Hot and Spicy Tofu

After tweeking a few things this was really a good dish everyone enjoyed. I love hot and spicy food but left out the chili and pepper flakes so that my two year old could eat it. I pressed, froze and pressed again the tofu making it way less mushy and more resilient to work with. After cubing it I sprinkled soy sauce and mirin over it to soak in the flavors and let it sit for about 15 minutes before frying it in sesame oil with a dash of toasted sesame oil for more flavor. I added the vegetables including bean sprouts after the tofu was brown on all sides, cooked for the required length of time then added the liquid to which I added a little more brown sugar and mirin. We ate it over rice, but my son had his over bean thread. This was soooo good and even better the next day. Will definately be making it again. Thanks for sharing.

Very tasty. I added chicken broth instead of water. When I open a can or box of chicken broth and have leftovers I pour it in an ice cube tray then put the frozen cubes in a zip top bag. Then you have small amounts available without opening a whole can.

This was the first time that I tried cooking tofu. I made sure to drain the tofu for and hour and half and i think that really helped the tofu. We added an extra clove of garlic, a touch of honey (in the sauce) and canned green chilis. It was wonderful. I usually don't like things that are too spicy but we added the entire amount of red pepper and it was perfect. My mouth was tingling but nothing too bad. A great easy tofu recipe.

This has become one of my all-time favorite tofu dishes. Very fast prep time and easy for beginner's to make. I love how it comes out consistently good every time I make it despite my alterations. Careful with those red pepper flakes because if you go overboard you will ruin the dish. I recommend add only 25% of what the recipe calls for and then add little more at the very end while you stir and taste the finished product. Make sure that you press the tofu for 1 hour before you begin. Look up "pressed tofu" on the internet if you dont understand what this means.

This is fabulous! I used the 12oz package of tofu, and used olive oil instead of peanut oil. Didn't use nearly as much oil as called for. Used orange bell pepper instead of green, and probably didn't use as much onion and pepper as was called for. But I found this recipe to be delightful, and probably ate three out of the four servings myself! Thankfully, it seems to be (the way I made it)(relatively)low in fat, except for the frying part of it. Thanks for a great recipe!

A wonderful and delicious find! We sliced our tofu into 1 x .5 inch rectangles and about 3 milimeters thick. Instead of just browning, we slightly deep fried it so that it was nice and crispy on the outside - not as healthy, but the texture is so much better! We also added about 1 tbs. of honey to the sauce to give it a bit more sweetness, and a handful of 'frying mushrooms' (my store carries this prepacked variety of shrooms best for frying, but shiitakes would work as well). This is a definite keeper of a recipe!

This was wonderful! We loved it and have made it twice so far. I used honey instead of brown sugar, doubled the sauce and added a ton of vegetables (carrot, broccoli, etc.). It is definitely a new staple at our place!

Well, I just made the recipe to the "T" and I was kinda disappointed that it was not as hot as described. I even added a extra Jalapeño just to up the anti. /then again the area I'm from we can take our chilies. I do recommended however to use extra firm tofu to prevent breakage when the veggies get added.

Don't vary off the recipe. I've done this and it never turns out the same. :( First times a charm for me I guess! Freeze the tofu for a 1/2 hour or so and you'll get better texture.

He Couldn't really remember it - had the nerve to ask me if he liked it a lot. (I asked him for the rating since I didn't eat any)). It's official - I am cooking for a knucklehead. don't ask me to rate him. lol

Its okay, theres not a lot of flavor, so I added in a teaspoon of chili garlic sauce at the end, much better with that. Also added in green bell pepper too. Serving this with brown rice.

I felt this was too bland. Had to add garlic salt.

This was the first time I cooked tofu. I did drain and press the tofu before cooking, however it didn't brown when I cooked it. It is good if you like spicy flavors, I think it needs more of a variety of vegetables and spices.

Excellent! First time cooking tofu and this was a super fast and easy recipe for a delicious dinner! We added spinach and extra red chile pepper flakes, came out awesome.

i coated the tofu with a mixture of cornstarch and flour before frying them...took them out of the pan then stir fried a ton of veggies and added the sauce. quite good!

