Here, I reveal my secret to the crispiest tofu, and there's no better time or place to do it! This Orange Tofu is insanely crispy & delivers the perfect blend of sweetness, spice, & tang! With garlic, ginger, and a touch of red chili pepper, each bite will give you a bolder & richer flavor than any take-out Orange Chicken!
Yields: 3-4 servings
Difficulty: Medium
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Quick Notes:
Since this recipe serves 3-4 people, I almost always have leftovers. If you think you're going to have extra, I suggest not tossing all the tofu in the orange sauce, that way, you can store them separately and keep the tofu crispy. When you're ready to enjoy some again, just reheat the sauce and pop the tofu in your air fryer or oven again for just a couple minutes.
When you're baking or air frying the tofu, be sure not to overcrowd the pan or air fryer basket. They need a little space to crisp up nicely. I do multiple batches when using the air fryer.
For the marmalade in this recipe, you wanna aim for a higher quality one that doesn't have and high fructose corn syrup. I like to use Bonne Maman which I usually see for about 4-5 dollars at the store. It has really simple quality ingredients and none of the super processed crap.
If you're not vegan or if some of your family isn't, the orange sauce in this recipe is really good over chicken too.
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Ingredients:
For the tofu
1 block extra firm tofu, 15 oz
1 tbsp corn starch
2 tbsps gluten free all purpose flour
1/4 cup oil
For the sauce
1/4 cup Orange Marmalade ( I highly suggest one without high fructose corn syrup, such as Bonne Maman)
1/4 cup warm water
1 tbsp corn starch
2 tbsp lemon juice
4 tbsps soy sauce or tamari
1/2 tbsp sriracha
1 tsp rice vinegar
1 tbsp brown sugar
1 tsp red pepper flakes
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 tsp fine salt
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/4 tsp ginger powder
1/4 tsp garlic powder
For Garnish (optional):
Sesame seeds
Sliced green onion
Method:
For the tofu
Drain and wrap the block of tofu between a cloth or a couple paper towels and gently press with a cutting board or another flat on top for 30 minutes. This will press the excess moisture out of the tofu and firm it up.
Pick up the block, and with your fingers, rip off approximately 1 inch sized pieces into a medium bowl.
Add the corn starch and the GF flour and gently mix so all the pieces are evenly coated. Avoid breaking the tofu.
Add the oil and mix again.
Air Fryer: Bake the tofu in the air fryer @400 degrees Fahrenheit for 8 minutes, flip, then bake for 8 more minutes. I do this in multiple batches, because its important not to overcrowd the air fryer basket. You want one nice layer with room for the tofu to breath.
Oven: Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and spread the tofu out onto it. Bake @400 degrees Fahrenheit for 12 minutes, flip, then bake for 12 more minutes. The longer you bake it, the crispier it'll be, so if its not looking quite how you desire it, bake it for a little longer.
For the sauce
Strain the marmalade though a mesh strainer and into a small saucepan to separate any candied orange pieces the marmalade may have. Optionally, you can skip this (which I sometimes do because I enjoy the little bit of bitterness it adds) or cut up any large candied pieces you marmalade may have and add them to your sauce.
Add half the warm water and whisk over low heat until smooth. No more than 2 minutes.
Mix the remaining warm water with the 1 tbsp of corn starch to make a slurry.
Combine all the remaining sauce ingredients into the saucepan and whisk. Raise the heat to medium low and let simmer and add the corn starch slurry. Stir often until it has thickened nicely, approx. 8 minutes. The sauce should now fall slowly from your spoon.
Serve with tofu, your choice of vegetables and/or rice, garnish, & enjoy!
Feel free to comment below or reach me on Instagram @eats.by.eli if you have any questions, if you have made this recipe, and if so, what you thoughts were! Best wishes!
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