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Home Β» Main course

Sweet and sour tofu

Published: Apr 11, 2021 Β· Modified: Apr 7, 2022 by Vandana Chauhan. This post may contain affiliate links.

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Sweet and sour tofu is a tasty and easy to make vegan Asian recipe that gets ready very quickly. The combination of creamy tofu and crunchy vegetables in a delicious Asian sauce is something that everyone loves.

Sweet and sour tofu served with rice on a plate
Sweet and sour tofu

Asian cuisine is my favorite cuisine and you must have guessed that if you follow my blog as most of the recipes here are from Asia.

Though my mission is to explore vegan and vegetarian food from all over the world, after trying a few recipes from other countries I always come back to Asian food. The reason is that most Asian dishes not only taste good but are also very easy to make.

Today I am sharing another simple and tasty vegan Asian recipe- Sweet and sour tofu with vegetables. The combination of creamy tofu and crunchy vegetables in a delicious Asian sauce is something that everyone loves.

Jump to:
  • What goes in sweet and sour tofu?
  • How to make?
  • How to make sweet and sour tofu with gravy?
  • Tofu marinade options
  • Step by step photo instructions
  • Serving suggestions
  • Storing suggestion
  • Recipe tips and tricks
  • More easy tofu recipes
  • Recipe

What goes in sweet and sour tofu?

Ingredients required for sweet and sour tofu
Ingredients required for sweet and sour tofu

To make sweet and sour tofu with vegetables, the following ingredients will be required:

  1. Tofu: Medium firm tofu is the preferred type of tofu in this dish. Firm tofu can be used too. Silken tofu breaks easily so not the best choice for this recipe. Medium-firm tofu is comparatively easy to handle and you also get to enjoy its soft moist center even after baking it for a few minutes.
  2. Broccoli: Feel free to use more vegetables of your choice like French beans, carrots, cauliflower, snow peas, etc.
  3. Bell peppers: I have used three different colors to make the dish more appealing. A single type of bell pepper is fine too.
  4. Onion
  5. Ginger
  6. Garlic
  7. Condiments: Soy sauce, tomato ketchup, white vinegar, Sriracha or any hot sauce, brown sugar, chili flakes, salt, and ground black pepper.
  8. Oil: Vegetable oil and sesame oil. Vegetable oil is used for cooking and sesame oil is used to flavor this dish.
  9. Toasted white sesame seeds for garnishing: You can also use black sesame seeds.
Sweet and sour tofu with broccoli served with rice
Sweet and sour tofu with broccoli

How to make?

This is a very easy vegan tofu dish and making it involves just the following major steps:

  1. Bake tofu: Remove the excess moisture of tofu by wrapping and pressing it in a thick kitchen towel. Cut into bite-size cubes. Marinate with just vegetable oil, salt, and pepper. Bake in a pre-heated oven for 12-15 minutes at 200Β°C (400Β°F). We just want the skin to start turning brown but the center should remain moist so don't overbake.
  2. Prepare sauce: Mix all the condiments and sesame oil in a bowl to make sweet and sour tofu sauce.
  3. SautΓ© vegetables: Heat oil in a large pan. Saute ginger and garlic for a few seconds or until the raw smell of garlic goes away. Then add onion, broccoli, and bell peppers. Saute them together on high heat. Keep on stirring so that they don't get burned and are evenly cooked. The vegetables should remain crunchy.
  4. Combine all the ingredients: The final step involves combining all the ingredients. To do that first add baked tofu cubes to the pan and stir fry with the vegetables for about a minute. After that add the sauce and mix everything until the sauce evenly coats the vegetables and tofu. Switch off the gas. Sprinkle toasted sesame seeds and enjoy!

How to make sweet and sour tofu with gravy?

The sweet and sour tofu that I have made is without gravy. If you want to make it with gravy, make the following changes in the recipe.

  1. After adding the sweet and sour sauce to the vegetables, add around 1 cup of water to the pan and let it boil.
  2. In a bowl mix 1 tablespoon of cornstarch with around 2 tablespoons of water and add to the boiling sauce in the pan. Mix everything and cook for 1-2 minutes while continuously stirring. After that, you can stop stirring just cook until the sauce thickens.

