Looking for a high protein yet plant-based meal idea? You have come to the right place! I have the easiest yet tastiest soy garlic tofu bites recipe for you which is done in under 15 minutes from scratch!
I do share a lot of high protein recipes simply because I keep protein at the center of every meal of mine as I understand the need for adequate protein to support my workout regime.
But I am of course guilty of sharing mostly meat-based protein recipes as being a meat-eater, that’s my primary source of protein.
But I do understand that many of you are looking for vegan high-protein recipes which will not only fulfil your quota of protein but will also taste good!
I too turn to vegetarian high protein meals when I am too bored of having chicken or fish back to back for consecutive meals.
And that’s where tofu makes its grand entry! Tofu is not only a vegan’s delight but also a high-protein alternative even for meat-eaters!
I have already shared quite a few tofu recipes till date, but these soy garlic tofu bites emerge as a winner thanks to the ease of making these & how delicious they turn out!
What is 15-minutes soy garlic tofu bites?
These 15-minutes soy garlic tofu bites will prove to be an all-rounder. These are soft & succulent bites of tofu cubes stir fried in a soy & garlic infused stir fry sauce!
They are so incredible in taste that you can savor them as a fulfilling lunch/dinner with rice or a quick snack on its own when you want to binge on something tasty but guilt-free!
The best part of these soy garlic tofu bites is that they literally can be prepared in under 15 minutes, no joke! You gotta trust me on this!
Ingredients for soy garlic tofu bites
Tofu: For that ultimate combination of soft, succulent yet somewhat chewy texture of these soy garlic tofu bites, you will need a couple of blocks of firm tofu which is good enough for about 4 servings.
Sometimes the firm tofu blocks are also labelled as extra-firm tofu which will also work well here. As you can easily guess, this is not a recipe for silken tofu.
Soy sauce: For the deep earthy flavor of soy, use a good quality dark soy sauce. This will pack that much-needed punch in your soy garlic tofu bites!
If the dark soy is too strong for your liking, you can use a mix of light & dark soy sauce as well. Use 1 tablespoon each of light & dark soy sauce and your soy garlic tofu bites will still taste mind-blowing!
Garlic: You have to go a little overboard with garlic in this recipe because the name calls for it! If you are not a fan of garlic, I suppose you can cut it down a little.
But to be very honest, the key flavor of this soy garlic tofu bites is imparted by garlic which makes the somewhat bland tofu so incredibly delicious!
Being a garlic-lover, I used a very generous amount of this aromatic in my recipe – 2 tightly packed tablespoons of minced garlic.
Rice vinegar: A dash of traditional rice vinegar into the stir fry sauce adds a tangy punch without being too overpowering!
Sesame oil: The Chinese stir fry recipes get an extra dimension when you use the traditional oil in the process which is the quintessential sesame oil in this case.
Sesame oil is used as a seasoning rather than cooking oil in most Chinese recipes because of its flavor and fragrance.
Pro tip: Try keeping a bottle of sesame oil handy if you make Chinese or Oriental recipes often.
Sugar: To balance the pungency of dark soy sauce, I added a teaspoon of sugar in the stir fry sauce which will not overly sweeten the dish but will bring together all the flavors making it a ten on ten!
Corn flour/Cornstarch: A starch here will do its double duty! First it will dry-coat the tofu cubes to create a crunchy exterior coating when fried in oil.
Secondly it will thicken the stir fry sauce so that the sauce clings to the tofu cubes beautifully transforming them to a flavor-bomb when put into the mouth!
Spring onion: The tiny little specs of green that are scattered like jewels over the soy garlic tofu bites make the dish look so appetizing that no one would be able to resist them as soon as you serve!
Oil: Use any flavorless vegetable oil for shallow-frying the tofu cubes and also for sautéing the garlic to bring out its maximum flavor.
Seasoning: Add salt & pepper to your tofu cubes while shallow-frying them with a light coating of corn flour.
This will ensure that the seasoning goes deep inside the tofu cubes, making them well-seasoned throughout.
For the soy garlic stir fry sauce, be a little cautious with salt as dark soy sauce is already quite salty. So only add salt at the very end after doing a quick taste test!
Sesame seeds: Finish your soy garlic tofu bites with a generous sprinkle of toasted sesame seeds.
This will not only create a visually stunning contrast against the dark colored dish, but will also add subtle crunch perfectly complementing the soft cubes of tofu!
How to make soy garlic tofu bites?
Step 1: Unpack the tofu blocks and discard all the water. Pat dry the blocks. Then cut the firm blocks of tofu into cubes of 1-inch length.
Step 2: Transfer the tofu cubes to a container or mixing bowl with a tight fitting lid. Sprinkle 4 teaspoons of cornflour (aka corn starch) over the tofu cubes.
Step 3: Fix the lid tightly and now shake the container holding it with both hands; this will ensure that each tofu cube is lightly but evenly coated with cornflour on all sides.
Step 4: Heat two tablespoons of oil in a frying pan. Once the oil is hot, reduce the heat to minimum and add half of the cornflour-coated tofu cubes.
Step 5: Shallow fry the tofu on medium heat, stirring frequently, until they turn golden brown on all sides. This would take about 5 to 6 minutes on medium heat.