I didn't think this had enough flavor. There was spice, but no complexity. Also, I think a whole red onion was definitely too much! My sauce didn't thicken up much either even with the cornstarch added to the mix. If I were to make this again (probably won't) I would add a touch more cornstarch. I was hoping this recipe would live up to the reviews and be my "go to" stir-fry recipe...but looks like I'll have to keep searching!

This was delicious. In search of satisfying recipes for meatless Mondays, this one was a winner. It is difinitely going into my regular rotation.

Made this tonight for the hubby. Before cooking, I soaked the tofu in a little soy sauce for just a few minutes after pressing to remove the water, and I added some extra veggies. Everything else I kept as written and was told it was good.

Delicious! Hotter the better....next time I will add more veggies to this such as mushrooms, zucchini, snow peas maybe....just veg it up more...other than that....great flavors here...I used olive oil instead of peanut oil and I also added a splash of sesame oil for more flavor....great healthy and protein packed dinner!

This was lovely -- very much like something you might get in a restaurant. I have been looking for a recipe like this for tofu for quite some time. We like the way the tofu gets brown and sealed on the outside yet stays moist and soft on the inside. The peppers and garlic really bring a nice flavor to the sauce.

Very tasty, but needs more sauce to the recipe ratio.

It was vgood. Thank you fro sharing. I added sambal oelek instead of red chilli flakes. so i reduced white vinger amnt by a tbsp. I tosses some green bell pepper and finished with fresh basil. Thanks again...

I used firm tofu lightly coated in flour to add some crispness. This was amazing! I used chili pepper seasoning instead of the flakes so the sauce blended easier. Also threw steamed broccoli into the sautée pan with the seared tofu before adding the sauce and simmering for a few minutes. DELICIOUS!!!!

Extremely easy and quick to make. Very delicious.

I have made this recipe 4 or 5 times already, and it always comes out great. I made it for a family that had a baby, and they said that ever since I made it for them, they have started eating tofu! I would give this recipe 10 stars if I could.

My husband LOVED this. It was very very good. Sometimes I use the sauce, sometimes I use a bottled sauce. Its one of my most requested recipes.

This maybe my new go to favorite meal, my husband & I loved it. I followed recipe for the most part, I did press tofu to remove most of the water & thanks to another review I also placed my tofu in the freezer an out 30 minutes before cooking. Will make this again sooner rather than later, I probably will add a few extra veggies. Thanks for a great recipe.

the sauce didn't thicken... perhaps my cornstarch has gone bad. I can't taste/feel the sauce. Other than that, everything else was fantastic. I served mine on lentils and brown rice - 1/2 cup each, strained, put in boiling water and then simmered while you do the rest of the work on the onions, tofu etc. easy, and good.

This was a wonderful tofu recipe that was tasty and quick to throw together. Since I was serving this over rice, I doubled the sauce, and was happy I did. Next time I make this I will make some minor adjustments to the sauce. I will use less vinegar and more sugar. The vinegar taste was a bit too strong for me, and I felt it could use just a bit more sugar. All in all a great recipe that I enjoyed very much!!!

this was my first tofu experience-I made it like the recipe called, except my onion was a regular one. might have thrown in 2 fresh hot peppers too. wow, was it hot, but it was really good!

I recently became a vegetarian so I have been looking for recipes that would help me not to miss the meat. This one is perfect. The tofu, the sauce, everything came out amazingly good

My family loved this one! It is definitely a keeper and I one that I plan to prepare frequently. I had to double the recipe because my boys LOVE tofu. I cannot tell you how many compliments I received from my husband who isn't really wild about tofu. Everyone thought it was better than what you get in a restaurant. The only thing I might add next time is something green-pea pods of broccoli. Absolutely loved this recipe-thanks so much for posting!

I was so disappointed. There's nothing worse then spending an hour on something to have it turn out lousy, and I followed the recipe exactly. I didn't like it, the vinegar was way to obvious in it, and it didn't come close to the yummy dish you would get at a restaurant.

