Crispy Tofu with Spicy Ginger Almond Butter Sauce
Make your own restaurant-quality vegan spicy ginger almond butter sauce and serve with crispy tofu!
When we’re working up in Spokane, the lunch orders vary from awesome, fresh salads to…questionable ensembles. The other day at work, I ordered a steamed tofu and veggie dish (pretty bland, to be honest) and it came with a spicy peanut sauce on the side. The sauce was of course delicious – but you could just taste the sugar in it. I honestly never knew how much sugar went into those sauces until I took a Cambodian cooking class! So I set out to make my own version that I could use over and over again in stir frys and as dipping sauces that would be approved in my kitchen – and keep it vegan (many of those in restaurants include some kind of shrimp paste). After lots of taste testing, I found the perfect combination that combines only four ingredients. Voila!
So the key to making tofu with great texture and doesn’t crumble is to drain its liquid. The easiest way to do it? Wrap it in a bunch of paper towels and lay your heaviest book on it for a couple minutes! In the meantime, start your sauce. All this takes is a base of almond butter, and add in some grated ginger, soy sauce and Sriiiiiiiiiiiiracha. You can change the ratios based on your liking. I ended up adding in quite a bit of ginger because I’m a huge fan of the sweetness and spiciness it adds.
To get crispy tofu on the outside but chewy on the inside, put a tablespoon or two of olive oil in your pan and get it real hot. Then sear your tofu for several minutes on each side until golden. The great thing about this combo of tofu + almond butter sauce is that it comes together in minutes, and then lunch or dinner is ready to go. Very minimal cleanup as well! And I actually think this may be something that I might try and giving the boyfriend…we’ll see.
Poor Sally was looking particularly exhausted as I worked away in the kitchen. She’s 14 years old (in human years)! What a good pup. Too much stuff going on in the house – she can’t handle all of the commotion in her old age.
When your tofu is done, spread on the sauce or use as a dip. I might even sautee vegetables with the tofu and cook the sauce with all of the different ingredients before serving! And I definitely will be using this combination to make spring rolls when I decide I want to try out using rice paper – I’ll save that for another time! I served my tofu next to a bed of raw kale and proceeded to eat it while watching The Princess Diaries. A lunch of champions. Hope you enjoy!
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Crispy Tofu with Spicy Ginger Almond Butter Sauce
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
Description
Create restaurant worthy crispy tofu with a homemade spicy ginger almond butter sauce.
Ingredients
- 1 block of extra firm tofu
- 4 tbsp almond butter
- 1 tbsp Sriracha or another garlic chili sauce
- 1 tbsp soy sauce (use gluten free if necessary)
- 1 tsp grated ginger
- 1 tsp red pepper flakes
- Olive oil
Instructions
- Release the moisture from your tofu by draining it using paper towels and a heavy item
- Slice into tofu “steaks”, about ⅓ inch thick
- Heat up your olive oil in your pan on medium-high heat
- Place the tofu in the pan and sprinkle on the red pepper flakes
- In the meantime, mix your almond butter sauce ingredients
- Flip your tofu after 3 mins or so, or until golden
- Flip a couple of additional times, depending on how crispy you want the outside of your tofu
- Place tofu on a plate, and pour sauce over portions
- Serve and enjoy!
Notes
The sauce can be made ahead of time, or kept in your fridge in a sealed container for several weeks!
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