Pro tip: You may have to do this in batches if your frying pan is not too big to hold all the tofu cubes at once, which is why I added half first and repeated the same with the remaining half after the first batch was done.
Step 6: Once the tofu cubes are nicely crispy & golden brown, take them out on a plate and set aside.
Step 7: While the tofu cubes are sautéing, in a small mixing bowl prepare the stir fry sauce by mixing together dark soy sauce, rice vinegar, sesame oil and sugar.
Step 8: Add ¼ cup of water and give a good mix using a wire whisk. Make sure all ingredients are evenly combined. Do not add salt into the sauce.
Step 9: In the same frying pan used for frying tofu, add another couple of tablespoons of oil.
Step 10: Once the oil is warm, add the minced garlic and cook them on low heat for just 1 minute, making sure the garlic doesn’t burn.
Pro tip: Oil should not be too hot, then the garlic will burn quickly without getting enough time to release their flavors into the oil.
Step 11: After about a minute, pour the prepared sauce into the frying pan keeping the heat on low. Give a good stir to mix it in with sautéed garlic.
Step 12: As soon as the sauce warms up, drop the fried tofu cubes into the pan and start coating them with the sauce using a spatula. Keep the heat on lowest at this point.
Step 13: While the tofu cubes are taking on the makeover of soy garlic tofu bites, make a cornflour slurry by mixing two teaspoons of corn flour with half a cup of water and give a good whisk.
Step 14: Drizzle this cornflour slurry over the soy garlic tofu bites and keep stirring them. The extra liquid will get absorbed and the sauce will thicken while also getting clingy to the tofu cubes.
Step 15: Switch off the flame and sprinkle freshly crushed black pepper and freshly chopped spring onion greens over the soy garlic tofu bites. Give a mix with a light hand.
Step 16: Do a taste test at this step to check the seasoning and add additional salt only if needed.
Step 17: Finally, transfer them to a serving platter and garnish with a generous sprinkling of toasted sesame seeds! Enjoy!
More delicious & healthy tofu recipes from Flavor Quotient
15-Minutes Soy Garlic Tofu Bites | High Protein Vegan Tofu Recipe for Weight Loss
Author: Priyanka
Recipe type: Snacks
Cuisine: Chinese
Serves: 4 Servings
Ingredients
For stir fry sauce:
- Dark soy sauce – 2 tbsp
- Sesame oil – 1 tbsp
- Rice vinegar – 1 tbsp
- Sugar – 1 tsp
- Corn flour – 2 tsp
Other ingredients:
- Firm tofu – 400 gms
- Minced garlic – 4 tbsp (about 20+ small garlic cloves)
- Corn flour – 4 tsp
- Spring onion greens – ¼ cup
- Vegetable oil for shallow frying
- Sesame seeds to garnish
- Salt & pepper to taste
Instructions
- Unpack the tofu blocks and discard all the water. Pat dry the blocks. Then cut the firm blocks of tofu into cubes of 1-inch length.
- Transfer the tofu cubes to a container or mixing bowl with a tight fitting lid. Sprinkle 4 teaspoons of cornflour (aka corn starch) over the tofu cubes.
- Fix the lid tightly and now shake the container holding it with both hands; this will ensure that each tofu cube is lightly but evenly coated with cornflour on all sides.
- Heat two tablespoons of oil in a frying pan. Once the oil is hot, reduce the heat to minimum and add half of the cornflour-coated tofu cubes.
- Shallow fry the tofu on medium heat, stirring frequently, until they turn golden brown on all sides. This would take about 5 to 6 minutes on medium heat.
- Once the tofu cubes are nicely crispy & golden brown, take them out on a plate and set aside. Repeat the same with remaining tofu cubes.
- While the tofu cubes are sautéing, in a small mixing bowl prepare the stir fry sauce by mixing together dark soy sauce, rice vinegar, sesame oil and sugar.
- Add ¼ cup of water and give a good mix using a wire whisk. Make sure all ingredients are evenly combined. Do not add salt into the sauce.
- In the same frying pan used for frying tofu, add another couple of tablespoons of oil.
- Once the oil is warm, add the minced garlic and cook them on low heat for just 1 minute, making sure the garlic doesn’t burn.**
- After about a minute, pour the prepared sauce into the frying pan keeping the heat on low. Give a good stir to mix it in with sautéed garlic.
- As soon as the sauce warms up, drop the fried tofu cubes into the pan and start coating them with the sauce using a spatula. Keep the heat on lowest at this point.
- While the tofu cubes are taking on the makeover of soy garlic tofu bites, make a cornflour slurry by mixing two teaspoons of corn flour with half a cup of water and give a good whisk.
- Drizzle this cornflour slurry over the soy garlic tofu bites and keep stirring them. The extra liquid will get absorbed and the sauce will thicken while also getting clingy to the tofu cubes.
- Switch off the flame and sprinkle freshly crushed black pepper and freshly chopped spring onion greens over the soy garlic tofu bites. Give a mix with a light hand.
- Do a taste test at this step to check the seasoning and add additional salt only if needed.
- Finally, transfer them to a serving platter and garnish with a generous sprinkling of toasted sesame seeds! Enjoy!
Notes
**Pro tip: Oil should not be too hot, then the garlic will burn quickly without getting enough time to release their flavors into the oil.
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