet. I want to try re-creating this with a baked version of tofu. Do you have a favorite baked tofu recipe that I should try?
How to make this Crispy Tofu with Sweet Chile Sauce
To make this crispy tofu:
We’ll dice up the tofu and leave it to drain while we make the yummy sweet chile sauce.
To make the sauce, we’re simply going to whisk together, over some heat, cornstarch, water, rice vinegar, sugar, and garlic-chile sauce. That will cook for about 4 minutes until it thickens a bit.
Tofu will then be tossed in a cornstarch/ cornmeal mixture and then put into some hot oil to fry on all sides for about 10 minutes. After that, the crispy tofu gets tossed in the sauce and you’re DONE.
EASY. Don’t you love a good easy dinner?
I served mine with some basmati rice (made in my instant pot obviously) and a little steamed broccoli. PERFECT.
I’m so ridiculously into this tofu.
Have a happy Friday, friends! We’re celebrating all of the holidays this weekend with Stephen’s family since many of use will be out of the country in December. Tomorrow we’re exchanging gifts and then Sunday we’re having Thanksgiving dinner (love when the holidays come early!).
More Tofu recipes you’ll love:
- How to Cook Tofu (every which way!)
- Tofu Tacos
- Copycat Chipotle Sofritas
- Easy Sauteed Tofu with Tahini Sauce
- Tofu Caprese Skewers
- Cashew Tofu Stir Fry
- Perfect Baked Tofu
- Tofu Kebabs
- How to Grill Tofu
- Sheet Pan Tofu & Veggies
- Tofu Scramble
Crispy Tofu with Sweet Chile Sauce
Ingredients
- 14 ounces of firm tofu
- 2 teaspoons plus 3/4 cup of cornstarch, divided
- ¼ cup of water
- ¼ cup of rice vinegar
- 3 tablespoons of sugar
- 1 tablespoon of chili-garlic sauce
- ¼ cup of cornmeal, white or yellow is fine
- ¼ teaspoon of salt
- ¼ teaspoon of pepper
- ~3/4 cup of oil for frying
Instructions
- Prep your tofu by cutting it into bite sized chunks. I do this by cutting it into 2 different slabs (hamburger style) and then slices each of those into ~2/3 of an inch fingers and then into cubes. Place the tofu on a plate lined with paper towels and leave for roughly 15 minutes to drain a bit.
- While waiting, make the sauce. In a medium saucepan over medium low heat, whisk together 2 teaspoons of the cornstarch as well as the water, vinegar, sugar, and chili-garlic sauce. Bring that mixture to a light simmer and, continuing to whisk constantly, cook for about 3-4 minutes until thickened. Remove from heat and let sit, covered, while you finish the tofu.
- In a wide bowl, stir together the remaining cornstarch, salt, pepper, and the cornmeal. Pat the tofu dry and then toss in the cornmeal mixture to coat all of the sides. I did this in several batches.
- In 12 inch skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat over hot. Fry the tofu, tossing occasionally, for about 8-10 minutes or until it is lightly browned on all sides. Once done, remove to a paper towel lined plate.
- When ready to serve, toss the tofu in the chili-garlic sauce and ENJOY! I served mine with basmati rice and a little steamed broccoli! YUM!
This was exactly what I needed for dinner tonight, thank you!
Easily one of the best tofu recipes out there. The sauce was spot on. I made my own chili garlic sauce to add to it. Served it with jasmine rice and some green onions!