Crispy tofu and jalapenos tossed in a sweet and salty Hawaiian garlic sauce.
Course: Main Course
Servings: 4
Author: Lauren Hartmann
Ingredients
1 Block Extra firm tofu, pressed
1 Fresh jalapeno, sliced
1/4 C. All purpose flour
1/2 C. +1 tsp. Corn starch
1/2 tsp. Salt
1/4 C. Soy sauce
1/2 C. Pineapple juice
2 Tbsp. Agave syrup
3 Tbsp. + 1 tsp. Water
3 Cloves Garlic, chopped
1/2 tsp. Ginger, grated
Oil for frying
Instructions
Make sure you prep your tofu, by pressing it first, either in a tofu press, or by placing the tofu on some paper towels and placing something heavy on top. Press for at least 15 minutes, but the longer the better, and you can even do it the day before or the morning of.
When ready to make the tofu, start with the sauce. In a small sauce pan, whisk together the soy sauce, pineapple juice, agave, 3 Tbsp. of water, chopped garlic and grated ginger. Heat on low.
Bring to a simmer, then in a small bowl, whisk together 1 tsp. of corn starch and 1 tsp. of water. Until the corn starch has dissolved in the water. Add that to the sauce. Whisk to combine and continue to simmer for a minute until the sauce thickens. Once the sauce is nice and thick, turn off the heat. Try to keep it warm by covering it.
While the sauce is simmering you can start making the tofu and jalapenos.
Now in medium sized mixing bowl, combine the flour, 1/2 c. corn starch and salt. Stir to combine. Then cut the pressed tofu into cubes and toss all of the tofu into the corn starch/flour mixture to coat, then toss the jalapeno slices into the mixture as well.
Then heat about 1/2 an inch of light oil in a skillet on medium high. Once the oil is hot, shake the excess flour/corn starch off of the tofu, then fry the tofu and jalapenos on each side until the tofu is brown and very crispy on all sides, this will take a few minutes on each side. Remove the tofu and jalapenos from the oil once they are crispy.
Now, toss the tofu and jalapenos into the sauce, heating the sauce back up on low if needed. Serve immediately with rice and/or veggies.
Recipe Notes
You can bake the tofu and jalapenos at 400 degrees for about 30-40 minutes, flipping half way through baking. You can skip tossing them in corn starch and flour, and just toss them in olive oil, sprinkle with salt. Place on a baking sheet and bake until really nice and brown and crisp. Then you can make the sauce while the tofu is baking and toss together when finished.