I eat tofu probably once a week and I’m always looking for different ways to prepare it. Most of the time I will either saute or bake it. But today, I wasn’t in the mood for much cooking, so I made this delicious Sweet & Spicy Cold Tofu.

When cooking with tofu, I prefer the texture of extra firm, but you can use whichever type you like. If you use softer tofu, there is a higher chance of it breaking up when mixing, but the flavour will be the same! Even when using firm/extra firm tofu, I always like to press it between some paper towels, just to remove any excess water.

While it’s pressing, that’s when I make the sauce. I used soy sauce, maple syrup, sesame oil, sambal oelek (or sriracha), garlic and sesame seeds. This is a very simple mix of ingredients and the flavours are so well-balanced. I like my sauce to be slightly on the spicier side but just taste it and adjust, adding more maple syrup, if necessary. I really love the flavour of the sesame oil, adds a nice richness to the tofu.

Once it’s all mixed together, just have to toss the tofu with the sauce and serve. I enjoyed this on its own but it would be delicious over some noodles, rice or in lettuce wraps. This tofu was so delicious, I was almost licking the extra sauce from the bowl after. The only thing it was missing was a little green onion – that would have given the perfect extra bite and freshness. It was still so good though and I will be making this again.

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Ingredients:

• 1/2 block firm/extra firm tofu, pressed and cut into 1″ cubes
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 2 tsp maple syrup
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• 1 tsp sambal oelek or sriracha
• 1 tsp minced garlic
• 1 tsp sesame seeds

Directions:

1. Stir together soy sauce, maple syrup, sesame oil, sambal, garlic and sesame seeds in a bowl.
2. Toss in tofu cubes and stir to combine.
3. Serve on its own, or on top of noodles, rice or lettuce cups.