Sweet Chili Tofu with Curry Leaves

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A tasty, saucy, and aromatic Sweet Chili Tofu with Curry Leaves. Stir-frying freshly picked curry leaves with green onions and garlic releases and adds so much flavor and aroma to this tofu recipe. The sauce is a balance of sweet, spicy, and savory that perfect compliments the aromatics. Serve this with steamed rice for a really satisfying meal.

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Prep Time 20

Cook Time 25

Total Time 45

Course Main Course

Cuisine Asian, Chinese, East Asian, Fusion, Singaporean, Southeast Asian

Servings servings

Calories 244 kcal

Ingredients

TOFU

1 lb extra firm tofu or tokwa

SAUCE

1 tbsp doubanjiang or Chinese spicy broad bean paste, see notes
1/4 cup room temperature water
1/2 tbsp corn starch
1 tbsp soy sauce
1/2 tbsp dark soy sauce
3 tbsp sugar
1 tsp chili oil or chili sauce, adjust to desired heat

FOR COOKING

2-3 tbsp neutral cooking oil
1 green onion thinly sliced - white and green parts separated
2 cloves garlic minced
4-5 springs fresh curry leaves
Green onions thinly sliced

TO SERVE

Steamed rice

Instructions

TOFU

Remove the tofu from the water and drain from any excess water. You can press the tofu by wrapping this in a kitchen or paper towel and placing a heavy weighted object on top.
Slice the tofu into 1/2-inch thick pieces and then into horizontally into sticks before cutting into small cubes. Mine were around 1/4-inch cubes. You can opt to slice your tofu in any other shape or even grate/crumble the tofu. I wanted small cubes for mine so it could easily be scooped with the rice as a rice meal.

SAUCE

Mix all the ingredients together and feel free to adjust to your desired spice and taste.

PAN-FRYING

Heat a large wok or pan over medium high heat. Once hot, add 1 tbsp oil.
Pan-fry the tofu until lightly brown and crispy. Do not overcook since the tofu can easily become tough.
Move the tofu to the side of the pan.
Add 1 tbsp oil and then sauté the green onion and garlic for 30 seconds until aromatic.
Add the curry leaves and stir-fry on medium high heat until translucent. Mix everything with the tofu.

POUR THE SAUCE

Mix the sauce well to make sure the corn starch has not settled at the bottom.
Over medium heat, pour the sauce into the tofu. Mix well and allow the sauce to thicken to a glaze from the sugars, around 1-2 minutes.
Taste the tofu and feel free to adjust the seasoning and add more chili sauce, if desired. Mix in the chopped green onions.
Serve while hot with a bowl of steamed rice. Enjoy!

Notes

DOUBANJIANG

I would really recommend you use doubanjiang or Chinese chili broad bean paste for this recipe since it has a distinct umami flavor from the broad beans.
If you really cannot find doubanjiang in your local Asian store or online, you can opt for Korean chili paste or gochujang. Since doubanjiang is saltier, you may need to season the tofu with more soy sauce if needed, to taste.

NUTRITIONAL INFO

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