Freshly ground black peppercorns give this tofu dish its signature fiery kick, which we add to a sweet and sticky sauce and serve with rice, broccoli and cucumber.
Notes
If you can’t find light and dark soy sauce, you can simply use regular soy sauce (which is probably light soy sauce). However it might add a more salty flavour to the dish, so you might want to consider adding more sweetness to balance the flavour.
You can easily lower the total calories and fat by reducing the amount of coconut oil and maple syrup.
If you can, try to find refined coconut oil – which has a higher smoking point and is more suitable for cooking compared to unrefined (raw or virgin) coconut oil.
The tofu we use is extra-firm and doesn’t require pressing. Depending on how firm your tofu is, you might need to press it before slicing into cubes.
We like our black pepper sauce extra fiery so we add all three teaspoons of freshly ground black peppercorns, but you can choose to add less and adjust to your liking.
You can serve the tofu with whatever veggies you like. Steamed pak choi or green beans would also work well, as well as grated carrot and thinly sliced radish.
Black Pepper Tofu
Serves:2 peoplePrep Time:Cooking Time:
Nutrition facts:200 calories20 grams fat
Ingredients
300g (10.6oz) firm tofu, press if required
3 tbsp coconut oil
1.5 tbsp cornflour (cornstarch in the US)
jasmine rice, for 2 people
150g (5.3 oz) broccoli
3 garlic cloves, peeled + finely chopped
1/2 thumb of fresh ginger, peeled + finely chopped
2 tbsp light soy sauce
1 tbsp dark soy sauce
3 tbsp maple syrup
3 tsp black peppercorns
3 spring onion, chopped
1/2 red chilli, chopped + seeds removed
1/4 cucumber, diced
Method
Slice the tofu into cubes and transfer to a bowl. Cover with the cornflour and mix until the tofu is coated all over in the cornflour.
Add 1 tablespoon of coconut oil to a non-stick frying pan on a medium heat. When the oil is hot, add the tofu and fry on all sides until golden, which will take about 10-15 minutes. Then transfer to a plate.
Meanwhile, cook the rice as per the packet instructions and steam the broccoli for about 5 minutes or until slightly soft, then keep both covered.
Place the pan back on the heat and add 2 tablespoons of coconut oil. When the oil is hot, add the garlic and ginger and fry for 2 minutes or until they begin to brown.
Next add the light soy sauce, dark soy sauce and maple syrup. Then grind the peppercorns and add them to the sauce (depending on how fiery you like it, you might want to add half and see how you go). Turn the heat up and cook for another couple of minutes or until the sauce begins to thicken, but avoid caramelising the sauce because the syrup might burn.
Finally add the crispy tofu, spring onion, and red chilli. Stir to coat the tofu in the sauce, then serve with the jasmine rice, broccoli and cucumber.
Did You Make This Recipe?
Don't forget to share your SO VEGAN creations on Instagram and tag us at @SOVEGAN!
Soooo good!! I love black pepper and this is a new faveeee!! I only had low sodium light soy sauce, so I wanna try and find dark soy sauce to get that color!
Have been meaning to make this for a long time, but finally got round to it tonight. Needless to say, we weren’t disappointed! Well done guys, such a good recipe. We added pak choi to the tenderstem brocoli as well as a sprinkling of sesame seeds over the chopped cucumber.
9 Comments
Looks Yummy can’t wait to try it!
Made this for dinner tonight. Such an easy and delicious recipe, thank you!
Thanks Jo!
Soooo good!! I love black pepper and this is a new faveeee!! I only had low sodium light soy sauce, so I wanna try and find dark soy sauce to get that color!
Thanks Angie!
This looks amazing and delicious! I can’t wait to make this 🙂
thanks Tori!
Have been meaning to make this for a long time, but finally got round to it tonight. Needless to say, we weren’t disappointed! Well done guys, such a good recipe. We added pak choi to the tenderstem brocoli as well as a sprinkling of sesame seeds over the chopped cucumber.
Delicious! We added yellow peppers and asparagus and it was great!