Indo-Chinese Style Chili Tofu

A picture of tofu, green onions, and bell peppers cooking in an Indo-Chinese style sauce.

This Chili Tofu brings a level of spice that is both tolerable and enjoyable!

Indo-Chinese Style Chili Tofu

I’m really excited about this one – The Happy Haandi’s new Indo-Chinese Style Chili Tofu recipe. 

If you were an Indian kid, like me growing up, one of the best appetizers you could get at a way-too-long Indian wedding, was the chili chicken appetizer. Crisp fried chicken tossed in a spicy but tangy sauce and served with some sautéed peppers and onions. It was the start of Cocktail Hour and even though I was too little to drink, the chili chicken went down so well after what felt like the super long ceremony (really it was just 2 hours).

A picture of Indo-Chinese Style Chili Tofu, green onions, and green bell peppers in a skillet.

Top off your Chili Tofu with some green onions to add more flavor.

This Indo-Chinese Style Chili Tofu is all that amazing chicken chili flavor packed onto some well-crisped tofu! I love this variant (though the original is always amazing) for feeling a little lighter without suffering on the flavor profile. The sauce was on point and I used one of my favorite food bloggers, Swasthi’s Recipes, to nail the sauce down. Swasthi does a great job of fine-tuning the sauce mixture so it adds just the right amount for the dish to feel saucy without becoming overwhelming. 

Definitely give this one a try! While I technically slated it as an appetizer, this recipe can be easily adapted into a full meal with some rice!

If you make this recipe, I’d love to see pictures of your creations on Pinterest, Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok! Hashtag them #thehappyhaandi. And tag me @thehappyhaandi.

Indo-Chinese Style Chili Tofu

A spicy, tangy classic appetizer made vegetarian
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
Total Time 1 hour
Course Appetizer, Dinner, Lunch
Cuisine Chinese, Fusion, Indian
Servings 6 people
Calories 129 kcal

Equipment

  • 1 Skillet

Ingredients
  

  • 1 pkg Firm Tofu
  • 1 Onion (sliced)
  • 2 Bell Peppers (sliced)
  • 2 Green Onion (chopped)
  • 1-2 tsp Cornstarch

For the Sauce:

  • 1 tbsp Soy Sauce (reduced sodium)
  • 2 tbsp Red Chili Sauce
  • 2 tbsp Ketchup
  • 1 tsp White Vinegar
  • 1/2 tsp Sugar
  • Salt (to taste)

Instructions
 

For the Tofu Chili:

  • To begin, we'll work with the tofu. Remove and drain the tofu and be sure to press for about 30 minutes to ensure it is no longer dripping.
  • With your hands, break off bite size chunks from the tofu and add to a clean bowl. The pieces should be irregular in shape but make sure they are roughly the same size.
  • To the bowl of tofu, sprinkle in the cornstarch and toss to combine.
  • At medium heat, add the oil to a shallow pan, then add the tofu and fry. This may take some time, 15-20, minutes but we're looking for the edges of the tofu to become slightly brown and have a crispy exterior but with a little bounce to each piece.
  • While the tofu is frying, add all the ingredients for the sauce into a separate bowl and stir until combined. Set aside.
  • Once the tofu is done frying, remove it from the hot pan. Add the onions and peppers to the still hot pan. Fry the vegetables for about 4-5 minutes on high heat. They should be cooked through but still have a little crunch to them.
  • Next, reduce the heat, and add the tofu and the sauce to the pan with vegetables in it. Keep a little heat under the pan and stir to coat all the vegetables and tofu with the sauce mixture. Remove from heat.
  • Finally, garnish with the spring onions and serve hot!
Keyword bell peppers, Onions, tofu
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