Garlic Chili Tofu (the peeling trick!)

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Garlic Chili Tofu – Thin strips of tofu cooked in a delicious sauce packed with all the goodness of garlic and chili. I used a peeler to get thin strips of extra firm tofu which I air-fried to remove any excess moisture and cooked in the sauce to soak up all the flavor.

Adding other vegetables to a stir-fry is a great way to use up any extra produce and add those veggies. Serve it over rice to make a delicious bowl for lunch or dinner.

What kind of tofu should I use?

You need to use extra firm tofu or something firm like pressed super firm tofu or even baked tofu. Anything less firm holds up better and won’t tear apart easily.

I used extra firm tofu from the brand Nature’s Soy and found it really super firm and easy to deal with little to no breakage.

Tofu Peeling

I used a peeler to get thin strips, which makes it so much easier for the tofu to absorb the flavor of the sauce. Also, it’s a pleasure to eat these thin strips of tofu that are slightly chewy and even crispy on the edges.

Using thin strips of peeled tofu is a great base for other recipes where you want to mimic a certain texture in appearance – like tofu ‘bacon’!

Ingredients you will need to make this Garlic Chili Tofu

You’ll find the full printable recipe on the card below!

tofu

• 10 oz extra firm tofu or super firm tofu (see notes)
• Neutral oil

the sauce

• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon veg oyster sauce
• 2 teaspoons dark soy sauce
• 2 cloves garlic minced
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1.5 tablespoons maple syrup or other sweetener, adjust to taste
• 1 tablespoon mirin or sake (see note)
• 2 tablespoons of water

Stir fry

• Neutral oil
• Half of 6 cloves minced garlic for crispy garlic
• 1 green onion chopped (green and white parts separated)
• Chopped bell peppers or other vegetables of choice
• Fry in sesame oil to finish

to serve

• steamed rice
• Crispy garlic
• Cut the green part of the green onion
• sesame seeds

Prepare extra firm tofu

• Drain the tofu from the water and pat-dry or press. See notes for tips on choosing extra firm tofu.

Peel the tofu

• Thinly slice the peeled tofu. Small broken pieces are perfectly fine!

Air-fry the tofu

• Place the tofu strips in your air-fryer basket. I lined mine with parchment paper.
• Spray or brush some oil on the tofu. Air fry at 350F for 6 minutes or until lightly browned and crisp on the edges.
• Do not air fry for too long as this will result in very crispy tofu which may harden when cooled. I like to keep my tofu lightly chunky with the whites so they still have that nice chew and absorb the sauces better when stir-frying.
• Depending on the size of your air-fryer, you may need to cook the tofu in batches.

Don’t have an airfryer?

• If you don’t have an air-fryer, you can choose to quickly pan-fry the tofu in a non-stick pan until lightly crisped on both sides.

Make the sauce/marinade

Meanwhile, prepare the sauce by mixing everything together. Feel free to adapt to your desired taste. Set aside

Cooked Garlic Chili Tofu

• Heat oil in a pan or kadai. Once hot, add half the minced garlic. Allow to cook until golden brown and crispy. Drain from oil. Set aside.
• In the same pan or wok, cook the whites of the remaining garlic and green onions. Fry for 1-2 minutes on medium high heat.
• Add bell pepper or any vegetable of your choice. Cook until soft.
• Add thin tofu strips. Pour over the sauce. Mix well and let the sauce simmer on medium flame.
• The sauce will begin to thicken from the sugar. Continue to cook for 2-3 minutes over medium heat or until the sauce reduces.
• Taste the tofu and season with more soy sauce or sweetener if needed.
• Turn off the flame. Add some sesame oil to finish. Mix well.

Enjoy your tofu

• Can serve tofu over rice. Garnish the tofu with the crispy garlic, green onions and sesame seeds. Enjoy while it’s hot!
• Tofu is super versatile and you can enjoy it with noodles or even wraps.

More Tofu Recipes You’ll Like:

You can also check out my other vegan tofu recipes here or below below:

Check out My tips on how to store tofu!

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