Vegan Sweet & Sour Tofu Balls with Vegetable Fried Rice
Try these vegan sweet & sour tofu balls for a simple and tasty takeaway! The tofu makes a great and succulent alternative to chicken in this dish.
Want more vegan recipes? Try 3 issues of Vegan Food & Living magazine for just £3!
These sweet and sour tofu balls are the perfect addition to your Chinese-inspired ‘fakeaway’.
A little extra effort goes a long way, as this homemade version is lighter and tastier than anything you’d get at a takeaway – if you’re lucky enough to have one near you that serves anything vegan at all!
Served with flavourful vegetable fried rice, these tender tofu balls are a real treat for the weekend!
Where did sweet and sour originate from?
Sweet and sour sauce is commonly used in East Asian cooking, particularly Chinese dishes. Traditionally, the sauce would be made by mixing a sour liquid like rice vinegar into a sweet ingredient such as sugar and honey.
This recipe has become increasingly popular in Western society, particularly in the UK, where the recipe has been adapted.
Tomato ketchup is used to give the dish its signature red shade and to give the sauce added sweetness.
Additionally, this recipe adds juicy pineapple chunks and crunchy cashews for added texture and flavour.
Total Time: 50 minutes
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Calories: 486
Servings: 4
Rating:
Nutritional information per serving:
Serving size
395g
calories
486
fat
20g
saturates
2.7g
carbs
61g
sugars
28g
fibre
8g
protein
21g
salt
1.8g
Total Time: 50 minutes
Calories: 486
Servings: 4
Ingredients
Method
Ingredients
(Servings: 4)
- For the sweet & sour sauce
- 30 30 ml tomato ketchup
- 10 10 g sugar
- 15 15 g cashews
- 1.25 1.25 tsp cider vinegar
- 25 25 g pineapple chunks
- For the vegetable fried rice
- 0.25 0.25 Tbsp vegetable oil
- 0.5 0.5 peppers, sliced
- 62.5 62.5 g cooked rice
- 0.5 0.5 Tbsp soy sauce
- 0.25 0.25 carrot, julienned
- 25 25 g peas
- 0.5 0.5 spring onions
- For the tofu balls
- 27.5 27.5 g self-raising flour
- 70 70 g extra firm tofu, cut into cubes
- 30 30 ml water
- Oil for deep frying
Method
- To make the sauce, add the ketchup, vinegar, sugar, pineapple, and cashews to a saucepan over medium heat and cook for 4-5 minutes.
- For the rice, add the vegetable oil to a wok or large frying pan over a high heat.
- Add the carrot, peppers, and peas and cook for 2-3 minutes.
- Next, add the rice, spring onions, and soy sauce to the vegetables and cook for a further 2-3 minutes.
- Now for the tofu balls. Add the flour and water to a bowl and whisk to form a thick batter.
- Heat the oil for deep frying in a deep fat fryer or a saucepan at 180°C.
- Dip the tofu cubes in the batter and drop them into the hot oil and fry for 4-5 minutes.
- To serve, place 4 tofu balls on a bed of rice and pour over the sauce to finish.
Need some more tantalising tofu recipes in your life?
21 easy vegan tofu recipe ideas that are anything but bland!
