Sticky Black Tofu

We use a very wet marinade to make sure the tofu soaks as much of the flavour in as possible. It’s sweet, slightly sour, and has tons of depth.

Ingredients

-1 people+

Metric

Method

1. 1

   Put the tofu cubes into a dish just large enough to contain them.

   
2. 2

   Put the ginger and garlic into a small blender with the Chinese 5 spice, sugar, soy sauce, rice vinegar and 2 tablespoons of water. Blend until smooth. Alternatively, finely dice the garlic and ginger, and combine everything in a small bowl. Pour this marinade over the tofu and give everything a good mix. It’s important the tofu pieces are submerged at least halfway in the marinade. If they’re not, try using a smaller dish. Cover and marinate in the fridge for at least 2 hours.

   
3. 3

   Transfer the tofu pieces to a mixing bowl, shaking off as much of the marinade as possible (keep the marinade, because you’ll be using it later). Scatter 3 tablespoons of the cornflour over the tofu and use a spoon to mix it in, being careful not to break the tofu.

   
4. 4

   Heat 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil in a non-stick frying pan over a medium heat. As soon as the oil is hot, carefully add the tofu and fry on each side for 3–4 minutes, or until the tofu is crispy on all sides. Avoid moving the tofu around too much, otherwise the sticky coating will get stuck to the pan.

   
5. 5

   Meanwhile cook the rice as per the packet instructions.

   
6. 6

   As soon as the tofu is crispy all over, remove it from the pan and carefully wipe the pan clean with kitchen paper. Return the pan to a low heat, then pour in the marinade, scooping out as much of it as possible from the dish. Mix the remaining 1 tablespoon of cornflour in a small bowl with 2 tablespoons of water, then pour it into the pan along with the orange juice. Stir the sauce and cook it gently for 10–15 minutes, until it thickens into a sticky gravy-like sauce. It’s important you cook it slowly and give it time to cook, so the flavours mingle and to remove the bitterness from the garlic. As soon as it’s ready, stir the tofu back in until it’s completely covered in the sticky sauce.

   
7. 7

   Put the cooked rice into the bowls, followed by the sticky black tofu, and sprinkle sesame seeds, spring onions and green chillies over the top. Yum!