ramyaramesh3007This sweet & spicy tofu dish is versatile and can be prepared in under 30 minutes for the perfect Chinese fakeaway dinner!
Mongolian beef is a popular dish found in many Chinese-American restaurants, known for its savoury, slightly sweet, and spicy flavours. Despite its name, this dish has little to do with traditional Mongolian cuisine. Mongolian beef is among the popular meat dishes developed in Taiwan where Mongolian barbecue restaurants first came about.
The Mongolian barbecue restaurants that emerged during that period were heavily influenced by Japanese teppanyaki establishments, where meats, vegetables, and sauces are stir-fried on a hot griddle. As a result, while Mongolian beef incorporates elements from various Asian cuisines, Mongolia itself does not play a direct role in its creation.
In this recipe, we will be preparing Mongolian Tofu – a plant based version of this famous fakeaway dish. It’s easy, delicious and super quick to prepare.
What Do I Need to Make This?
- extra firm tofu – get fresh or good quality extra firm tofu to make this dish. You can also freeze the tofu overnight and thaw it for about 3 minutes in the microwave before squeezing out all the excess water for a better tofu texture
- aromatics – garlic, ginger, dried red chillies, spring onions
- seasonings and sauces – light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, vegetarian oyster sauce
- sugar – coconut sugar for that caramel-y flavour and taste
- corn starch slurry – to get a thick sauce that will pair well with rice
Vegan Mongolian Tofu
Ingredients
- 1 block extra firm tofu (300g)
- 4 tbsp corn starch
- olive oil for panfrying
- 2 tbsp olive oil for sauce
- 1 tsp minced garlic
- 1 tsp minced ginger
- 3-4 dried red chillies deseeded
- 1 tsp toasted sesame oil
- 2 tbsp light soy sauce
- 1 tbsp dark soy sauce
- 1 tbsp veg oyster sauce
- 1/2 tbsp coconut sugar
- 1/3 cup water + 1/2 tbsp corn starch
- 2 stalks green onions
- salt
- black pepper
- toasted sesame seeds for garnish
Instructions
- Break your extra firm tofu apart into chunks.
- Coat the chunks in corn starch. Pan fry them in olive oil until they are golden and crispy on all sides, about 8-10 minutes. Remove the tofu from the skillet and set aside.
- In the same skillet used for the tofu, add sesame oil.
- Add minced garlic, ginger and saute for a few minutes.
- Then add dried red chillies and sauces: light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, veg oyster sauce, and coconut sugar.
- Mix well and add corn starch slurry. Cook the sauce until it thickens. Add in spring onions.
- Once the sauce has slightly thickened, add the crispy tofu back into the skillet.
- Stir gently to coat the tofu with the sauce and heat through, about 2-3 minutes.
- Serve the tofu over rice and garnish with toasted sesame seeds.
Just made this and it was DELICIOUS!
Thank you for your lovely feedback, appreciate it!