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Sticky Orange Tofu

3.11 from 764 votes
Skip the takeout and make this instead. Our orange tofu recipe will please the entire family, vegan or not!
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Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes
Servings: 8 people
Course: Appetizer, dinner
Cuisine: asian
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

For the crispy tofu
  • 2 16oz (32oz total) blocks of tofu
  • 1 cup cornstarch
  • 1/2 cup cooking oil
For the sauce
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 1 tbsp orange zest zest from one large orange
  • 1/4 cup freshly squeezed orange juice juice from one large orange
  • 1/4 cup rice vinegar
  • 1/4 cup low sodium soy sauce or tamari to make gluten free
  • 1/4 cup agave or maple syrup
  • 1/2 cup white sugar can replace with agave or maple syrup for a healthier option
  • ½ tsp minced fresh ginger root or a few shakes of ground ginger
  • 1 tsp minced garlic
  • 2 tbsp corn starch + 3 tbsp water mix thoroughly in a small bowl to create a slurry
For topping
  • 2 tbsp diced green onion
  • 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes or desired amount
  • 1 tbsp sesame seeds

Method
 

Make the easy crispy tofu:
  1. Drain the tofu and pat dry with a towel or paper towel.
  2. Cut the tofu into small cubes. Pat the cubes dry again.
  3. Place the cornstarch in a large mixing bowl.
  4. Place the tofu pieces into the bowl and shake around so that all the pieces are covered in cornstarch (alternatively you can coat each piece separately).
  5. Heat half the oil on a non-stick large frying pan over medium-high heat.
  6. Place half the tofu in the pan.
  7. Allow the tofu to crisp on the bottom side, and then flip them around and allow to crisp on every side. Take tofu off and set aside in a bowl.
  8. Repeat the previous 3 steps for the second half of the tofu.
Make the sauce:
  1. Place a large saucepan on the stove on low-medium heat
  2. Add the first 8 sauce ingredients (all but the cornstarch slurry) to the pan and stir thoroughly.
  3. Whisk in the cornstarch slurry and bring to a boil.
  4. Turn down the heat and cook on low-medium for about 5 minutes, whisking often. The sauce will thicken and get sticky.
Serve:
  1. Stir the crispy tofu into the sauce and and serve on top of white rice, if desired. Top with green onion, red pepper flakes and sesame seeds.

Notes

This makes a double batch, so keep that in mind! If you don't want it all at once, you can make one block of tofu and save half the sauce for later.