Sweet and Sour is an iconic Chinese dish that is easy to veganize! This Vegan Sweet and Sour Tofu features pineapple, assorted vegetables and crispy tofu tossed in a flavourful sauce.
The thought of Sweet and Sour brings me back to 大炒 family gatherings when I was a young child. The adults would sit at one table while we kids sit at a separate table. They get to eat all kinds of sophisticated and acquired-tasting dishes, but the kid’s table only ever had three (or four, if we were lucky enough) dishes on the table: a veggie, eggs and – you guessed it – Sweet and Sour!
Not that I would complain, really. This dish is one of my favourites; onions, cucumbers (or capsicums) and fresh pineapple drenched in a sweet and sour tomato sauce, and the crispy bite-sized pieces of meat! This sweet and sour sauce can be paired with so many different vegetables and proteins. Tofu is no exception!
What you’ll need to make Vegan Sweet and Sour Tofu:
- ketchup is the base of the sweet and sour sauce. This is where most of the flavour comes from.
- tofu is our source of protein in this dish. Freezing the tofu then defrosting it changes its texture. It becomes chewier and more meat-like. Don’t forget to squeeze out the excess water.
- onions ARE A MUST unless you don’t like onions, but why wouldn’t you? 🙁
- tomatoes just because ketchup isn’t enough 🙂
- cucumbers, green bell peppers or even celery would go well.
- pineapple gives this dish a fresh note and honestly makes everything look pretty. I would recommend using fresh pineapple but canned pineapple works too.
I usually pan-fry my tofu to get it crispy but you could air-fry it too. More instructions for that in the recipe notes below.
If you want a visual guide, I showed you guys over on my Instagram how to make this dish. Making Vegan Sweet and Sour Tofu is so easy!
Hungry for more? Check out my other Malaysian-inspired recipes!
- Vegan Chili Pan Mee 板面
- Vegan Hokkien Mee 福建面
- Chinese Stir Fried Glass Noodles (Vegan + Gluten-Free)
- Spicy Eggplant with Minced Tofu (Vegan | Gluten-Free | 1 Pan | 30 Min)
- Vegan Crispy Marmite Mushroom (1 Pan | 30 Min)
If you made this recipe, do leave a comment and rating below because I love hearing your feedback. Make sure to tag me on Instagram @eatwkriss so that I can see your recreations!
Sweet and Sour Tofu/酸甜豆腐 (V | GF)
Ingredients
Tofu
- 140 g traditional/firm tofu thawed, cut into cubes
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tbsp sesame oil
- 1 tsp Chinese cooking wine
- ⅓ cup cornstarch
- ¼ tsp salt
Assorted vegetables
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- ½ white onion chopped roughly
- ½ cucumber chopped into bite-sized cubes
- 1 small tomato chopped
- 1 stick of pineapple chopped
Sauce
- ⅓ cup ketchup
- 1 tsp vinegar
- 2 tsp cornstarch
- ¼ cup water
Instructions
- In a small bowl, mix the tofu with the sauces and let marinade for at least 30 minutes. The longer the tofu marinades, the more flavourful it will become.
- In a bowl, mix cornstarch and salt together. Coat each piece of tofu in the cornstarch and pan-fry until crispy and golden brown.*
- In a pan over medium heat, cook the garlic and onion until fragrant. Add in the cucumber, tomatoes and pineapple, cook until the skin from the tomatoes start to peel off, 3 minutes.
- Make the sauce and stir it in. Cover with a lid and simmer on low heat for 10 minutes. Stir in the pan-fried tofu and cook for another 1 minute.
- Serve warm with a bowl of rice and spring onions. Enjoy!
Notes
I like the recipe because it is fast to make. For personal taste, I added soy sauce and sugar to be more flavourful.
thank you for your feedback yun juan!
This is such an iconic childhood dish that I’m so glad to be able to still enjoy after going vegan!! Thank you Kristen for the recipe ❤️❤️ I added wood ear mushroom for an extra crunch 😘
im so glad you liked it!! wood ear mushrooms sound amazing hehe