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Pineapple Sweet and Sour Tofu with Cashews

Crispy fried tofu coated in a sweet, sour, and sticky sauce, mixed with juicy pineapple cubes, crunchy bell peppers and hearty cashews, this is the ultimate tofu lover's dish and would totally convert those who previously think tofu is bland.


I call this dish the "rice killer" because you'll want to wolf down as much fluffy, steamy rice as you possibly can with this lush sauce and all the flavors and textures you can get in one bite. Sweet and sour sauce can never go wrong but the fresh pineapple juice definitely takes it to an even higher level, giving it a sunny tropical vibe and a fruity aroma.


And when frying the tofu slices, I tested a new coating method. Instead of coating them with my usual arrowroot powder or corn starch, I tried rice flour and wow the result was superior! The rice flour not only gave the tofu a super crispy and crunchy crust, it also created a chewy glutinous layer between the golden crust and the tender tofu inside.


If you have some rice flour at home I definitely recommend giving this a try! You can always make your own rice flour too by blending white rice dry in a powerful blender, I used my Vitamix and the blender top that's marked "dry container".


Watch the video below to follow the steps and if you have additional questions, you can find me on Instagram Reel and Tiktok.


INGREDIENTS:

14 oz extra-firm tofu
2 tablespoon rice flour
1 red bell pepper
1 cup pineapple, cubed
1/2 cup cashew
3 garlic cloves, minced
Canola oil for cooking
Sesame seeds and scallions for garnish

For the sauce -
1/2 cup pineapple juice
2 tablespoon tamari/soy sauce
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
1 tablespoon coconut amino
2 teaspoon maple syrup
2-3 teaspoon sriracha sauce
1 teaspoon arrowroot powder

TO MAKE:

- Drain and pat dry your tofu, depending on the firmness of your tofu, you can choose to press it for 10 minutes if you want, the tofu I used was very firm so I did not press;
- Cut into your preferred shape, I went with triangles that are about 1/2 inch thick;
- In a wide bowl, coat the tofu pieces with the rice flour, toss to coat evenly;
- In a nonstick frying pan, cover the bottom with canola oil, heat over medium-high heat, and fry the coated tofu till all sides are golden crispy;
- Meanwhile, mix all the sauce ingredients together;
- Once the tofu pieces are done frying, transfer to a plate, and in the same pan, fry the garlic over medium heat till aromatic;
- Add in the bell peppers, pineapples, and cashew, cook till the vegetables are tender but not mushy;
- Give the sauce a good stir in case the starch is setting at the bottom, slowly pour the sauce into the pan, toss the veggies and pineapples in the sauce and bring the mixture to a gentle bubbling;
- Add the tofu pieces back in the pan, stir and coat with the sauce;
- Lower the heat and let the mixture simmer for a couple of minutes till the sauce reaches your preferred thickness, please note, the sauce will continue to get thicker as it cools down so keep that in mind and don't over-thicken it on the stove;
- Serve hot, garnish with sesame seeds and scallions, enjoy!

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