Air fryer sticky tofu is an easy appetizer. However, tofu is something you need to develop your taste for. Embracing Vietnamese cuisine helped me enjoy it occasionally. This side is perfect with any noodles or fried rice. Making it in air fryer also helps you avoid extra calories from frying.
There are 3 types of tofu mainly - firm, extra firm and soft. While soft tofu is great for vegan scrambled eggs. Firm and extra firm tofu make great appetizers like air fried tofu nuggets, pho and tofu Manchurian. You can marinate tofu in sticky sauce or satay to make a yummy meal any day.If you are looking for more asian vegan recipes try out vegan soy curls,easy fried rice,tofu ramen,tom yum rice, easy tofu curry.
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Benefits of tofu
- Tofu is low in calories yet high in protein. Hence, it is excellent for weight-loss.
- It has no cholesterol.
- It is high in fiber and helps boost memory.
- Maintains cardiovascular health.
- High in calcium and magnesium so helps avoid bone related issues.
Ingredients
We need to cook tofu in airfryer/oven first. Then we use this fried tofu to make stick tofu.
To air fry tofu
Refer to detailed post for airfryer tofu here.
- tofu (extra firm or regular firm tofu(pressed)
- soy sauce
- oil
- corn flour
To cook sticky tofu in wok
- Oil,green onion, ginger,garlic,sesame seeds
- Soy sauce
- Cornflour and water
- Vinegar
- Sweet chilli sauce
- Honey / Maple syrup (if vegan)
Instructions for air fryer tofu
You can either use extra firm tofu or use regular tofu and press it to remove excess water.Follow the detailed post for airfryer tofu here. I have kept the steps below as well to give an idea about cooking the tofu in airfryer, but to keep this post tidy, I have kept the detailed instructions in a different pot.
- Cut the tofu it in smaller cubes.
- Mix soy sauce ,oil and cornflour ,toss tofu pieces .Keep it aside for 10 mins.
- Dust these cubes in corn flour. This helps them to make them crispy when you fry or air-fry.
- Preheat your air fryer for 10 mins at 190 C. | 375 F. Layer the pieces on a parchment paper on a grill tray without overlapping each other. Spray oil on these before cooking them
- Air fry the marinated tofu for 10 mins at 190 C| 375 deg F. Once they are cooked,keep them aside.
You can enjoy these as is or make a stick tofu as shown below.
Instructions for air fryer sticky tofu
Mix all the sauces in a bowl with cornflour and water
- In a wok, heat oil and fry chopped ginger garlic and green onions.
- Add tofu cubes and the sauces along with salt (optional). Let it cook for few minutes.
- Add the water and cornflour mix,allow to cook for few minutes.Once it starts boiling,you can turn off the heat.
Allow the mix to come to a boil.
Depending on your choice, you can adjust the gravy with more water and sauce.
Garnish with sesame seeds and chopped spring onions.
- Serve hot with noodles, bean sprouts and air fried broccoli in a Buddha bowl or just with some fried rice.
Substitution
If you are a vegetarian, you may substitute tofu for paneer.
Variations
- You can cook the tofu in the oven as well. It will take 15 mins at 190 deg C| 375 deg F in a preheated oven to cook the tofu.
- You can just air fry tofu and enjoy it as is or add that to salads/curries
- The combination of four sauces Soy,Vinegar, Sweet chilly,maple syrup can be customized to suit as per individual's taste buds. You can add extra hot chili sauce to make it more spicy.
Storage
Store it in refrigerator for 1-2 days. Always reheat your left overs. Tofu packet once opened, should be finished within 3 days or as per packet restrictions.
You can air fry tofu and keep in the fridge for a few days and cook sticky tofu whenever you want.
Related links
easy sticky tofu | air fryer sticky tofu recipe
Equipment
- Mixing bowl
- wok
- spatula
Ingredients
For sticky tofu
- 200 gms fried tofu refer notes
- 2 tablespoon oil
- 2 tbsp. ginger-garlic chopped
- 2-3 stalks green onions chopped
- ½ teaspoon sesame seeds for garnish
- 1 teaspoon Salt as per taste adjust as per the salt in the soy sauce.
Sauce mix
- 1 teaspoon maple syrup/ honey
- 1 tablespoon sweet chilli sauce
- 1 teaspoon vinegar Optional
- 2 tablespoon soy sauce
- ½ cup water if you like the thin gravy, double the quantity of water
- 2 tsp cornflour
Instructions
For Sticky tofu
- In a wok, heat oil and fry chopped ginger garlic and green onions.
- Add tofu cubes and the sauces along with salt(optional). Let it cook for few minutes.
- Add the water and cornflour mix,allow to cook for few minutes.Once it starts boiling,you can turn off the heat.
- Depending on your choice, you can adjust the gravy with more water and sauce. Garnish with sesame seeds and chopped spring onions.
- Serve hot with noodles and air fryer roasted broccoli and bean sprouts.
Notes
Top tips
- Always reheat your leftovers.
- Always preheat your air fryer.
FAQs
Tofu has no cholestrol and little calories. As long as you stick to healthy cooking, it will not make you fat.
Food safety
- Cook to a minimum temperature of 165 °F (74 °C). Discard food if it smells rancid.
- Do not use the same utensils on cooked food, that previously touched raw meat.
- Wash hands after touching raw meat.
- Don't leave food sitting out at room temperature for extended periods.
- Never leave cooking food unattended.
- Use oils with high smoking point to avoid harmful compounds.
- Always have good ventilation when using a gas stove.
Conclusion: Easy air fryer sticky tofu is a great companion for noodles or fried rice.
Please share your inputs..