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    Home » Recipes » Vegetarian Dinner Recipes

    Nov 2, 2017 · Modified: Feb 8, 2020 by Becca Heyes · This post may contain affiliate links · 12 Comments

    Sweet and Spicy Orange Tofu

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    Total time: 30 minutes
    Servings: 2 people
    4.67 from 6 votes
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    Sweet and spicy orange tofu - the sticky homemade sauce makes the perfect vegan alternative to your favourite Chinese take away!

    If you like a bit of sweetness in your Asian-style dinners (fans of sweet and sour sauce, I'm talking to you!), you'll love this sweet and spicy orange tofu. The sticky sauce is full of that juicy orange flavour, and along with crisp veggies and chewy tofu, it makes a brilliant homemade alternative to your favourite Chinese take away.

    Most impressive of all: I used freshly squeezed orange juice!

    Sweet and spicy orange tofu - the sticky homemade sauce makes the perfect vegan alternative to your favourite Chinese take away!

    Have you ever experimented with juicing? I always have a carton of some kind of juice in the fridge, but it's not something I'd ever tried making myself until a couple of weeks ago, when siQuri sent me their Essenzia slow juicer to try. Since then, I've been juicing every couple of days - I've made satsuma juice (delicious), peach juice (delicious), and now freshly squeezed orange juice (delicious). What should I try next?

    The siQuri Essenzia slow juicer is super straightforward and makes beautiful juice!

    The Essenzia juicer is really straightforward to use, with only three large parts to build onto the base. Just pop your whole fruit into the spout at the top (just removing any particularly large stones, like peach pits, or thick peels, like orange peel), and watch your juice pour out almost instantly. It's actually pretty fun to watch it all whirling round inside. I was really impressed by the amount of juice this thing extracts - the pulp that comes out of the other spout is pretty dry.

    The machine is also easy to clean with the brush provided (especially if you rinse it off while the fruit pulp is still fresh), and there are no sharp blades - very good if you're clumsy like me.

    Until today I'd just been enjoying drinking my fresh fruit juices on their own, but I'm going to experiment with making some fruit blends next (any favourite combinations you can suggest?), and maybe even some vegetable juices. Today I thought I'd try using my fresh orange juice in my cooking - hence orange tofu!

    Sweet and spicy orange tofu - the sticky homemade sauce makes the perfect vegan alternative to your favourite Chinese take away!

    I started by frying off the tofu until it was nice and crispy. I tried a new technique of coating it with cornflour first to help make it extra crispy, which worked well when the tofu was on its own in the pan - but to be honest, once I added the sauce I'm not sure I could tell the cornflour was there, so I imagine you could skip this step if you don't have any to hand. Just cook it like I did here if you prefer.

    Sweet and spicy orange tofu - the sticky homemade sauce makes the perfect vegan alternative to your favourite Chinese take away!

    Then, the sauce! It couldn't be simpler - just my freshly squeezed orange juice, a dash of soy sauce, and some fresh red chilli. It's sweet, salty, sticky and spicy all in one. I added broccoli and red pepper to my orange tofu, but you can use whatever veggies you fancy.

    Add a few extra chunks of fresh orange when you serve it up, and this simple orange tofu makes a pretty impressive looking dinner!

    (and don't forget, you don't need to waste the pulp that you're left with after juicing - use it to make cake or muffins!)

    Sweet and spicy orange tofu - the sticky homemade sauce makes the perfect vegan alternative to your favourite Chinese take away!

    Sweet and Spicy Orange Tofu

    Sticky tofu in a sweet and spicy orange sauce!

    If you've cooked this recipe, don't forget to leave a star rating!

