30-Minute Vegan Sweet And Sour Tofu
Easy vegan sweet and sour tofu recipe that's ready in 30 minutes and taste delicious over rice. It's made with a healthy sweet and sour sauce that uses pineapple juice.
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Servings: 2
Ingredients
- 2 servings fast-cooking rice ¾ cup (125-150 g)
- 1 small onion
- 1 yellow bell pepper
- 1 green bell pepper
- 7 oz firm tofu (200 g)
- 2 teaspoons corn starch or potato starch or arrow root powder
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 2 teaspoon sesame seeds optional
For the sweet and sour sauce
- ½ cup pineapple juice (120 ml) or apricot juice
- ¼ cup tomato paste (70 g)
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
- 1 tablespoon tamari or gluten-free soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
- ¼ teaspoon ginger powder optional
Instructions
- Bring water to a boil. Cook the rice according to the instructions on the package. Drain and set aside.
- Mince the onion. Wash the bell peppers. Cut them into quarters to remove the seeds, then into bite-sized pieces (see step-by-step pictures in post above).
- Press excess moisture out of the tofu block (see notes). Cut it into small cubes. Place them in a bowl and add the cornstarch. Make sure the cubes are well coated.
- Heat a large pan with vegetable oil. Make sure the pan is very hot before you add the tofu. Fry for 1 minute over high heat. Flip the tofu cubes and fry for another minute. Remove from the pan and set aside.
- Add the onion and the bell peppers to the pan and sauté over medium heat for 10 minutes until the peppers are golden.
- In the meantime, make the sweet and sour sauce. Add the pineapple juice, tomato concentrate, maple syrup, tamari, apple cider vinegar and a pinch of ginger powder (if using) to a bowl. Whisk until combined.
- Add the tofu back to the pan with the sweet and sour sauce. Simmer for 5 minutes while stiring occasionally. The sauce will thicken.
- Serve over rice and sprinkle with sesame seeds, if desired.
Notes
- Press excess water out of the tofu block by wrapping it into a clean tea or kitchen towel (or paper cloth) and weighing it down with a heavy object (like a pan or skillet) for several minutes (30 minutes for best results).
- If the sauce is too thick, simply thin it out by adding a splash of water.
- If you have leftovers, you can transfer the entire meal to an air-tight container and keep it in the fridge for up to 2 days. Note that the tofu won't be crispy anymore if you leave it in the sauce.
- You can store the sweet and sour sauce in the freezer for 3 months. This is great if you have some leftover pineapple juice.
- It’s not recommended to freeze the rice, tofu, peppers and sauce already mixed together. The tofu becomes rather chewy and the rice dries up.
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