Dear Sweet & Spicy Sriracha Tofu,
Please get in my mouth immediately.
Love,
Sam.
The crispy tofu, the heat of Sriracha, and the sweet agave sauciness, make one fiiine combination. Delivery has nothing on this, and with the freezing temperatures we've been having, I'm pretty sure the delivery guy is A-ok with avoiding the running about in the cold. And I am A-ok with snuggling up in my stretchy pants and over-sized sweater and never leaving the house again... Until I run out of tofu, or Sriracha, or wine, then I will reconsider.
In the meantime, how about cuddling up with a plate of this amazingness? Yes, I don't mind if I do.
To make Sweet & Spicy Sriracha Tofu: Toss the pressed and cubed tofu with cornstarch. Coating the tofu in cornstarch will help it crisp up... oh delicious crispy tofu, you had me at hello.
Fry the tofu until golden brown and crispy on all sides, about 4 minutes per side, then drain on paper towel.
In the meantime, make the sauce by combining the water, soy sauce, sugar, Sriracha, agave, and garlic in a pan. Bring to a boil. If you don't have Sriracha you could use a different hot sauce. Hot sauces range in spice quite a bit, so add to your own taste preference.
Then whisk in the cornstarch mixture into sauce, and stir until thickened. Toss with tofu and serve over rice. Yum!
Sweet & Spicy Sriracha Tofu
Ingredients
For the tofu:
- 1 block (350g) extra-firm tofu, drained and pressed (see notes), cubed
- â…“ cup cornstarch
- 2 tablespoons oil for frying
- cooked rice for serving
For the sweet & spicy sauce:
Instructions
- To make the tofu: add the tofu to a medium bowl with the cornstarch. Toss well to coat, and shake off excess.
- Heat the oil in a pan and fry the tofu cubes until all sides are browned. About 4 minutes each side. Drain tofu on paper towel to get rid of excess oil.
- To make the Sriracha sauce: in a small saucepan, 1 cup water, soy sauce, sugar, sriracha, agave, and garlic, then bring to a boil. In a small bowl or glass, mix the cornstarch and 2 tablespoons water together. Pour the cornstarch mixture into the sauce and whisk well. Continue to cook another minute or two until the sauce thickens.
- Toss the sauce with the tofu and serve over a bed of rice.
Notes
Nutrition
Bon Appetegan!
Sam.
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Nora Taylor says
I just finished making this tofu and took my first bite...YUM! That's all I can really say. Spicy, sweet, sticky, delicious!
Sam Turnbull says
Hahaha! Nothing more is needed! That sounds perfect. So happy you loved it, Nora 🙂
Toni says
This is so good!!! One of the best recipes I've tried.
Sam Turnbull says
Woohoo!! So happy you love it Toni 🙂
Eli says
Do I have use agave? I really don't like agave that is why I am asking.
Sam Turnbull says
You could sub with maple syrup or just skip it entirely. 🙂
Diane says
Delicious. My non-vegan family loved this too. Thanks for another great recipe
Diane says
Oh and it is definitely a five star recipe
Sam Turnbull says
Haha! Yay!!! It's my absolute pleasure, so happy you loved it 🙂
Diane says
Can't wait for your cookbook to come out. Lol everyone one will get a copy for Christmas ☃
Sam Turnbull says
Awww yay!!! 😀
samantha herrholtz says
Sam,
Just excellent! I can't thank you enough for this recipe. I've searched online for this recipe, have made it and it never turns out. Your recipe was point on and it was excellent. I did add Fresh ginger also. Adds just that little bit more.
So now I'm wondering, will you in your new cook book add kung pao tofu? I Love that stuff, But the recipes are to hard to follow. lol. I'm Asking cause you simplify my life with your wonderful tasting recipes, that are easy to make and they taste so good!
Thanks again.
Sam Turnbull says
Yay! So happy to hear that! Kung Pao isn't in my cookbook, but that's a great idea! I have added it to my list of recipe ideas 😀
Toni Sinclair says
Hi, I am new to being a vegan (20 days and counting!!) so i don't quite know what "press the block of tofu for 15 minutes" means. Do I stand there pressing on the tofu with a paper towel for 15 minutes??
Thank you,
Toni
Sam Turnbull says
Haha! Sorry! I should write a clear post on that, it's a great idea. All you do is open and drain the tofu. Then wrap it in a clean dish towel, and balance a cutting board on top, with something heavy on top of that (such as a couple can of beans). This will slowly press out excess water, meaning the tofu will be drier and able to suck up more flavour. Hope that helps! And welcome and enjoy! 🙂
Diana says
This was heaven. I have been wanting something like the tofu I would get in a restaurant. This was it. It is not too spicy and just yum.
