Pan Fried Apricot Ginger Tofu
with a ton of variations to always keep it interesting
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Lately, I’ve been making lots of easy dinners that don’t require turning on the oven because it is too dang HOT!
This week’s recipe is not only quick, easy, and can be made on the stove in less than 20 minutes, but it’s also kinda special because it’s inspired by my grandma.
See, today is her 97th birthday (I know!) and when I was just a little Laura we used to visit her once a month for the big family dinner. However, Grandma was a big believer in pressing the easy button and cooking for the whole family (all 22 of us) in her tiny kitchen wasn’t easy. So many times we would order out from her favorite Chinese restaurant around the corner.
The sweet and sour chicken and Hawaiian rolls were my favorite and I would pile them high on top of a mountain of rice. Obviously this is before I was vegan! None of it was “authentic” Chinese food but that wasn’t the important part. I loved those big family dinners and wanted to harken back to those flavors I remember in an updated spin on the Chinese take-out chicken.
This Apricot Ginger Tofu uses fresh ginger and garlic to pack that one-two punch of flavor. If you use freshly frozen ginger and garlic, no worries. I have those in my freezer, too. Otherwise the sauce is simple to mix up and fully customizable to what you love best in a sauce.
Serve this over some white rice, coconut rice, or cauliflower rice with a side of homemade Hawaiian rolls for a taste inspired by my memories.
And happy birthday to my grandma!
Let’s get cooking!!
Yield: 4 servings
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cooking Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 20 minutes
Equipment
Skillet
Cooking Spoon
Measuring Cups and Spoons
Mixing Bowl
Cooking spray or neutral oil
Ingredients
1 block of extra firm tofu
1 tablespoon soy sauce or tamari
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/3 cup apricot jam (see variations below)
1 tablespoon soy sauce or tamari
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon fresh garlic, mashed
1 teaspoon fresh ginger, mashed
1 tablespoon sugar of choice, brown sugar or coconut sugar recommended
Method
Crumble and coat the tofu. Crumble the tofu into bite sized pieces into a mixing bowl. Sprinkle over top the one tablespoon of soy sauce and 2 tablespoons of cornstarch. Mix to evenly coat the tofu.
Cook the tofu. In a large flat bottomed pan over medium-high heat, add a spray of cooking spray or up to 1 tablespoon of cooking oil of your choice. Leave it alone for about 5 minutes without stirring so that it develops a bit of a crispy crust. Once you see that crust form, begin to gently stir the tofu around, letting all the sides become evenly browned.
Mix the sauce. While the tofu is cooking, into another bowl whisk together all the sauce ingredients: apricot jam, soy sauce, onion powder, garlic, and ginger.
Combine and serve. After 15 minutes or so the tofu will be evenly browned and crispy. Add the sauce over top and stir to coat the tofu evenly in the sauce. Let it cook for 30 seconds before removing from the heat. Serve over rice and enjoy!
Click the above for a printable PDF copy of this recipe!!
Tofu: I prefer an extra firm or even super firm tofu for this recipe. That will crumble the best and won’t turn to mush in the pan. You could make this with firm tofu, just make sure that you break it into bigger pieces as they will naturally crumble while cooking. Soft or silken tofu won’t work at all.
Apricot Jam: Finding a good jam is essential for this recipe. I’ve had the best success with Bonne Maman and the Trader Joe’s variety of apricot jam with minimal ingredients.
There are so many ways of changing this recipe up!
Change the jam. Switch to orange marmalade for more of a Panda Express inspired orange tofu. Use a peach and mango jam for a slightly different flavor.
Make it spicy! Add in one chopped red pepper of your choosing and cook for a few minutes with the tofu before adding the sauce. Alternatively, you can add up to a teaspoon of red pepper flakes to the sauce.
Make it sweet and sour! Add up to 1 tablespoon of your favorite rice wine vinegar for a bit of tang and sour to the sauce.
Make it a meal! While the tofu is cooking, steam up some of your favorite veggies to go along side this dish. Some of my favorites are cauliflower, broccoli, and carrots; bok choy with bell peppers; green beans; or sugar snap peas with carrots and bell peppers.
Need to make this gluten free? Simply swap out the soy sauce for your favorite brand of tamari or coconut amino acids.
If you don’t have cornstarch, you can use an equal amount of tapioca starch or even arrowroot powder. However, in testing this recipe I’ve found that both the tapioca and arrowroot powder don’t have the tofu get as crispy as the cornstarch. So cornstarch is my first choice but the others work as well.
The brand of apricot jam that you use will determine the amount of sugar that you need to use. Depending on how sweet your jam is, you may or may not need to add that extra touch of sweetness.
Before you go!
I hope that you love this apricot tofu as much as I do!
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That’s all for now!
Love and Sprinkles,
Laura