The Best Vegan Chilli Tofu Indo Chinese Style

This chilli tofu is probably my favorite way to eat Tofu.

Dishes like these, steeped in cultural ingenuity, remind me how easily delicious plant-based eating can be.
This is an Indo- Chinese or Indian chinese style recipe. It’s uniquely Indian, bears little resemblance to Chinese food, yet the nostalgia of it and the culinary ingenuity involved makes me immeasurably happy every time I eat it. Known to have originated from the Chinese (Hakka) population in east India, this style of cooking is beautiful fusion. It uses sauces & cooking styles of Chinese food, along with spices, chutneys & techniques from Indian food.

This chilli Tofu is an entire emotion, to say the least!

Now, let’s talk Tofu. There tends to be much hesitation, fear, confusion and weirdness around eating tofu, or the best way to cook it. Let’s clear all that up.

First,
Tofu is basically cheese, just made from soy milk. So, much like your regular dairy crumbly cheeses, this too needs to be treated with flavors that’ll make them sing. Without additional flavor, they can be bland. The beautiful thing about them is they absorb anything their marinated or simmered in. So get those spices and sauces ready for anytime you cook with Tofu.

Second,
Soy is nothing to fear. There has been a systematic fear of soy instilled in people with so many myths of hormones, and estrogen, and other nutritional untruths. A lot of these fears and misleading facts are based on a racial bias too. Billions of people have been consuming soy for nutrition for tens of thousands of years and turn out to be the healthiest populations in the world. So let’s set the fear aside and think and work out the truth for ourselves!

Soy is a powerfully nutritious plant. It contains plant estrogen, that has no effect on the human body. It’s clean plant based digestible protein is the best for our bodies. It will not make you infertile, or wreak havoc on your immune system or any other bizarre conspiracies that are out there. 

And ironically, the hormones, estrogens and immune effectors you need to worry about all are saturated in animal produced milk, especially cow’s milk. So if you’re really worried about your health, you’ve got to do dairy free! 🙂

Third,
You’ve got to know what type of tofu to use for the occasion. The textures vary vastly from soft, moist & tender, to extra firm & crumbly. Depending on the recipe, you’ve got to pair the right tofu, cooked the correct way. In my recipes, you’ll always find my recommendations of the type of tofu with clear instructions of how to cook them ideally.

Now let’s get cooking and get this delicious meal on your table!

Saute the garlic, ginger & chillies in plant-based butter & saute until garlic is golden. Then soften some onions until soft and golden as well.

You’ll then add some fresh bell peppers, dried fenugreek leaves (the game changer!) & coriander powder.
Next over to the sauces ;  some ketchup, soy sauce, white vinegar & chinese black vinegar. 

Get the sauce all thick and glossy. Throw in some green onions for freshness.

And for the finisher, some garam masala and a little green chutney (store bought is fine!).

Toss the tofu in and let it simmer and marinate in this jacuzzi of flavors. It’ll absorb everything it cooks in. And your chilli tofu is done! 

Giving the tofu time to absorb is key. So it’s best served a few hours later, or even better, the next day! Serve it with white rice, or some fried rice, and this chilli tofu be the most delicious meal you’ll have! 

Chilli Tofu

Nutrition facts: 200 calories 20 grams fat

Rating: 3.0/5

( 3 voted )

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Ingredients

1 16oz block of extra firm tofu, drained, pressed to remove excess water, and cut into cubes
1 red onion, sliced thinly
2 cups of bell peppers, sliced into strips (I used red, yellow & green)
2 stalks of green onions, chopped (bottom inch with root discarded)
2 tbsp vegan butter (or oil)
5 cloves garlic, sliced
2 tbsp finely chopped ginger
2 green chillies, halved lengthwise
1/3 cup ketchup (I used an Indian brand of hot & sweet ketchup, you could use plain as well)
3 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp plain white vinegar
1 tbsp chinese black vinegar
1 tbsp kasoori methi (dried fenugreek leaves)
1 tsp coriander powder
1 tsp garam masala powder
2 tbsp Indian green chutney (store bought mint-coriander chutney works)

Instructions

Melt butter in a large saute over medium heat. Add garlic, ginger & chillies. Saute until garlic is golden. Then add sliced onions & cook for about 6-8 mins until the onions have softened.

Add bell peppers, methi & coriander powder. Mix well & cook for 4-5 mins until the peppers begin to soften. Now add measured ketchup, soy sauce, white vinegar & chinese black vinegar. Toss well together & cook for 6-8 mins. Stir every few minutes until you have a thick glossy sauce. Add green onions.

Add the green chutney & garam masala. Use a few tbsps of water incase the mixture is too thick. Add the cubed tofu, gently toss everything together making sure all the veggies & sauce are evenly distributed & thoroughly coat the tofu.

 

Did You Make This Recipe?

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