Recipe: Crispy Orange Tofu

February 27, 2013 February 27, 2013/ Morgan

I think this was a recipe request that I got from several sources but I could never remember who. Someone on the facebook page asked for it and someone at home asked for it (but he claims he wanted Orange TEMPEH… and couldn’t figure out why I used tofu. Whatever. I’ll make it with tempeh later.)

It turns out that when I made the tempura vegetables I figured out how to make things taste like they are “battered” – THAT is what I wanted for the orange tofu. I like the sticky sweet battered part the most.

I haven’t been out to eat at a Chinese restaurant in FOR-EV-ER! I always felt sick afterwards or just way too .. heavy. Or greasy! Have you felt like your face is going to break out from all of the oil you just consumed? I sure as heck feel that way!

This doesn’t give you that feeling at all. It’s light but still full of flavor. I could probably pour the orange sauce on anything and call it dinner though.

Don’t worry. I also notice the severe lack of vegetables in these pictures. We had some quick cooked broccoli on the side. I just didn’t feel like throwing it all together tonight. You should feel free to add any quickly steamed vegetables (or raw!) to this. Bell peppers, carrots, onions, snow peas and broccoli come to mind first… 

You know, I bet just a bunch of steamed vegetables with this sauce would be excellent. See? I told you I could put this sauce all over something and call it a meal. I might have to do that tonight because I have some leftover rice calling my name…

Recipe Notes…

*You don’t have to coat the tofu if you don’t want to. You can just bake the tofu in the oven until crispy. I suggest sprinkling it with a bit of salt before baking. Bake at the same temperature until the tofu has started to lightly brown.

*Fresh juice is really key here. Just grab a few oranges and SQUEEZE!!!!!!!

*You can use a dry sweetener of your choice instead of the agave, no big deal.

serves 4

Crispy Tofu:

  • 12 oz firm tofu, pressed
  • 1/4 cup rice flour
  • 1/4 cup club soda
  • 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

Orange Sauce:

  • 3/4 cup fresh orange juice (about 3 large oranges)
  • zest of 1 orange
  • 2 Tablespoons rice vinegar
  • 2 Tablespoons soy sauce (or tamari)
  • 3 Tablespoons agave (you can sub any sweetener you’d like)
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced or grated with microplane
  • 2 teaspoons grated ginger (fresh)
  • 1/4 teaspoon crushed chile flakes
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 2 Tablespoons cornstarch disolved in 1/4 cup water

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Cut tofu into 1/2″ cubes. Mix together the rice flour, club soda, baking powder and salt. ip each square of tofu into the batter and shake off the excess. Place it on the parchment lined baking sheet and repeat with the remaining pieces. Place in the oven and bake for 30-35 minutes or until the pieces are nice and browned. 

To make the sauce: Combine all of the sauce ingredients (except the cornstarch disolved in water) in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Once boiling add in the cornstarch and water mixture. Whisk the sauced until thickened. 

Toss the tofu cubes and sauce together until coated. Serve with some rice and maybe a few extra hot peppers if you’re feeling spicy!

Nutritional information per serving : Serving size:   1/4 recipe

7 WWPointsPlus, 185 calories, 7.8g total fat, 0mg cholesterol, 31.5g carbohydrates, 2.5g fiber, 16.1g sugar, 14.5g protein

February 27, 2013/ Morgan/