Delicious Vegan Asian Garlic Tofu
I have been on a tofu binge lately, I seriously can not get enough of it! It just simply amazed me that something as simple as plain old tofu can be transformed into something many would assume is meat! I was craving Asian food the other night and came across this recipe for a delicious vegan Asian garlic tofu and… oh my word… it came out amazing! Paired with broccoli and couscous and you have yourself an amazing meal that people will be shocked to discover is 100% vegan!
The secret to getting extra crisp tofu is making sure to get out as much moisture as possible out of the tofu. I take my tofu, wrap it up several times around with paper towels, and then place a heavy ceramic pan on top of the wrapped tofu for about 30 minutes. I will then give the tofu a good squeeze, remove the paper towels, and finally squeeze the tofu one last time over the sink.
My next tip is to cook your tofu in a cast iron skillet! I find that any other type of frying pan that I use keeps in too much moisture and the tofu never really achieves that crispy outer layer. Since I started cooking my tofu on a cast iron skillet, I can get crispy tofu in no time, which makes it resemble meat even more! “Learn more about cast iron and enameled cast iron in this article.
Are you ready to get cooking this delicious meal? Check out the recipe card down below!
- 1 package extra firm tofu
- ¼ cup Hoisin sauce
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon freshly grated ginger
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- green onions for garnish
- couscous or rice for serving
- Remove tofu from packaging. Wrap paper towels on a plate. Set tofu on top of plate and cover with a cast iron pan or something else that is heavy on top. Let sit 30 minutes.
- In a medium bowl, stir together Hoisin sauce, soy sauce, sugar, ginger, garlic, and red pepper flakes.
- Cut tofu into bite-sized pieces. Place in bowl with sauce and toss to coat. Let sit 30 minutes.
- Heat olive oil in a medium cast iron pan over medium-high heat. Once really hot, add tofu. Once nicely seared on the bottom, flip over. Continue to cook until seared on bottom.
- Drizzle with sesame oil and remove from heat.
- Sprinkle with green onions and serve with couscous or rice.
I hope you enjoyed another vegan inspired recipe! Please let me know in the comments below if you tried this recipe out for yourself and what your thoughts were! Do you like to serve yours with couscous or rice?
I’m not a big tofu eater, but when I do make it (usually for vegetarian friends and family) this is the kind of recipe I like. Looks very tasty!