This Sweet Chili Orange Tofu is a flavorful and delicious way to celebrate citrus season! With satisfying tofu, lots of vegetables, and a sweet-spicy-tangy sauce, it makes for a cozy lunch or dinner for any season.
This blog post is sponsored by Sprouts Farmers Market.
There’s many ways to celebrate citrus season, and a perfect way to incorporate citrus into a savory lunch or dinner is with this Sweet Chili Orange Tofu!
It has a simple sauce that uses the juice of amazing Sumo Citrus Mandarins from Sprouts Farmers Market! Wondering what a Sumo Citrus Mandarin is? It’s similar in size to a regular orange but is a large mandarin that’s naturally seedless and easy to peel! I loved the sweet flavor that is low in acidity. Plus, they’re picked and packed individually by hand to maintain quality. How cool is that?!
Just part of the reason why I love shopping at Sprouts. You can always tell the care and effort they put into choosing quality produce and vegan products. It’s truly awesome to have access to so many high-quality, plant-based ingredients in one shop.
You can find all the classic citrus favorites at Sprouts, plus unique varieties as well!
These Sumo Citrus Mandarins were perfectly delicious as the star of the sauce for this Sweet Chili Orange Tofu.
How this Sweet Chili Orange Tofu Comes Together
You’ll start by draining the tofu and gently pressing the excess water out with kitchen or paper towels. I like to do this on plate with a bit of a rim. If you’d prefer to get even more firm a texture, take an extra 15 minutes and place a saucepan or skillet on top of your towel-wrapped tofu, and then place a medium-sized can inside the pan/skillet to weigh it down a bit.
Then cut the tofu into cubes, around 2cm.
Tofu Tips:
Note that the smaller the cubes, the faster / crisper the tofu may get. This is preference, and is up to you!
You’ll add the tofu cubes to a hot pan with a bit of oil to get crisp on most of the sides. You’ll want to avoid disturbing the tofu too much as it cooks on each side. Also, be gentle as you flip the tofu, to avoid breaking up the cubes.
Towards the end of cooking the tofu, season the tofu with some soy sauce and garlic powder. It adds lovely flavor to the tofu.
Meanwhile, while the tofu is “pressing” or cooking, you can start cooking rice or noodles, if serving with one of those. Also, cut the veggies.
When the tofu is done, quickly stir fry the veggies. While those are cooking, whisk up your sauce in a small bowl. One of the components is a “cornstarch slurry”. You can whisk up the cornstarch and water in a separate small bowl, then add it to the main bowl.
Once the veggies are crisp-tender, add the tofu back into the pan and push them to the side. Pour in your sauce and let it gently bubble and thicken somewhat. Then mix everything together and serve with the rice or noodles. Top with sesame seeds, red chili flakes, and/or the sliced scallions.
Other Delicious Citrus Recipes
Roasted Tomato Bruschetta with Orange and Rosemary
Roasted Vegetable & Farro Salad with Blood Orange Vinaigrette
Citrus and Avocado Watercress Salad
Wild Rice with Artichokes and Olives
If you try this Sweet Chili Orange Tofu, be sure to let me know in the comments here or on Instagram @janetsmunchmeals! I love seeing your dishes, and it makes my day!
Sweet Chili Orange Tofu
Ingredients
- 1 14 oz. block organic extra firm tofu
- 1 tbsp. sesame oil divided
- 2 tsp. soy sauce
- ¼ tsp. garlic powder
- 1 small onion finely chopped
- 6 oz. mushrooms sliced
- 1.5 bell peppers diced
- 1 tbsp. sesame seeds
- ¼ cup thinly sliced scallions
- 3-4 servings noodles or rice
Sauce Ingredients
- ¼ cup + 2 tbsp. juice of Sumo Citrus Mandarins
- 1 tbsp. rice vinegar
- 1 tbsp. sweet chili sauce
- 4 tsp. chili garlic sauce
- 1 tbsp. freshly grated ginger
- 1 tbsp. agave
- 1 tbsp. soy sauce
- 1 tsp. garlic powder
- 2 tsp. sesame oil
- 1 tbsp. ketchup
- 2 tsp. cornstarch + 2.5 tsp. water cornstarch slurry
Instructions
- Drain the 14 oz. block organic extra firm tofu and place on a plate. Wrap paper or kitchen towel around the tofu and gently press to remove excess water. Cut the tofu into 2 cm cubes.
- Place a large skillet over medium heat and add 1 tsp. sesame oil. Once hot, add the tofu cubes and let them cook for 3 to 4 minutes on a side, then do the same on a few more sides until most sides are lightly golden and crisp.
- While the tofu is cooking, this is a good time to cook noodles or rice, if serving with the tofu.
- Towards the end of the tofu cooking, drizzle in the 2 tsp. soy sauce and sprinkle with the ¼ tsp. garlic powder. Continue to stir fry another minute, careful to not break up the tofu. Transfer the tofu to a plate.
- Add another 2 tsp. sesame oil to the pan along with the 1 small onion (finely chopped). Cook for 3 minutes. Add the 6 oz. sliced mushrooms. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes, then add the 1.5 bell peppers (diced) and continue to cook another 4 to 5 minutes until the peppers are crisp-tender.
- While the vegetables are cooking, whisk together the sauce ingredients (1/4 cup + 2 tbsp. Sumo Citrus Mandarin juice, 1 tbsp. rice vinegar, 1 tbsp. sweet chili sauce, 4 tsp. chili garlic sauce, 1 tbsp. freshly grated ginger, 1 tbsp. agave, 1 tbsp. soy sauce, 1 tsp. garlic powder, 2 tsp. sesame oil, 1 tbsp. ketchup, and the cornstarch slurry (2 tsp. cornstarch + 2.5 tsp. water)).
- When the peppers are crisp-tender, add the tofu back to the pan. Push everything to the side of the pan and add the sauce. Let the sauce heat up and bubble for around a minute, then stir together with the tofu and vegetables.
- Serve topped with 1 tbsp. sesame seeds and ¼ cup sliced scallions.