Sticky, sweet, and delicious! This Vegan Sticky Sesame Tofu is inspired by North American Chinese takeout we all know and love. Crispy tofu tossed in a sweet, yet savoury sauce and served with rice and cooked broccoli.
Course Main Course
Cuisine Chinese, Take-Out
Prep Time 15 minutesminutes
Cook Time 30 minutesminutes
Total Time 45 minutesminutes
Servings 4
Author Two Market Girls
Ingredients
1block extra firm tofu
1tspsesame oil
Sauce Ingredients
3tbspsoy sauce
2tbspmaple syrup
1tbspsesame oil
1tspgarlic powder
pinchchili flakes
1/3cupwater
cornstarch slurry1 tbsp cornstarch +1/4 cup water
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350F.
Dice your tofu into your desired cube size. We recommend smaller cubes that are about 1 cm wide.
To best crisp your tofu you want to use a cast iron pan, if you don't have one you need to use another over safe pan. Rest your cast iron on medium-high heat for about 2 minutes to heat up. Add 1 tsp of sesame oil and heat for another minute. Add your tofu and allow to cook for 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally. You want a golden brown colour on all sides. If you see it starting to cook a little too quickly, turn down the heat to cook slower. Once all sides are golden and the 15 minutes is done. Transfer the entire cast iron pan into the preheat oven and bake for about 10-15 minutes. This will get you perfectly crispy tofu, every time.
To make your sesame sauce you want to combine your soy sauce, maple syrup, sesame oil, garlic powder, chili flakes, and water. Mix until all combined.
To make your cornstarch slurry combine your cornstarch and water and whisk until there are no lumps.
Add your cornstarch slurry to your sauce mixture and mix until combined.
Add your sauce to a wok on medium heat and stir until you get the thickness you want. You are looking for a thicker, sticky sauce that will hold onto your tofu. Once you get to your desired thickness add in your tofu and toss until it is all coated.
Serve your tofu with whatever you prefer, but we paired ours with brown rice and steamed broccoli. Top with sesame seeds for some extra fanciness.