Orange Chili Tofu- vegan, gluten free, oil free.
Tofu is one of the easiest ways to add plant protein and calcium to your plate any time of the day or year. The blandness and easy texture of tofu makes it a great vehicle for varied flavors that originate in myriad cuisines. If you believe in science and belong to the ‘ soy is not evil’ class, then you should be enjoying tofu multiple times a week.
This recipe is by far the most loved tofu version at my dinner table, solely because of the sauce that is the star of the dish. It is a good idea to drain tofu well and before dunking in any sauce, to give it a bit of texture by baking for few min. You can even pan fry tofu, but baking is more hands free, when you are a busy mom. Once you have nice baked tofu ready to go, you can find the sauce of your choice and let the tofu be the sponge for all the flavors. But, pick this sauce first, because it is satisfying.
This orange chili sauce is oil free and super addictive. Made in 10 min from few ingredients including fresh orange juice, this sauce can be of multipurpose, once your store in the fridge. You can dunk your tofu in this sauce, and follow it with more veggies. You can just add it to a bowl of noodles or a salad for bold spicy yet umami flavor.
The secret of healthy eating stand on shoulders of sauces, dips, dressings that you can’t get enough of. And, this orange chili sauce definitely on the ‘not to miss/pure irresistible’ list.
Once you make the tofu, enjoy it with a bowl of veggies or add the tofu to a bowl of noodles to make it a hearty meal.
Not in mood for Asian flavors, try the equally flavorful, vibrant chipotle tofu for a delicious Mexican variation- https://myfoodbliss.com/vibrant-chipotle-tofu-vegan-gluten-free/
Orange Chili Tofu
Ingredients
For the sauce
- 1 cup fresh squeezed orange juice
- 1/4 cup tamari
- 2 tbsp rice vinegar
- 2-3 tsp red chili flakes- adjust per your spice tolerance
- 2 tsp date sugar can use agave or maple syrup
- 1 1/2 tsp corn starch
Tofu
- 7 oz extra firm tofu drained and pressed of water for 15min
- 2 tsp corn starch
Instructions
Preparing tofu
- Once you open tofu package, drain water and place heavy weight on it for 15-20 min till as much water as possible is drained away. Then cut tofu per your desired shape, place in a wide bowl and add corn starch. Gently shake the bowl to coat the tofu pieces with corn starch without breaking down tofu. Add tofu to baking sheet and bake for 15 min at 400 F . While the tofu is getting baked, let us make the sauce.
The awesome orange chili sauce
- Squeeze two oranges to make about one cup fresh juice. That left over pulp can go into a smoothie.In a sauce pan once hot, mix orange juice, tamari, rice vinegar, chili flakes, date sugar. Let it simmer for 10 min. Then add corn starch while mixing with a spoon. Give another 3-4 min, while mixture thickens slightly. Turn off the stove.
Final touch to tofu along with broccolini
- From the sauce pan, take about half orange chili sauce into a bowl. Into the same pan with the remaining half of orange chili sauce, add the baked tofu and let it soak the flavors of the sauce. Once you see the tofu coated by enough sauce and the amount of sauce has decreased, add few table spoons more of the sauce to generously slather the tofu. Give it a minute and take the tofu into a serving bowl. Garnish with sesame seeds.In the same pan, add cut broccolini or broccoli. (you can even add brussels sprouts, carrots, snap peas) Add 1/2 cup water. Put a lid on and let the veggies cook for 3-4 min, while soaking up the spicy orange flavor in the pan. Take the veggies to the same tofu bowl. If you have any left over sauce, go ahead add on the top of tofu and veggies in the serving bowl and dig in..It is addictive.