Sweet and Sour Tofu
When I was growing up about the only place we went out to dinner was the Chinese food place. Back then, it was a real restaurant, not a take out hole in the wall. Sorry General Tso, it was a Mandarin place not Sechuan. We could not handle the heat back then – I didn’t discover Kung Poa Chicken until college! The big fish tank full of koi and all the Chinese lettering made the trip to the Chinese restaurant feel authentic, not to mention the Chinese people from a place we had only heard bad things about, mostly from the evening news. My brothers and I kept our fingers crossed that we would be able to order the Pu Pu platter! The Pu Pu Platter was a dream come true – appetizers of all shapes ready to be heated over a live flame at the table. That was living! It made us feel like we were actually in Beijing (or Peking as it was called back then). How bad could China be if they ate Pu Pu platters there? They have sterno so it must be a civilized place, I thought. We also wondered if one of our parents would order one of those fancy drinks they had listed on the menu – a Mai Tai, Tom Collins, Pink Lady or Grasshopper! They never did.
I have been in a few Chinese restaurants since, but it seems the Pu Pu platter has gone the way of the word Peking. Perhaps it was a liability given the live flame. Another staple of our Chinese restaurant experience was Sweet and Sour Chicken. This was also a staple when we got together with our cousins. Lots of sweet and sour chicken, as well as other assorted take out – wonton soup, egg rolls, mushu pork. There was no Pu Pu to go, too bad. But it was the sweet and sour chicken that stood out. Not because of the chicken, but because there was pineapple in it! What craziness must have led them to the use of fruit in savoury dishes I thought. And that red sauce – so bright! There were also pickles in the Sweet and Sour Chicken. You don’t see that much anymore. I lament the passing of the pickle from sweet and sour chicken and I aim to do something about it.
I still quite enjoy the sweet and sour experience. A dish I really like is sweet and sour tofu. It just seems perfect -the softness of the tofu with the sour, crunch of the pickles make a great pair, and the sweetness of the pineapple brings it home. I like my sweet and sour tofu with a kick, so a bit of chilli or sriracha is in the mix. Yes, I know Sriracha is Thai. Who am I to deny a fantastic fusion. It all goes nicely together with a homemade mushroomy fried rice or white rice!
Here is how I make Sweet and Sour Tofu with a kick…
- 1 clove of garlic
- 1 medium sweet onion
- 1 yellow bell pepper
- 1 orange bell pepper
- 1 block of firm tofu
- 1/4 cup of cornichon pickles
- vegetable oil
- salt and pepper
- 1 16 oz can of pineapple chunks or rings in juice not syrup
- 1/4 cup of ketchup
- 2 tbsp rice wine vinegar
- 2 tbsp of brown sugar
- 2 tbsp sriracha or to taste
- Chop the garlic finely.
- Peel and chop the onion into a large dice.
- Clean and de-seed the peppers. Cut the peppers into a large dice.
- Drain the tofu and gently press the tofu block between 2 plates to remove as much water as possible.
- Cube the tofu.
- Drain the can of pineapple reserving the juice. Keep 4 oz of the pineapple and 1 cup of the juice. Set aside the rest for another use. If the pineapple is in rings, cut the pineapple into chunks.
- In a small bowl, mix together the cup of pineapple juice with the ketchup, rice wine vinegar, brown sugar, and sriracha.
- In a large saute pan, heat 3 tbsp of vegetable oil over medium high heat. Add the tofu and brown the cubes on all sides.
- When the tofu is browned, lower the heat to medium. Add the garlic. Toss well and cook 1 minute.
- Add the onion, toss well and cook another minute.
- Add the peppers and cook another minute. The garlic, onions and peppers should begin to soften.
- Add the sauce mixture and mix well. Bring the sauce mixture to a simmer and let the sauce reduce by at least half or until the sauce is thickened and coats the back of a spoon.
- Add the pineapple and pickles and heat them through.
- Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Serve hot with rice.
- Leftover pineapple can be diced small and added to white rice for extra flavor.
- This sauce also works well with chicken or pork.
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What is your favorite sweet and sour dish? How do you make your sweet and sour sauce? Let us know all about it in the comments or on Facebook.
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