Vegan Tofu Orange “Chicken”
A delicious vegan take on the classic Chinese orange chicken. Crispy pan fried tofu nuggets coated in a sweet and sticky orange sauce!
Ingredients
- 4 oz extra firm tofu
- juice of 1 small Valencia orange
- 1 tbsp maple syrup
- 1 tbsp vinegar
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- 1/2 tsp grated ginger
- 1/4 tsp garlic powder
- ¼ tsp red chilli flakes
- 2 tsp cornstarch (plus more to coat)
- 4 tsp water (plus more to thin)
- orange zest (to garnish)
- green onions (to garnish)
- sesame seeds (to garnish)
Instructions
- Press the tofu with paper towel, removing as much liquid as possible.
- Optional (but recommended): Freeze tofu overnight. The next day, let the tofu thaw, then press with paper towel again. This will help remove even more of the liquid, and achieve more of a chicken-like texture.
- Using your hands, break the tofu into irregular chunks.
- Prepare the marinade: Combine orange juice, maple syrup, vinegar, soy sauce, ginger, garlic powder and red chilli flakes in a small bowl.
- In a separate bowl, pour in some cornstarch (adding more as you go, if needed).
- One piece at a time, dip the tofu in the marinade, then coat well in cornstarch. Repeat until all pieces are fully coated. You should not use up all of the marinade.
- Transfer the tofu to a pan. Pan fry over medium heat with a generous amount of oil. Flip and fry until all sides are golden brown. Remove from pan and set aside.
- Rinse off the pan, then pour in remaining marinade over low to medium heat.
- In a small bowl, combine 2 tsp cornstarch with 4 tsp water. Then add it to the sauce in the pan.
- Stir until a thick sauce forms, slowly adding more water to thin, if needed.
- Place the tofu back in the pan and toss to coat in the sauce.
- Remove from the pan, top with optional garnishes, and enjoy!
Notes
Tofu method adapted from Rabbit and Wolves.