Quick & Easy Crispy Soy Garlic Tofu
Crispy pan-fried tofu in a garlicky, savoury sauce with umami flavors! This easy crispy soy garlic tofu is ready in 30 minutes with simple ingredients! A delicious main dish for all the tofu-lovers. It's better-than-takeout! I also share how to air fry the tofu and make this vegan with ingredient substitutes below.
Ingredients
- 12.34 oz extra firm tofu liquids strained out (no pressing required)
- 3 tablespoon vegetable oil or any neutral oil
- ½-3/4 cup cornstarch or potato starch, add more if needed
- 1 green onion finely chopped for garnish
- 1 teaspoon sesame seeds for garnish
Sauce
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 1 tablespoon regular soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon dark soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon oyster sauce or vegetarian stir fry sauce for a vegan version
- 1 teaspoon Shaoxing Cooking Wine or dry sherry wine, dry white wine or omit altogether
- 1 teaspoon white granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon rice vinegar or apple cider vinegar or white vinegar
- ½ tablespoon cornstarch or potato starch or tapioca starch
- ½ cup water room temperature
Instructions
- In a small bowl, combine the sauce ingredients as listed above and set aside.
- Pat dry the tofu with paper towels to remove excess moisture and dice into ¾-inch cubes. Set aside.
- Spread cornstarch onto a large plate or baking sheet and generously and gently coat the diced tofu in small batches. Feel free to add more cornstarch if needed. Set aside.
- Heat vegetable oil in a large pan on medium heat. Fry coated tofu until golden and crispy, about 14-20 mins in total, flipping over halfway. Remove fried tofu from pan and set aside.
- Add the sauce into the pan and simmer to thicken.
- Toss fried tofu in the thickened sauce until evenly coated. Remove off heat. Garnish with green onions and sesame seeds. Enjoy!
Notes
To Air Fry the Tofu
- Lightly spray the air fryer basket with neutral oil or cooking spray.
- Place the coated tofu into the air fryer basket in a single layer, giving each piece enough space. You will need to air fry in batches.
- Lightly spray the tofu with more oil or cooking spray.
- Air fry at 400 degrees F for a total of 10 minutes, flipping the pieces over halfway, until crispy and golden.
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Nutrition
Calories: 267kcal | Carbohydrates: 41g | Protein: 16g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 1369mg | Potassium: 347mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 60IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 83mg | Iron: 3mg