This dish is my new tofu obsession! Pan-fried tofu sticks that are golden crispy on the outside and still tender on the inside, generously coated in a sweet, sour, and sticky mango sauce made of fresh mango juice, stir-fried with lots of juicy, crunchy veggies and of course, more fresh mangoes!
I think at this point we've probably all had orange tofu, lemon tofu, and pineapple tofu, and yet I had never had mango tofu until a road trip I took this past summer! During my month-long cross-country road trip, my sole responsibility was hunting for good vegan restaurants to eat at since I don't drive (like at all lol). And I had this mango tofu dish in Atlanta and that flavor has been living in my head rent-free ever since!
So of course I have to recreate it. And it turned out just as I remembered! I made the sauce using mango juice I made from fresh mango and the coating yielded this golden, sticky, glistening shine that's just mouth-watering.
Do I need to press the tofu?
I kept the process super simple and NO FUSS as well. No breading or pressing the tofu - I know pressing tofu is such a "fashion" these days but trust you really don't have to do it with every single recipe. For this dish particularly, as long as you're using the right type of tofu - it should say extra-firm or hard tofu on the package - then you can simply take it out of the package, pat dry and start cooking. After all, we want that beautiful contrast between the golden crispy crust and the tender inside, so we want to retain some of the moisture in tofu and not get it totally dense and dry.
Whether you are a die-hard tofu fan like me or still suspicious, give this recipe a go and bring some tropical flavors to your holiday party dinners! And please tag me on Instagram and Tiktok ^^
INGREDIENTS:
1 14 oz block extra-firm tofu
1 large mango
1 sweet bell pepper
1 medium zucchini
2 scallions
3 garlic cloves
Cooking oil
Salt and pepper to taste
For the Mango Sauce -
3/4 cup mango juice, I made mine using fresh mango
1 1/2 tablespoon soy sauce or tamari
2 tablespoon coconut amino
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
2 teaspoon ketchup
1 teaspoon arrowroot powder or cornstarch
TO MAKE:
- Pat dry and slice the tofu into 1/2 inch thick sticks, or your preferred shapes;
- Heat some oil in a good non-stick pan over medium heat, pan fry the tofu sticks until all sides are golden brown, about 3 minutes for the first side then another minute or so after you flip for the other sides;
- Slice the bell pepper and zucchini into your preferred shapes, I kept everything in sticks forms;
- Peel the slice the mango the same way;
- Mix together all the sauce ingredients, give it a good stir to make sure it's mixed evenly and the arrowroot powder or starch is not settled at the bottom;
- In the same nonstick pan, using the leftover oil from when we fried the tofu, saute the scallions and garlic till aromatic, add in the peppers and zucchinis and cook till they just turn soft;
- Add the pan-fried tofu back to the pan, carefully pour in the sauce, stir to coat everything evenly;
- Bring the sauce to a bubble and lower the heat to let it simmer, for about 3 - 4 minutes or until it reaches your preferred thickness;
- Add in the mango, quickly stir to combine them, once everything is once again mixed evenly, remove from heat;
- Serve immediately with steamed rice, I highly recommend drizzling some of the sauce onto the rice! Enjoy!
