Go Back

Honey Garlic Tofu Recipe

This Honey Garlic Tofu Recipe is a remake of the fast food version: deep fried chicken wings in honey garlic sauce (but make it tofu!)
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes
Course Main Course
Cuisine Chinese
Servings 4 servings

Equipment

  • Nonstick skillet
  • Spatula
  • Stovetop Pot

Ingredients
  

For the Dry Mixture

  • 1 cup gluten free all purpose flour
  • 1 scant tsp pink salt
  • 1 tsp black pepper
  • ¼ scant tsp ground nutmeg
  • 1½ tsp ground ginger
  • 1 tsp dried thyme
  • ¼ tsp chili powder
  • 1 tbsp paprika
  • 1 tsp sweet smoked paprika
  • ½ tsp garlic powder

For the Wet Mixture

  • ½ cup unsweetened oat milk
  • ¼ tsp pink salt
  • ¼ tsp black pepper
  • ½ tsp paprika

For the Honey Garlic Sauce

  • ½ cup 100% pure maple syrup
  • 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 tbsp tamari
  • 2 medium cloves minced garlic
  • ½ tsp black pepper

Other Ingredients

  • 1 block extra-firm tofu cut into cubes
  • extra-virgin olive oil for pan frying

For the Topping

  • 1 green onion, chopped
  • 1-2 tsp white sesame seeds

Instructions
 

For the Sauce

  • First make the sauce. Heat up a stovetop pot over medium heat. Add the oil and garlic. Sautee the garlic until it is lightly toasted (lightly browned), then add the remaining ingredients.
  • Turn the heat to low and stir it around for a minute. The mixture will thicken and you can set it aside after a minute. If it is too syrupy (it depends on the type of maple syrup you're using), continue to stir it until thickened for another 1-2 minutes if needed.

For the Tofu

  • Press down the tofu with a heavy item and covered in a cloth. Leave it for at least an hour to squeeze the extra water out. Either this, or leave it overnight in a tofu press. Skipping this step will results in not-so-crispy tofu! Once the extra liquid has been removed, cut the tofu into cubes as in the photos.
  • Take two separate bowls, large enough to toss the tofu in.
  • Add all the dry mixture ingredients to one bowl and the wet mixture ingredients to the other. Stir both bowls to combine the ingredients.
  • Take the tofu cubes and coat each cube in the dry mixture using a fork. Then coat it in the wet mixture. Repeat this twice to double coat each tofu piece.
  • Once all the tofu pieces have been coated, warm up a nonstick skillet over medium heat with the oil - make sure the oil is evenly spread over the pan. I didn't give a specific amount in the ingredient list because it depends on how big your pan is. You'll want enough to coat the entire pan with a medium-thin layer of oil.
  • Once warm, add in the tofu pieces one by one. Do not overcrowd it or add the pieces on top of each other - leave some room between each piece.
  • Tilt the pan to coat the tofu evenly in oil if needed. Then set it back on the heat and allow the tofu to cook for a few minutes.
  • Once the tofu has nicely browned on one side (you can turn a few pieces over to check), flip each piece over and allow the other side to cook.
  • Wait a few minutes for the other side of the tofu to brown. Once all the tofu is cooked on both sides, add the pieces into the sauce.
  • Make sure to evenly coat each piece with the sauce. Let the tofu sit in this sauce for a few minutes to absorb the flavour.
  • Top with green onions and sesame seeds (optional). Serve warm!
  • I would not recommend storing these overnight or to serve at a later time. They will likely get soggy, and are best eaten fresh. The most you may be able to do is fry up the tofu pieces first, and coat the sauce on right when you are ready to serve.

Notes