    4.67 from 6 votes
    Print Pin Comment
    Prep Time: 10 minutes
    Cook Time: 20 minutes
    Total Time: 30 minutes
    Servings: 2 people
    Calories: 403kcal
    Author: Becca Heyes

    Ingredients

    • 400 g firm tofu drained and cut into ½” chunks (~ 2 ½ cups when diced)
    • 3 tablespoon cornflour
    • 2 tablespoon oil divided
    • 1 small head broccoli cut into small florets
    • 1 red bell pepper diced

    For the sweet and spicy orange sauce:

    • 250 ml (~ 1 cup) orange juice (I used freshly squeezed)
    • ½ red chilli finely chopped (adjust to preference)
    • ½ tablespoon soy sauce
    • To serve optional: sliced spring onions, sesame seeds, fresh orange chunks

    Instructions

    • Add the diced tofu and the cornflour to a bowl, and toss gently to coat. If there's still some moisture in the tofu, it will form a paste, but that's okay.
    • Heat a tablespoon of oil in a frying pan, and add the coated tofu. Cook over a high heat, tossing regularly, until it is firm and crispy all over - this could take up to 15-20 minutes.
    • In a separate pan, heat another dash of oil, and add the broccoli florets and diced red pepper. Cook for around 5 minutes over a medium heat, stirring regularly, until tender but still crisp.
    • To make the orange sauce, combine the orange juice, red chilli, and soy sauce in a bowl. When the tofu is crispy, add the sauce, and bring to a simmer. Allow the sauce to cook until it has reduced into a thick, sticky sauce. Add the cooked vegetables, and mix to combine.
    • Serve topped with sliced spring onions, sesame seeds, and fresh orange chunks if desired.

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1 portion - Calories: 403 kcal - Carbohydrates: 34.8 g - Protein: 20.8 g - Fat: 23 g - Saturated Fat: 3.6 g - Cholesterol: 0 mg - Sodium: 275 mg - Potassium: 929 mg - Fiber: 5.5 g - Sugar: 16.5 g - Calcium: 442 mg - Iron: 6 mg

    Nutritional information is approximate, and will depend on your exact ingredients. Please calculate your own nutritional values if you require accuracy for health reasons.

    Tried this Recipe? Pin it for Later!Mention @EasyCheesyVeg or tag #EasyCheesyVegetarian!

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    Comments

    1. Christy says

      November 08, 2017 at 7:14 pm

      This is such a lovely recipe - great flavours and it was very easy to make. I love cooking with orange but it needs to be in the right situation.5 stars

      Reply
      • Becca @ Amuse Your Bouche says

        November 08, 2017 at 7:54 pm

        Thanks for the lovely feedback! :)

        Reply
    2. Nadia says

      November 08, 2017 at 1:07 pm

      Sounds delicious, full of yummy flavours and so easy! I love sweet and sour! Must give this a try :D

      Reply
    3. [email protected] says

      November 08, 2017 at 11:32 am

      I am surprised by how much I love tofu, and am often using it for my veggie supper club guests so I will give this lovely recipe a try. Oranges are so good at this time of the year x

      Reply
    4. Ceri Jones says

      November 08, 2017 at 11:16 am

      I'm really trying to learn how to like/love tofu. This sounds like it would be a great start!5 stars

      Reply
      • Becca @ Amuse Your Bouche says

        November 08, 2017 at 7:51 pm

        I think the key is to cook it until it's SUPER crispy before you add any sauce. It will seem really dry and overcooked but when you add the sauce it makes it nice and moist again :)

        Reply
    5. claudia moseley says

      November 08, 2017 at 8:05 am

      Hi Becca,
      I tried this recipe it's actually really nice thank you:) I substituted the cornflour with potato starch and the soy sauce with coconut aminos, yum!4 stars

      Reply
      • Becca @ Amuse Your Bouche says

        November 08, 2017 at 7:51 pm

        Great, so glad you enjoyed it! :)

        Reply
    6. Susie P says

      November 05, 2017 at 1:25 am

      Hello, Becca.

      I really want to be vegan, I want to be less cruel to mother earth. But what's stopping me, is that there are so few vegan dishes that I like. But I think this blog will help me see veganism the other way.5 stars

      Reply
      • Becca @ Amuse Your Bouche says

        November 05, 2017 at 8:20 pm

        I have lots of other vegan recipes too :) https://www.easycheesyvegetarian.com/category/diet-type/vegan/

        Reply
    7. Catering Delft says

      November 03, 2017 at 7:07 pm

      This looks like the perfect dish! Yum!4 stars

      Reply
    8. Amanda Jean-Marie says

      November 02, 2017 at 6:59 pm

      This looks amazing. Will try it soon, especially since it's orange season!

      Reply

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