Stir-Fried Sweet Chili Tofu Bites

If you are fond of tofu and are looking for a new way to introduce it to your table, this is the recipe you can fall back upon.

What are Stir-fried Sweet Chili Tofu Bites

Tofu bites is the name given to a super delectable dish of Tofu coated with sauces, making it a super addictive delight!

Tofu is pressed to release the excess water and then cleanly cut into cubes. These pieces are crispy fried in an air fryer and are then plunged into the sweet and spicy sauce to create a heavenly dish.

It prepares in less than 30 minutes (aside from pressing time) and is easy to cook with just a few simple ingredients, making it a go-to recipe for those with tight schedules.

Furthermore, it is healthier than the fried version since it is baked.

You would like to cook a fresh batch whenever you crave something flavorsome like this!

Reasons You’ll ♡ Stir-fry Sweet Chili Tofu Bites

This Stir-fried sweet chili Tofu recipe is truly irresistible! Spicy, saucy, and exuding umami flavors, you will love this recipe as it is —

• One-of-its-kind, make-ahead dish
• Vegan
• Can be made gluten-free too
• Versatile and can be customized according to your preference, and 
• A low-calorie, protein-rich dish!

What can I say more? It’s kid approved and a great crowd-pleaser, too. Make a little customization for the little kids (at the spice level), and it will be an instant hit with them. 

Stir-fried Sweet Chili Tofu Bites Ingredient List

Tofu — I have used extra firm Tofu for this recipe because of its texture. This kind of tofu holds together in the air-fryer and crisps up nicely. The crispier the tofu bites are, the tastier they are!

Cornstarch — It makes the tofu pieces crispier and more delectable. It coats each piece and helps them get the golden brown crust that looks so tempting.

Garlic — It enhances the overall flavor of the recipe by adding its sweet spice and unique taste.

Coconut sugar — Adds a hint of sweetness to the recipe.

Maple Syrup — Added for its unique subtle flavors. If needed, you can replace maple syrup with agave syrup for this Sweet chili tofu bites recipe.

Sriracha — This recipe flaunts a punch of delectable spiciness in its sauce, which comes from Sriracha. You may reduce the quantity of sriracha if you want to keep the recipe lesser spicy.

Soy Sauce — It lends lovely umami flavor and color to the recipe. Soy sauce has high sodium content, and as such, you can use low sodium sauce to cut down on the salt content in this recipe. If you want to choose gluten-free preparation, you can use Tamari as an alternative.

Sesame Oil — This is used for cooking the tofu sauce. Use toasted sesame oil as it delivers an enticing nutty flavor to the recipe. However, olive oil can also be used for this recipe.

Cornstarch slurry — This is used for thickening the tofu sauce.

Scallions and Sesame seeds — These are used for garnishing this wonderful recipe.

Recipe Tips and Variations

Use firm tofu — Soft, medium, and firm tofu is available in the market. For this stir-fried sweet chili Tofu bites recipe, using extra firm tofu will deliver excellent results as it will hold its shape and texture without falling apart.

Squeezing water out of tofu — Pressing tofu to extract water is an essential step not to be missed. This ensures that the tofu gets its perfect texture and flavor to create the most delectable recipe. The process includes draining water from the tofu and marinating it in the glaze before cooking. For this, a block of tofu is placed between paper towels and gently pressed with some heavy weight on top. This constant weight for about 30- 35 minutes extracts water entirely from the tofu, making it perfect for the recipe.

Drier tofu makes crispier bites — Draining water from the extra firm tofu is imperative for making crispier stir-fried sweet chili tofu bites, as dried tofu is best for this recipe. This also ensures that your air-fried tofu becomes crispy rather than becoming crumbly.

Importance of cornstarch — Cornstarch is essential for making the recipe crispy and fun. It helps make the edges crisp while retaining the interior succulent. Cornstarch coating helps the tofu to form a golden crust when baking, which is purely irresistible. However, remember to flip the tofu bites every 10 minutes as it bakes in the air-fryer so that all sides are uniformly baked.

Substitute for cornstarch — This stir-fried sweet chili tofu bites recipe is prepared using cornstarch, but you can replace cornstarch and use tapioca starch or arrowroot in a ratio of 1:1. The result will be good enough.

Slicing tofu — Make sure to cut the pieces of tofu evenly. Note that the smaller the cubes, the faster and crispier the tofu will get. Also, ensure to flip the tofu cubes gently to avoid breaking up the cubes.

Frying in batches — Avoid over-crowding the air fryer while baking the tofu pieces, as this will break the pieces and spoil the tofu. Therefore always be gentle with the tofu pieces.

Alternative to Sriracha sauce — This recipe uses Sriracha sauce for spiciness and heat. You can easily replace sriracha with chili sauce or Sambal Oelek for the desired hotness and flavor. You can use store-bought sweet chili sauce for lesser heat in the recipe.

Delightful spiciness — This stir-fried sweet chili tofu bites recipe is delightfully spicy and has an excellent heat content, but it is not overpowering. However, if you are sensitive to spice and want to opt for a lesser spicier version, then you can use Thai sweet chili sauce. This sauce has savory and sweet flavors with just a little spicy kick.

Adding more nutrition — This recipe includes a few veggies that make it flavorful, colorful, and nutritious. However, if you want to pack it with more nutrition and flavors, you can add more veggies of your choice. Carrots, mushrooms, bell peppers, and broccoli are a few veggie options that can be added to the recipe to make it more flavorful. However, you may have to double the quantity of sauce if you add more veggies.

The magical ginger — Are you a fan of ginger? If yes, then adding a little minced ginger to the recipe will create the magic. Saute it along with some garlic, and enjoy the gingery punch!

Prepare some extra sauce — The sauce prepared for this recipe is spicy and perfectly flavorsome. Make some extra sauce to drizzle over the rice or noodles you plan to serve. It will add to the deliciousness!

Extra crunch for extra fun — This recipe is fascinating with its savoriness. However, an extra crunch makes it zestier. You can top the tofu with peanuts, cashews, or sesame seeds for more crunch, texture, and flavor.

Perfect cooking — Make sure not to flip the tofu pieces too early while cooking. Allow enough time for one side to brown up, and flip it gently.

Be careful while selecting Sriracha — Most Siracha brands available at the stores are vegan, but some are not. So, before buying your sriracha, please read the label to confirm if it is vegan or not.

Let me know what you think!

This delicious dish of sweet chili tofu bites is full of flavors and delight. Make this magical dish and enchant your family tonight.

Best of all, you can tweak it up and jazz it; however, your heart desires and will still taste delicious.

Should you make these Stir-fried sweet and spicy tofu bites, please let me know your thoughts by sharing your comment below. 

And don’t forget to share it with your family and friends.

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