Hairy Bikers Sweet and Sour Tofu Recipe

“Who needs a carry-out?” is how Si and Dave introduce their Hairy Bikers sweet and sour tofu recipe in the Veggie Feasts cookbook. It is fully vegan at 220 calories and 30 minutes, which makes it the lightest sweet and sour in their entire collection.

The sauce skips ketchup and uses sweet chilli sauce with Chinese vinegar and 5-spice instead, so it tastes warmer and more aromatic than the chicken version. Canned pineapple replaces fresh here too, since the juice from the tin sweetens the sauce without any extra prep.

Getting crispy tofu starts before the wok, because you need the block bone-dry before tossing it in a mix of cornflour and garlic powder. That garlic powder bakes into the crust during frying, so every piece has flavour built into the coating rather than just sitting on top.

Hairy Bikers Sweet and Sour Tofu Recipe

Author: Alex Saidani Cooking Method:Stir Frying Cuisine:British Chinese Courses:Main Course

Difficulty:BeginnerPrep time: 15 minutesCook time: 15 minutesRest time: minutesTotal time: 30 minutesServings:4 servingsCalories:220 kcal Best Season:Summer

Description

Crispy tofu chunks with broccoli, peppers, and pineapple in a sweet chilli and 5-spice sauce, finished with sesame oil and fresh coriander. A proper vegan fakeaway that the whole table will fight over.

Ingredients

For the Sauce:

• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• 2 tbsp Chinese vinegar
• 1 tbsp light soft brown sugar
• 1 tbsp sweet chilli sauce
• 100ml pineapple juice
• ½ tsp Chinese 5-spice
• 1 tsp cornflour
• Sea salt and black pepper

For the Tofu:

• 1 x 280-300g block of extra-firm tofu, cut into chunks
• 2 tsp cornflour
• ½ tsp garlic powder
• 1 tbsp vegetable oil

For the Vegetables:

• 200g broccoli florets
• 1 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 large onion, cut into chunks
• 1 red pepper, deseeded and cut into chunks
• 1 green pepper, deseeded and cut into chunks
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 25g fresh root ginger, finely chopped
• 150g canned pineapple in fruit juice, cut into chunks

To Serve:

• 1 tsp sesame oil
• 1 tsp sesame seeds
• A few sprigs of fresh coriander

Instructions

1. Make the sauce: Whisk the soy sauce, Chinese vinegar, sugar, sweet chilli sauce, pineapple juice, 5-spice, and cornflour together in a bowl until the sugar has dissolved, then season with salt and pepper.
2. Fry the tofu: Make sure the tofu is very dry by patting it firmly with kitchen paper. Toss the chunks in cornflour and garlic powder, then heat the oil in a wok or large frying pan until the air above it is shimmering. Fry the tofu on all sides until crisp and golden brown, then remove and set aside.
3. Blanch the broccoli: Drop the broccoli florets into boiling salted water until just tender, then drain and refresh in a bowl of iced water or under a cold tap. Drain again and set aside.
4. Stir-fry the vegetables: Add more oil to the wok and stir-fry the onion, peppers, and broccoli together for a few minutes until just al dente, since they need to keep some bite. Add the garlic and ginger and cook for 2 more minutes, then pour in the sauce and the pineapple chunks.
5. Bring it together: Simmer until the sauce starts to thicken, then return the crispy tofu to the pan. Drizzle the sesame oil over the top and scatter with sesame seeds and fresh coriander before serving with rice.

FAQs

Do I need to press the tofu first?

Si and Dave say extra-firm tofu should not need pressing for this recipe, but firm tofu does. The difference matters because any water left in the block will spit in the hot oil and stop the cornflour coating from crisping properly.

If you only have firm tofu, wrap it in a clean tea towel, set a heavy pan or chopping board on top, and leave it for 20 minutes. That draws out enough moisture to get a decent crust in the wok.

Is there another Hairy Bikers sweet and sour tofu?

Yes, the Go Local TV series has a “sweet and spicy sticky tofu” on the official hairybikers.com site, and it is a completely different recipe. That version uses a cornflour and soy sauce batter rather than a dry coating, and the sauce is built separately in a saucepan instead of in the wok with the vegetables.

This Veggie Feasts version has more veg, uses Chinese 5-spice in the sauce, and stir-fries everything together at the end, so it feels more like a complete meal rather than sauced tofu on its own. The sweet and sour pork from Meat Feasts takes yet another approach with a ginger juice marinade and no chilli sauce at all.

Can I make this with chicken instead?

The sauce works on chicken, but you would need to reduce the 5-spice to a quarter teaspoon because it can overpower poultry. The sweet and sour chicken from Chicken and Egg has a different sauce built around ketchup and fresh pineapple juice, which Si and Dave designed specifically for chicken breast.

If you want to stay plant-based, tempeh or chickpeas also work here. Chickpeas hold up in the sauce without going soft, and tempeh takes on the garlic powder coating just as well as tofu.

Why blanch the broccoli separately?

Raw broccoli thrown straight into a stir-fry goes grey and mushy before the stems cook through, which is why Si and Dave blanch it first. The ice water refresh locks in the bright green colour and stops the cooking instantly, so when it hits the wok it only needs warming through.

This two-step method adds a few minutes but the difference is obvious on the plate. You get broccoli that is vivid green with a proper bite, not the dull khaki florets you see in most takeaway stir-fries.

What goes well alongside this?

The Veggie Feasts book suggests serving this next to their chow mein recipe, and the two dishes do work well together because the noodles soak up any extra sauce. Plain jasmine rice is the easier option if you want to keep it simple.

For a bigger vegan spread, the vegetarian chilli gives you a second main with a completely different spice profile, and the panzanella salad adds something fresh and crunchy to balance the hot dishes.