Tofu In A Chili-Garlic Sauce {Served Over Crispy Noodles}

I just love Chinese, not the sweet American-Chinese (which is just weird, IMO), but the spicy Chinese and Indo-Chinese cuisine. I’ve also come to love tofu over the past year. The best tofu I’ve had was at a local Chinese restaurant. They thankfully do not serve sweet chicken or tofu. I love their pot-stickers, dumplings and roast duck. But my favorite is a vegetarian dish – tofu and eggplant in a spicy garlic sauce.

I have tried many times to replicate it at home, but it just doesn’t come out right. Sometimes the sauce is too sour or the eggplants turn soggy or my biggest challenge so far – perfecting fried tofu. The tofu at the Chinese place has this perfect crust around a hot gooey slice. Contrary to popular expectation, I believe the restaurant uses silken and not firm tofu, but how they manage to fry it so well is just beyond me. And believe me, I’ve tried. So I decided to leave it at that and put my own spin on the dish.

So I used firm tofu, a few spring onions, ginger, garlic and no eggplant this time. A smoking hot wok makes creating the sauce super easy.

And let’s not forget the secret weapon – my homemade chili-garlic sauce. A little soy sauce, sugar and ketchup rounds out the flavors perfectly. Yes, I cannot imagine Chinese dishes without ketchup, it’s an ode to my childhood Maggi noodle days! (It also helps to counter the spiciness of my sauce.)

I coated the tofu lightly in plain cornstarch and fried it in hot oil. The fried tofu is tossed in the sauce right before serving so as to maintain their crunch.

You can serve this with steamed rice, fried rice or noodles. But how about some crispy noodles? Like in American chop suey? It’s really a fun indulgence and totally worth the extra effort frying the little noodle beds or nests or whatever you wish to call it. It’s extremely easy once you use the right kind of noodles, I couldn’t believe I didn’t attempt it earlier.

Serve the tofu over a bed of crispy noodles and you cannot go wrong.

You can definitely make a thinner sauce to soak the noodles, but I loved it like this. This way, the noodles maintained their crunch till the last bite.

TOFU IN A CHILI-GARLIC SAUCE {SERVED OVER CRISPY NOODLES}

Here are the recipes.The following amount will feed three people comfortably.

Tofu In A Chili-Garlic Sauce

You will need:

For frying tofu:

• Firm tofu – 1/2 lb, around 200-225 gm
• Cornstarch – 1/4 cup or enough to coat the tofu slices
• Oil – for frying

For the sauce:

• Oil – 1 1/2 tbsp
• Spring onions – 4-5 stalks, thinly sliced
• Ginger – a 1″ piece, julienned
• Garlic – 3-4 pods, minced
• Soy sauce – 1 tbsp
• Ketchup – 1 tbsp
• Chili-garlic sauce – 1 tsp (or as per desired heat level)
• Sugar – a big pinch
• Salt – to taste
• Cornstarch – 1 tsp
• Water – 1/4 cup (or more for a thinner sauce)

How to:

• Tofu: Squeeze out as much water from the tofu as you can and slice it evenly. Coat with cornstarch and keep aside while you heat the oil in a wok or pan. The cornstarch coating will turn doughy by the time the oil is hot. Coat the tofu lightly again in cornstarch and fry them in batches till crisp and lightly golden. Remove onto a paper towel lined tray to absorb excess oil and keep aside.
• Sauce: Stir the soy sauce, chili-garlic sauce, ketchup and sugar together. Taste and see if it is the right mix of spicy, sour, salty and slightly sweet flavors. Adjust ingredients as per taste. Since my sauce already has vinegar, I didn’t need to add any. If you are using any other chili sauce, you may add a little vinegar also.
• Remove all but 1 1/2 tbsp of oil from the wok used to fry tofu. When it is hot, add chopped spring onions (reserving some of the green parts for garnish), ginger and garlic.
• When the onions are soft and garlic is aromatic, add the prepared sauce mix. Dissolve cornstarch in 1/4 cup water and add to the sauce. Check the seasoning and add salt if needed. If you want more sauce, add some water and bring the sauce to a boil.
• When the sauce thickens to your liking, add the fried tofu and toss to coat everything well with the sauce.
• Serve hot over crispy noodles and garnish with fresh spring onions.

Crispy Fried Noodles

You will need:

• Egg noodles – 6 oz, around 180 gm
• Water – to cook the noodles
• Oil – 2 tsp, to coat the noodles
• Oil – for deep frying

How to:

• Boil noodles as per package instructions and drain them when they are just short of the specified cooking time. Coat the noodles with 2 tsp oil and set aside to cool slightly. Divide the noodles into 6 equal portions for frying.
• Heat oil in a wok or pan. When the oil is hot, drop one portion of noodles in the oil, taking care not to ball it up thickly, but spread out like a bird’s nest so as to fry evenly. Fry on medium heat for 4-5 minutes or till lightly golden. Remove onto a paper towel lined tray to absorb the excess oil. Repeat with all the noodle portions.
• You can serve 2 noodle cakes per person topped with slices of tofu in chili-garlic sauce.

Notes:

• If you don’t like tofu, use paneer (Indian cottage cheese) instead.
• For a non-vegetarian option, substitute tofu with bite-sized boneless pieces of chicken, fish or beef.
• You can also ditch the frying part to make the stir fry healthier.

Enjoy this crispy and spicy platter with a cool sweet drink. The only confusion you will face is whether to use chopsticks, a fork or a spoon!

So, what do you think? Ever had crispy fried noodles? Why not try this easy recipe!

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