Orange Chicken Tofu Recipe
Orange Chicken Tofu is one of the best vegan versions of the signature Panda Express dish, Orange Chicken. With crispy cubes of tofu tossed in sticky-sweet and sour orange sauce. Enjoy this 15-minute Orange Tofu recipe for a busy weeknight meal.
Equipment
1 skillet or wok
Ingredients
- 1 block extra-firm tofu
- ¼ cup cornstarch
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 cup frying oil
Orange Sauce
- ½ cup orange juice
- 1 tablespoon orange zest
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon ginger paste
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 3 tablespoons soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons vinegar
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- ¼ cup water
- 1 teaspoon sesame seeds
Instructions
- Prepare the tofu by pressing it to get rid as much liquid out of the tofu.
- Slice your tofu into bite-size pieces, about an inch on both sides.
- On a large plate, combine cornstarch, salt, and black pepper. Coat the tofu slices with the cornstarch mixture.
- In a frying pan or skillet, heat enough cooking oil. Pan-fry the coated tofu in batches. Fry all the sides until golden brown and crispy on the edges.
- Let’s make our sweet and sour orange sauce while frying tofu. In a bowl, combine a quarter cup of water, whole orange juice, or about a half cup, orange zest, soy sauce, brown sugar, sesame oil, ginger paste, and two tablespoons of cornstarch. Mix until well combined.
- Saute the minced garlic in two tablespoons of cooking oil for a minute or two or until fragrant. You can use the same skillet where you fried the tofu.
- Turn the heat on low. Pour the sweet and sour orange sauce, stir and let it thicken, and form a glaze. Turn off the heat. Sprinkle sesame seeds and green onions. Serve with rice.
Notes
- Make sure your tofu is thoroughly pressed to get rid of as much water from the tofu. If you do not thoroughly press the tofu, it will come out soft and cake-like.
- Be sure to use extra-firm tofu if you want a firm texture, and the tofu won’t fall apart.
- Pan-frying will yield the crispiest tofu, but once it is coated with sticky sweet and sour sauce, it will no longer be as crispy.
- Want more sweet sticky sauce? Add another tablespoon of cornstarch, a tablespoon of sugar, and 1 teaspoon of soy sauce with a quarter of water. Then taste and adjust it to your preference.
- Storage: Transfer the leftover orange tofu into a glass container with a tight-fitting lid. This dish will stay good and fresh for up to 5 days in the refrigerator. I don’t recommend freezing this cooked tofu since it will alter the texture.
- Reheating: Leftovers can be reheated in a saucepan on low-medium heat, often stirring until warm through. You can use a microwave and reheat it in 30 seconds intervals until it is warm.
Nutrition
Serving: 4servingsCalories: 645kcalCarbohydrates: 18gProtein: 9gFat: 60gSaturated Fat: 9gPolyunsaturated Fat: 34gMonounsaturated Fat: 14gTrans Fat: 0.4gSodium: 1110mgPotassium: 262mgFiber: 1gSugar: 4gVitamin A: 69IUVitamin C: 18mgCalcium: 50mgIron: 2mg
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