Orange Tofu

This Orange Tofu is a vegan adaptation of the classic orange chicken! It’s made healthier with sweet, salty, spicy and sticky sauce for those busy weeknights. A delicious and comforting 30 minutes Chinese meal.

Course Main Course

Cuisine Chinese

Keyword how to make orange tofu, orange tofu recipe, vegan orange tofu

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 15

Total Time 30

Servings

Calories 202kcal

Author Gunjan

Ingredients

1 14 oz. pack of extra firm tofu ( drained, pressed and chopped)
2 tbsp cornstarch
salt to taste (very little though)
freshly ground black pepper

for the sauce

4 small mandarin oranges (peeled)
1 orange zest
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 tbsp white vinegar
1 tbsp maple syrup
2 tsp sriracha sauce
1/4 inch root ginger
2 garlic cloves

others

1 tbsp olive oil/sesame oil
2 tsp white sesame seeds
chopped green onions

Instructions

In a mixing bowl combine chopped tofu, cornstarch, salt and pepper. Mix gently so that tofu does not break but make sure to coat each tofu piece with cornstarch.
Heat oil in a nonstick pan/wok and sauté tofu in it until golden brown and crispy.
In the meanwhile, in a blender, combine all the sauce ingredients (oranges, orange zest, soy sauce, vinegar, maple syrup, ginger, garlic). Blend it very smooth so that the pulp does not show up while cooking or eating.
Pour this sauce on cooked tofu in the pan itself. Let it cook uncovered at high flame until the bubbles form. Stir at every 2 minutes interval to check its consistency. As soon as it starts to thicken lower the flame to low-medium and let it cook covered for 2 minutes.
Remove the lid and stir again. Turn off the flame and let it rest covered for 3-4 minutes for the sauce to thicken a bit more.
Garnish and enjoy with steamed white rice/brown rice/quinoa.

Notes

I used California small mandarin oranges ( cuties ) for this recipe.
No need to strain the orange sauce. Simply blend it longer for 3-4 minutes.
Make sure to pour the sauce in the pan as soon as the tofu is golden in color and on crispy side.
Oven bake option/ oil free option: prepare the tofu as explained in step1. Pre-heat oven at 400-degree Fahrenheit and prepare a baking sheet with a parchment paper. Place the prepared tofu in a single layer on the baking sheet and bake it in the middle rack of the oven for 25 minutes. Take it out and flip all the pieces and bake again for another 20 minutes. Once done, turn it off and take it out. Now, in a pan combine the blended sauce and tofu together and let it cook as explained in step 4 and step 5. Lastly garnish and serve.
Additional salt was not required for us. But feel free to adjust the salt if desired after cooking.
This recipe has spicy hint to it with being salty, sweet and tangy with a prominent orange taste.

Nutrition