Orange Tofu

5 from 1 vote

A Vegan friendly reminiscent of the popular American Asian dish; this Orange Tofu recipe is perfect with crisp pieces of tofu in a sticky sweet and sour orange based sauce.

Pair it with steamed rice or quinoa for a meal that is like the restaurants; but better!

Prep Time10

Cook Time35

Total Time45

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Asian

Diet: Vegan, Vegetarian

Servings:

Calories: 303kcal

Author: Smruti

Ingredients

For the Air Fried Tofu

14 oz firm tofu
1½ teaspoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon rice vinegar
2 tablespoon avocado oil
3 tablespoon corn starch
non-stick spray

For the Orange Sauce

1 cup orange juice (strained)
½" knob of ginger (peeled and grated)
3 cloves garlic (peeled and minced)
1 teaspoon red chili flakes
1 teaspoon orange zest
⅓ cup light brown sugar
1 tsp salt
1 teaspoon rice vinegar
2 teaspoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon cornstarch
2 tablespoon cold water

Other Ingredients

2 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
2-3 stalks cilantro (chopped)
2-3 stalks scallions (chopped)

Instructions

Press the tofu between kitchen towels or use a tofu press. Once the tofu is free from moisture, cut into even cubes or tear into bite size pieces.
14 oz firm tofu
Separate and add the pieces to a large bowl.
Add in soy sauce, avocado oil and vinegar. Also sprinkle the corn starch on the tofu.
1½ teaspoon soy sauce, 1 teaspoon rice vinegar, 2 tablespoon avocado oil, 3 tablespoon corn starch
Toss everything till the cornstarch coats the tofu well.
Preheat the air fryer to 400 F. Once hot, place a parchment paper or grease the basket. Arrange the tofu pieces in a single layer, leaving some space between them.
non-stick spray
Air fry for 8-10 minutes and remove the basket. Flip the tofu pieces over and brush the remaining avocado oil on the pieces.
Air fry for another 8-10 minutes till it is crisp on all sides.
Remove the tofu in a plate and set aside.
Heat sesame oil in the pan.
2 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
Then add garlic, ginger and red chili flakes (if using).
½" knob of ginger, 3 cloves garlic, 1 teaspoon red chili flakes
Sauté till the garlic is aromatic.
Add the remaining ingredients except corn starch and water.
1 cup orange juice, 1 teaspoon orange zest, ⅓ cup light brown sugar, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon rice vinegar, 2 teaspoon soy sauce
Bring to a gentle boil for 4-5 minutes; till everything comes together.
Next, add water to the cornstarch and prepare the slurry. Transfer this slurry to the orange sauce.
1 tablespoon cornstarch, 2 tablespoon cold water
Cook on medium flame till the sauce starts to thicken.
Add the tofu pieces to the sauce.
Coat all the pieces with the sauce and bring to one boil. Turn down the flame.
Remove in a bowl and serve topped with cilantro or scallions. It is best with some steamed broccoli and steamed jasmine rice.
2-3 stalks cilantro, 2-3 stalks scallions

Video

Notes

Pressing Tofu: It is important to press out as much moisture as possible out of tofu. This is to ensure the pieces crisp well and do not turn soggy in the sauce. However, if you would like the tofu to remain moist within, skip this step.
Making it tofu free: While tofu is great in the recipe we can make the same recipe with tempeh, paneer or cauliflower. Make sure the exterior is crisp by air frying or baking before using these too.
Air frying evenly: In order to crips up the tofu well; do not skimp on the oil. Moreover, spread the tofu in a single layer leaving some space between the pieces. Make the tofu in batches if it is a lot.
Make the recipe gluten-free: Substitute soy sauce with tamari for a gluten-free version. All other ingredients are naturally gluten-free.
Making the cornstarch slurry: Mix corn starch with cold or room temperature water to make the slurry. Hot water will make the slurry clumpy in minutes.
Adjusting the sweetness: Taste the orange juice before adding in sugar. Moreover, adjust the amount of sugar based on how sweet you like the sauce.
Adding more heat: The recipe is medium spicy. To add more spice, either add a couple of red or green chili with the garlic or a teaspoon of chili sauce with the other sauces in the orange sauce.
Use of Orange zest: Orange zest is a perfect freshness ingredient in the recipe. However, if using store bought juice, add some zest from oranges to it or swap with lemon zest. A drop of orange extract works but does taste slightly artificial.

Air Fryer: Remember to always account for the time needed for the Air Fryer to preheat. The cook time listed does not account for this.

Note: Nutrition values are my best estimates using an automated calculator. If you rely on them for your diet, use your preferred nutrition calculator.

Nutrition