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Mongolian tofu in a white bowel.

Mongolian Tofu

Kayla
Not only is this Mongolian tofu healthy and packed with plant protein, it has an impressively crispy exterior that's coated with a deliciously sweet sauce. It's vegan, refined sugar free and can be made in less than 20 minutes.
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Prep Time 7 minutes
Cook Time 13 minutes
Total Time 20 minutes
Course Main Course
Cuisine American, Chinese
Servings 3
Calories 707 kcal

Ingredients
  

  • 16 ounces super firm tofu
  • ½ cup olive oil for frying

Corn starch coating

  • ½ cup corn starch
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1 teaspoon onion powder
  • ½ teaspoon coarse kosher salt
  • ¼ teaspoon black pepper

Mongolian tofu sauce

  • 4 garlic cloves
  • ½ teaspoon fresh ginger
  • 1 to 2 teaspoons chili garlic sauce optional
  • ¼ cup low sodium soy sauce
  • 2 teaspoons rice wine vinegar
  • 3 tablespoons pure maple syrup
  • ¼ cup water
  • 1 tablespoon corn starch

Toppings

  • sesame seeds
  • green onions

Instructions
 

  • Optionally freeze and thaw your block of tofu twice for the best, most firm texture. Place the tofu in an airtight, freezer safe bag to do this. Thaw while it's in the bag, submerged in warm water. It thaws in 30 minutes or less.
  • Pat the tofu with paper towels to remove excess moisture from the outside.
  • Tear the tofu into larger chunks and place in a bowl that has a lid. Mix all of the ingredients for the corn starch coating and pour it over the tofu. Place a lid on the bowl and shake it up to coat the tofu.
  • In a wok, or a cast iron skillet, pour up to ½ cup of olive oil, depending on how deep your wok/pan is. Heat the oil and shallow fry the tofu until golden and crispy. This can take up to 10 minutes.
  • When finished cooking, turn off the heat and carefully remove the oil from the pan. You can do this by pouring it into a mug stuffed with paper towels. Place the tofu on a plate lined with paper towels to absorb the extra oil.
  • On low heat, sautee the grated garlic and ginger with about a teaspoon of olive oil in the pan for about a minute. Make sure the pan isn't too hot or the garlic will burn. Optionally, mix in the chili garlic sauce.
  • In a separate bowl, mix the sauce ingredients except for the water and corn starch.
  • Pour the sauce ingredients into the wok and turn up the heat.
  • Mix the water and corn starch completely. When the soy sauce mixture starts to bubble, add in the corn starch mixture and continue mixing. It will immediately begin to thicken. As soon as its thick, remove it from the heat.
  • Coat the crispy tofu in the sauce, sprinkle sesame seeds and green onions if desired.
  • Enjoy!

Nutrition

Calories: 707kcalCarbohydrates: 43gProtein: 26gFat: 48gSaturated Fat: 7gPolyunsaturated Fat: 4gMonounsaturated Fat: 26gSodium: 1259mgPotassium: 392mgFiber: 4gSugar: 14gVitamin A: 1IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 88mgIron: 3mg
Keyword mongolian tofu
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