Tofu marinade options

In the recipe, I have marinated tofu with just oil, salt, and pepper. If you want to make baked tofu more flavorful you can add some more ingredients to it. I am sharing some options below:

  • Soy sauce
  • Hot sauce
  • Garlic powder
  • Onion powder
  • Ginger powder
  • Chili flakes
  • Maple syrup/ agave/ honey(if not vegan)
  • Brown sugar
  • Lime juice
  • Orange/ pineapple juice

Step by step photo instructions

Steps to make sweet and sour tofu with broccoli
Steps to make sweet and sour tofu
Steps to make sweet and sour tofu with broccoli
Steps to make sweet and sour tofu
Sweet and sour tofu served on a white plate with a glass of water and rice in the background
Sweet and sour tofu

Serving suggestions

Sweet and sour tofu can be enjoyed with steamed jasmine rice, sticky rice, Asian fried rice, or any other rice dish. You can also enjoy it with a noodle dish like vegetable chow mein or mushroom noodles.

Since this tofu dish is without gravy, you can also serve it as a starter.

Storing suggestion

To store, transfer to an airtight container and refrigerate. It will be fine for 2-3 days.

Recipe tips and tricks

  • Use a large wok or pan to stir fry the vegetables so that stirring them around becomes easier. In a small pan, the vegetables will get piled up on each other so the moisture won't allow them to stay crunchy.
  • Don't overcook the vegetables.
  • Cut equal size pieces of vegetables.
  • You can also add other ingredients like mushrooms, carrots, French beans, sprouts, etc.
  • Don't over-bake the tofu cubes, they should be soft and moist at the center.

More easy tofu recipes

Looking for more easy tofu recipes? Don't miss to check the following links:

  1. Tofu in peanut sauce
  2. Stir-fried tofu with sprouts and mushrooms
  3. Vietnamese tomato tofu
  4. Pineapple tofu
  5. Orange tofu
  6. Chili garlic tofu
  7. Lemongrass tofu
  8. Tofu and broccoli in peanut sauce

If you try any of my recipes, please rate ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ it on the recipe card and also leave your feedback in the comments section below. You can also follow me on Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, and subscribe to my youtube channel.

Recipe

Sweet and sour tofu served in a white bowl with rice in the background

Sweet and sour tofu with vegetables

Sweet and sour tofu is a tasty and easy to make vegan Asian recipe that gets ready very quickly. The combination of creamy tofu and crunchy vegetables in a delicious Asian sauce is something that everyone loves.
5 from 12 votes
Print Pin Rate
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Asian, Chinese
Diet: Vegan, Vegetarian
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Total Time: 35 minutes
Servings: 6
Calories: 158kcal
Author: Vandana Chauhan

Equipment

  • Oven
  • Wok

Ingredients

For baked tofu cubes

  • 500 grams medium-firm tofu around 3 cups
  • 1 teaspoon vegetable oil/ any neutral flavored cooking oil
  • Salt as per taste
  • Ground black pepper as per taste

Other ingredients

  • 1 medium-sized red onion cut into around 1” chunks
  • 1 medium-sized red bell pepper cut into around 1” chunks
  • 1 medium-sized yellow bell pepper cut into around 1” chunks
  • 1 medium-sized green bell pepper cut into around 1” chunks
  • 1 small broccoli head around two cups broccoli florets
  • 1 tablespoon finely chopped garlic
  • 1 tablespoon finely chopped ginger
  • Β½ teaspoon chili flakes adjust as per taste
  • 2 tablespoons light brown sugar
  • 2 tablespoons soy sauce
  • 2 tablespoons tomato ketchup
  • 2 tablespoons chili sauce adjust as per taste
  • 2 tablespoons white vinegar
  • 1 teaspoon sesame oil
  • 1 tablespoon vegetable oil/ any neutral-flavored cooking oil
  • Salt as per taste
  • Toasted white sesame seeds for garnishing optional

