Vegan Sweet & Sour ‘Pork’

This Sweet & Sour ‘Pork’ is made using deep fried firm tofu, coated in an easy and incredible vegan sweet & sour sauce.

Sweet and sour pork is arguably one of the most popular Chinese dishes, but it’s definitely difficult to find a vegan version. The secret to the best tasting sweet & sour pork is deep frying coated tofu until crispy.

The Secrets to Making the Best Tofu

An easy and amazing tofu snack that is simply irresistible. This can be also double as a main when you pair it with some rice and noodles. And the secret to it’s ‘chicken’-like texture?

Secret #1: Freezing & thawing your tofu blocks! All you have to do is freeze your firm tofu overnight and thaw it in the refrigerator for a few hours or microwave on high for a minute or two. Remember to drain the excess water fully using paper towels or a tofu press.

Alternatively, you can also press it down with your sauce tubs or anything that resembles heavy blocks. Once that is done, you should notice the change in the texture – it should be firmer, chewier and springy.

Secret #2: When pan frying, deep drying or air frying your tofu pieces, remember to coat them in some spices and corn flour. This gives you extra crispy tofu with extra flavour!

Secret #3: Choosing a flavourful sauce. The sauce base for this recipe is very simple – a mix of plum sauce, ketchup, soy sauce and more!

Ingredients You Need

• Plant Based Chicken – I used frozen and thawed firm tofu for a nice spring texture. You can also use a chicken substitute or mock meat for this dish.
• Sweet & Sour sauce – the secret ingredient for this dish is plum sauce to give it that sweetness and subtle of sour-y taste. Don’t skip on the vegan worcestershire sauce and ketchup too!
• Vegetables – pineapples and red bell peppers are the best!

The biggest challenge for me was finding vegan Worcestershire sauce, but I managed to find it at an online grocer. I’ve attached the brand and packaging below (Woolworths Worcestershire Sauce). The sauce is both vegan-friendly and gluten free!

For gluten free option, you can swap out your soy sauce for a gluten free version or use tamari or coconut aminos.