Garlic Pepper Tofu (Peeled Tofu Technique!)
Garlic Pepper Tofu - thin strips of tofu cooked down in a savoury sauce packed with all the garlicky and peppery goodness. I used a peeler to get thin strips of extra firm tofu that I air-fry to draw out any excess moisture and cook down in the sauce to soak up all the flavours. Adding other vegetables to the stir-fry is a great way to use up any extra produce and add in those veggies. Serve this over rice to make a delicious bowl for lunch or dinner.
Ingredients
Tofu
- 10 oz extra firm tofu or super firm tofu (see notes)
- Neutral oil
Sauce
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tbsp veg oyster sauce
- 2 tsp dark soy sauce
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1.5 tbsp maple syrup or other sweetener, adjust to taste
- 1 tbsp mirin or sake (see notes)
- 2 tbsp water
Stir fry
- Neutral oil
- 6 cloves minced garlic half for crispy garlic
- 1 green onion chopped (green and white parts separated)
- Sliced bell peppers or other veggies of choice
- Roasted sesame oil to finish
For Serving
- Steamed rice
- Crispy garlic
- Chopped green onions green parts
- Sesame seeds
Instructions
- Drain the tofu from water and pat-dry or press. See notes for tips on choosing extra firm tofu.
- Thinly slice the tofu using a peeler. Smaller broken pieces are perfectly fine!
AIR FRYING TOFU
- Place the strips of tofu on your air-fryer basket. I lined mine with parchment paper.
- Spray or brush some oil on the tofu. Air fry for 6 mins at 350F or until lightly brown and crisp on the edges.
- Don’t air fry for too long since this will yield very crispy tofu that can harden when it cools. I like keeping my tofu lightly grown with white parts so they still have that nice chew and absorb sauces better when stir-frying.
- You may also need to cook the tofu in batches depending on the size of your air-fryer.
DON'T HAVE AN AIRFRYER?
- If you don't have an air-fryer, you can opt to quickly pan-fry the tofu on a non-stick pan with some oil until lightly crisp on both sides.
PREPARE THE SAUCE
- Meanwhile, prepare the sauce by mixing everything together. Feel free to adjust to your desired taste. Set aside
COOKING THE GARLIC PEPPER TOFU
- Heat a pan or wok with some oil. Once hot, add half of the minced garlic. Allow too cook until golden brown and crispy. Drain from the oil. Set aside.
- In the same pan or wok, cook the remaining garlic and white parts of the green onion. Stir-fry for 1-2 minutes over medium high heat.
- Add in the bell peppers or any vegetables of your choice. Cook until tender.
- Add in the thin tofu strips. Pour over the sauce. Mix well and leave the sauce to come to a boil over medium heat.
- The sauce will start to thicken from the sugars. Continue to cook for 2-3 minutes over medium heat or until the sauce is reduced.
- Taste the tofu and feel free to season with more soy sauce or sweetener, if needed.
- Turn off the heat. Add some sesame oil to finish. Mix well.
- Serve over rice. Garnish the tofu with the crispy garlic, green onions, and sesame seeds. Enjoy while hot!
WATCH Video
Notes
EXTRA FIRM TOFU
- You can look for extra firm tofu that's vacuum sealed in packs and not submerged in water. These can sometimes be called extra firm or super firm tofu as well, and can come pressed so you no longer have to press these. They are very very firm and easy to work with since they're very compressed and won't break apart.
- You can check your local Asian grocery or supermarket for packs such as this one
- If using extra firm tofu that easily breaks apart when peeling, you can opt to press the tofu well then thinly slice it before air-frying.
- I used extra firm tofu from the brand Nature's Soy.
- You can also use other rice or cooking wines of choice. If using other cooking wines that aren't as sweet, you can add some more sweetener to taste, if needed.
- You can also opt to completely leave out the cooking wine if desired. Do note that the flavor will be slightly different.
NUTRITIONAL INFO
Serving: 1serving (tofu) | Calories: 302kcal | Carbohydrates: 17g | Protein: 9g | Fat: 23g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 7g | Monounsaturated Fat: 13g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Sodium: 666mg | Potassium: 307mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 10g | Vitamin A: 1086IU | Vitamin C: 46mg | Calcium: 64mg | Iron: 2mg
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