Air Fryer Sweet Chili Tofu
This Air Fryer Sweet Chili Tofu is a hands-off easy way to cook and prepare tofu. The tofu is cut in half in a criss-cross pattern so that the sauces can pass through the cuts. The tofu is left to marinate overnight to absorb the flavors from a sweet and spicy sauce that thickens to an almost glaze-like consistency that coats the tofu after cooking. You can enjoy this tofu with rice, noodles, wraps or even salads!
Materials
tofu
- 1 pounds Extra firm tofu pressed (see note)
the sauce
- 1 spoon Gochujung Korean chili paste
- 2 spoon room temperature water
- 1 spoon I am Willow Adjust to taste
- 1 spoon Dark mushroom soy sauce – optional for color
- 1 spoon Vegetarian Oyster Sauce Adjust to taste
- 3 spoon Maple syrup or other sweetener Adjust to taste
- 1 spoon sesame oil
- black pepper
- 2 cloves of garlic minced meat
instructions
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If you are using extra firm tofu that has already been pressed, feel free to skip to step 2. See notes for some tofu tips.
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Press the tofu to remove excess water. I like to wrap mine in a towel and place a few heavy chopping boards on top.
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Meanwhile, make the marinade by mixing together in a bowl. Taste the marinade and feel free to adjust it to your preferred taste
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Once the tofu is drained and pressed, place it on a chopping board. With a sharp knife, slice the tofu in half to form 1-inch-thick slabs. I ended up with 2 one inch thick slabs.
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Then, cut a diagonal line in half through the tofu.
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Be careful not to cut all the way through to keep the tofu intact. Repeat this on the other side until your tofu has a criss-cross pattern.
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Place the tofu in a bowl. Pour over the marinade. Scoop the excess sauce over the tofu and carefully open the cuts to allow the sauce to seep in.
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Cover the pot. Allow the tofu to marinate for at least 1 hour, but overnight is best.
Air-frying the tofu
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For air-frying, I lined my air-fryer basket with parchment paper to prevent liquid from seeping through the holes in the basket (I have a metal layer on the actual base/floor of the basket).
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Place the tofu in the air-fryer and scoop the remaining marinade to pour over the tofu.
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Air-fry at 180C/350F for 12-15 minutes or so or until the top of the tofu is browned and slightly charred from the sugars in the marinade. The sauce will also thicken slightly from the sugar.
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Don’t discard the marinade as you can brush or scoop it over the cooked tofu for extra sauce and juices.
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Serve and enjoy hot! I enjoyed mine with some steamed rice and topped with sesame seeds and chopped green onions. If you want you can also enjoy this cold.
Baking tofu
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If baking tofu, you can place the tofu in a lined baking dish or tray and bake at 180C/350F for 25-30 minutes or until the top of the tofu is browned and the sauce is slightly thickened from the sugar.
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Don’t discard the marinade as you can brush or scoop it over the cooked tofu for extra sauce and juices.
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Serve and enjoy!
Comment
Extra firm tofu
- You can look for extra-firm tofu that is vacuum-sealed in packs and does not sink in water. These are sometimes called extra firm or super firm tofu and come pressed so you don’t need to press them anymore. They are very firm and easy to work with as they are very compact and won’t fall apart.
- You can check y0ur local Asian grocer or supermarket.
- If using extra-firm tofu that is not as firm, you may choose to press the tofu well before serving.
- I press my tofu by wrapping it in some paper towels before placing it on a heavy surface (like a chopping board) to drain excess water.
Nutritional information
Worship: 1bhajana | Calories: 296kcal | Sugars: 30g | Protein: 19g | Fat: 11g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fats: 5g | Monounsaturated fats: 4g | Sodium: 1399mg | Potassium: 501mg | Fiber: 0.5g | Sugar: 21g | Vitamin A: 16IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 117mg | Iron: 3mg