Instructions

  • Wrap the tofu block in a thick paper kitchen towel and gently press to remove the excess moisture. Remove from the towel and cut into bite-size pieces.
  • Put the tofu cubes, oil, salt, and pepper in a large bowl. Gently toss and then spread on a baking tray lined with a baking sheet. Bake in a pre-heated oven for 12-15 minutes at 200Β°C (400Β°F).
  • In a bowl put all the sauces, vinegar, brown sugar, chili flakes, salt, and sesame oil. Mix well and keep aside.
  • Heat oil in a large wok. Add ginger and garlic. Saute for a few seconds or until the raw smell of garlic goes away.
  • Add onion, bell peppers, and broccoli. Stir fry on high flame for a few minutes i.e. until the vegetables get cooked but still crunchy.
  • Add the baked tofu cubes and mix. Cook for about a minute.
  • Finally, add the sauce blend and mix until it gets evenly coated on all the vegetables and tofu.
  • Sprinkle toasted sesame seeds and enjoy with jasmine rice or noodles.

Notes

  1. More vegetables like cauliflower, beans, carrots, or mushrooms can be used in this dish.
  2. Feel free to alter the quantity of sauces, vinegar, sugar, and chili flakes to suit your taste.
  3. Use a large wok to stir fry so that the vegetables can be stirred easily. It also helps in even cooking.
  4. Don't overcook the vegetables they should be crunchy.

Nutrition

Calories: 158kcal | Carbohydrates: 14g | Protein: 9g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Sodium: 300mg | Potassium: 208mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 844IU | Vitamin C: 81mg | Calcium: 123mg | Iron: 2mg
Tried this recipe?Tag me on instagram #greenbowl2soul

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Uma Srinivas

    September 02, 2021 at 10:03 pm

    5 stars
    Surprisingly I made this for my kid's lunch box. they love the tofu and sauteed vegetables with Asian sauces. Your recipe looks delicious!

    Reply
    • Vandana Chauhan

      September 29, 2021 at 10:00 am

      Thanks Uma πŸ™‚

      Reply
  2. Jagruti's Cooking Odyssey

    September 02, 2021 at 7:45 pm

    Sweet and sour tofu with rice, sign me, please! One of my favourites lunch dishes, I get from the canteen at work. Homemade is always best.

    Reply
    • Vandana Chauhan

      September 29, 2021 at 10:00 am

      Thank you πŸ™‚

      Reply
  3. Pavani

    August 26, 2021 at 7:22 pm

    5 stars
    Wow, what a delicious tofu recipe this is. So colorful and packed with flavor, my family absolutely loved it. Thank you for this amazing and easy recipe.

    Reply
    • Vandana Chauhan

      September 29, 2021 at 10:12 am

      Thank you.

      Reply
  4. amrita

    August 18, 2021 at 9:13 am

    5 stars
    I must say this is a quick and easy recipe that anyone can try it. Also, I love the way you have explained that which type of tofu is perfect for this recipe because would not know this. It looks so delicious.

    Reply
  5. Avin Kohli

    August 16, 2021 at 2:23 pm

    5 stars
    Asian cuisine is my fav. I would rather eat this sweet and sour tofu over my dal rice too. Lovely share.

    Reply
  6. Seema Sriram

    August 16, 2021 at 8:09 am

    5 stars
    The glaze looks perfect in the way it coats the tofu. That bowl of rice with sweet and sour tofu is a very happy meal.

    Reply
  7. Mayuri Patel

    August 16, 2021 at 6:14 am

    5 stars
    Vandana, a lovely idea to bake the tofu to get that nice crispy 'skin' on it. Sweet and sour tofu looks so inviting, love to have it with loads of stir fried veggies and rice.

    Reply
  8. Bless my food by Payal

    August 14, 2021 at 10:04 am

    5 stars
    This is definitely the most interesting and unique dish with tofu. Your detailed description of the recipe will it easy for those too, who are first timer cooks. Awesome post.

    Reply

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Hi! Thanks for stopping by my blog. My name is Vandana Chauhan and I am on a mission to explore vegan/ vegetarian recipes from around the world. I am delighted to welcome you to join me on this exciting journey.

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