Sam Turnbull says
Yay!!!! So happy you loved it, Diana! 😀
KBF says
Yum. Just yum. Added the sauce and some steamed broccoli to the pan with the crispy tofu. Family fell on it including the 13 year old. Had to tone down the heat for the younger set, but wonderful. Should have doubled it so we could lunch left-overs. THANK YOU for helping this mom with vegan meals!
Sam Turnbull says
Yay! So happy you and your fam love it, KBF! 😀
KBF says
PS. Filled the soul--Perfect and much-needed after a long day of marches and rallies in DC. 🙂
Sam Turnbull says
Woohoo!! That's two great things to hear 🙂
Frank says
HI yet another good sounding recipe that we may try tonight could
you please tell me what size block in oz. of tofu you recommend for this recipe... thank you
Sam Turnbull says
My block is 350 grams so thats 12.3 oz. I hope you love it!
Jay says
Delicious! Made this for dinner and it was super easy and so very tasty. I've been making your recipes all week and they've all been so delicious. Can't wait to try more!
Sam Turnbull says
Haha love it! Nothing better than spending the week cooking up delicious vegan food 😀
Jay says
Can't get Agave where I live. Would maple syrup work?
Sam Turnbull says
Yes it would! Enjoy 🙂
Lisa says
I LOVE this recipe and so does my family, even the non vegan ones..I add button mushrooms and brocoli to the mix.. Thanks so much for sharing this!
Sam Turnbull says
Woot woot! So happy you and your fam love it Lisa 🙂
Allison Bryant says
I LOVE this recipe! I serve it with broccoli and rice 🙂
Sam Turnbull says
Sounds like the perfect combination! So happy you love it Allison 🙂
Walker Lubeck says
So so good. Recently became vegan and came across this recipe on Pinterest. I did do a little adjusting. I didn't add any white sugar and only added the two tablespoons of agave because I already take in more sugar than I should haha. I also added three tablespoons of sriracha as well as a tablespoon of red pepper flakes (definitely made it extremely spicy which I loved). Thanks so much for the recipe. Super easy and delicious 🙂
Sam Turnbull says
Awesome! So happy you loved it Walker, and congrats on your new veganism! Let me know if you ever need any support or have any questions 🙂
Angela says
I've made this dish countless times already and it's quickly become my husband's favorite meal. It's been a key part of my new successful scheme. We've been vegan at home for half a year now (previously vegetarian), and (thanks to delicious dishes like this) he's only just now realized he's vegan.
Sam Turnbull says
Ha!! I love that delicious scheme!! So happy you are loving this recipe and that it helped. Muhahaha!
Chelsea says
My boss brought this to work and upon announcing what she had cooked, my co-workers instantly perked up and started salivating (it was very pavlovian)! I'm new to my job so I had never tasted my boss' cooking before but it was so good that I decided to try it out myself. She sent me a link to this recipe I literally just made this now and am eating as I type this and it's delicious!
-Omnivore who enjoys the occasional vegan dish
Sam Turnbull says
Yay! Welcome omnivore, haha! So very happy you loved this dish so much, and congrats on your new job 🙂
Beth says
I got a strict carnivore to eat these. She fell in love and has been begging me to make again.
D e l i c i o u s
Sam Turnbull says
Haha!! I love that! Wooing carnivores with tofu, who knew! 🙂
Abby says
You can make it oil free by coating the tofu prices in corn flour/meal and baking for 20 mins (ish) until it turns crispy. I've tried it both ways and with oil comes out a little crunchier but still good texted with the corn meal 🙂
Sam Turnbull says
Great tip! Thanks for sharing Abby 🙂
Dolores says
Hi Sam,
I have never cooked Tofu before but plan to do your recipe this week.
Do you need both the sugar and Agave as it seems a lot to me and I see someone mentioned Sambal Oelek. Is this a good substitute for Sriracha as I have never tried Sriracha before.....
Sam says
Hi Dolores!
Feel free to reduce the sugar as you like, but keep in mind that most people who claim they don't like tofu, say that it's because t's bland, which it is, so you have to add all the flavour. Feel free to use any hot sauce you like, but make sure to adjust the quantities accordingly so that it suits your spice preference. I hope you love it!
Dolores says
Thanks so much Sam, I will stick to your recipe and let you know the outcome... 🙂
Sam says
Enjoy!
Alexa says
This was great! Made it tonight! Thanks so much for this recipe 🙂
Sam says
Yay! So happy you enjoyed it Alexa 😀