Sweet Chilli Tofu

This is one of those recipes that gets made almost weekly in our house. Even my partner, who isn’t a massive tofu fan, looks forward to this dish. It’s satisfyingly savoury, spicy and easy to prepare.

Serve it with grains or veges of your choice, or simply enjoy it over a hot bowl of rice.

For the tofu:

2 x 300g blocks of plain/firm tofu

2 Tbsp corn flour, tapioca flour or arrowroot flour

2 Tbsp oil for frying

1 Tbsp finely chopped coriander (leaves & stems is fine!)

1 Tbsp sesame seeds

For the sauce:

6 cloves of garlic

1 Tbsp sugar (I use coconut or raw)

1 Tbsp sesame oil

2 Tbsp sweet chilli sauce

1 Tbsp tamari or gluten free soy sauce

1 tsp hot sauce/sriracha

To serve:

Cooked rice or grain of choice

Vegetables of choice

Cut each block of tofu into 2-3cm cubes. Put them in a shallow bowl or on a plate and sprinkle the tapioca starch over the top (I find it doesn’t matter if the cubes aren’t fully coated in flour, just as long as each cube has a dusting on at least one side)

Now make the sauce: in a small jug or bowl, crush the garlic and mix it with all the other ingredients, creating a wonderfully thick, delicious sauce.

To cook the tofu: heat the oil in a large frying pan and fry the cubes on a medium high heat. This is a big load of tofu so I usually do it in two batches. If you’re using tapioca flour, you’ll find the tapioca makes the cubes stick to each other in a stringy gloopy way, so try not to get them nestled up too close in the pan (this is where the two-batch method works in your favour!) Fry the cubes, turning often, until golden crispy.

Once all the tofu is cooked, put all the cubes in the pan and tip over the sauce, chopped coriander and sesame seeds. It’ll bubble and thicken quickly, so keep stirring until all the tofu is coated well. It only needs a minute or so. Serve over rice, with vegetables of choice.