I love this recipe! This was my first attempt to cook tofu and I think it turned out just fine. I may do a little more reading to see if I need to drain it or something next time, but it still was excellent. I may add a few more veggies next time in order to have some diversity. Also - this recipe is quite spicy, so if you prefer less spice you may want to cut back on the chile pepper or red pepper flakes.

Not so hot!

This was the first time I actually cooked with tofu, so mine looked more like cottage cheese then cubed. The flavors where there though, even though I added a tablespoon of red pepper flakes instead of a teaspoon (on accident). Great and healthy--thank you for sharing!

Very good recipe and so easy to make! The only thing I added was 2 zucchini sliced in half lengthwise and then into 1/4 inch slices. Will definitely make this again!

Cook tofu for longer. Good flavor.

I used sesame oil instead of the peanut oil only because that's what I had. I used chicken stock for the hot water and honey for the brown sugar. I think I could have done without anything to sweeten it. The whole thing was just too sweet for me. Also, I had the wrong kind of green chile pepper, so that didn't help. But overall, too sweet. I think I'd try it again but with no sugar or honey and the right type of chile. :P

I didn't care for it. I served this with some rice noodles and it just reminded me of a bad knockoff of pad thai. Not that that's the worst thing ever, it just definitely wasn't what I was after.

I don't like the texture of crushed red pepper but this dish was delicious!

Best tofu dish I've ever had!

FANTASTIC!!! Doubled the sauce. If you do this you double the HEAT. This is the perfect recipe for veggie or tofu haters. YOU CAN'T TASTE IT!! All you taste is the wonderful HOT sauce. This may be my all time favorite. You get you veggies and protein PAINLESSLY. Served over brown rice. THANK YOU-THANK YOU!!

This dish is great! I'm not a tofu person, but wanted to give in another try. I'm was very pleased with this recipe. Will definitely be making this again!

I liked this quite a bit! Plus I think this was the first time I pressed and cooked tofu correctly. I was trying to use what I had on hand, so I used high-heat sesame oil, a Walla Walla onion, and no green chile pepper. I also took someone's advice and used a little less red pepper flakes. Excellent over brown rice!

I used olive oil insteas of peanut. It was easy to cook (I forgot to get the green chil peper) but added a bit (tiny) of red flakes. Serving this dish with brown rice. Overall I think its great! I'm going to try to change it a bit next time with other comments for this receipe. :)

This was fabulous! I substituted the peanut oil for sesame oil and added some string beans and celery. It was amazing! Thank you for such a great recipe-even my carnivorous boyfriend loved it!

I liked this recipe as it is easy to make, doesn't call for special ingeredient or pre-made bottled sauces that have million chemicals in them, and goes with almost any veggies you have in your freezer/fridge. These are the changes I had to make since I didn't have fresh chile peppers at home or brown sugar: I omitted the fresh chile, and substituted real maple syrup for the brown sugar. I also added frozen broccoli florets and grean beans. I used extra firm tofu and dried it with paper towels prior to using. Tasted good on a bed of plain white basmati rice.

Great base, gets 4 stars because of my changes. Next time we'll use extra firm tofu, I think it will cook up a little better. Subbed veggie broth for water, which gave it more flavor. Subbed white wine vinegar for regular and did not use 3 tbsp. Vinegar is really tart and 3 tbsp would be really strong. Used jalapeno in place of a green chile because that's what we had on hand and added a handful of shrimp and mushrooms. Next time we'll double the sauce, make it a tad spicier (in my opinion it's not that spicy as written), and slice the tofu differently, but otherwise a very solid recipe.

Excellent recipe for an excellent meal! The only alterations I made were that I used olive oil instead of peanut oil, green pepper from my garden instead of red pepper, rice vinegar instead of white vinegar, and I marinated my tofu for an hour prior to cooking. I placed in on a bed of quinoa. This dish came out very tasty and will become a staple in my household. Thanks for sharing!

I loved it!!! I will be making it again!!

Thanks for sharing a great tofu recipe!

I didn't press the tofu and it started to fall apart and stick to the pan, it was spicy enough but I think it should have other veggies in it for taste, for looks, for variety

I found this recipe abd make it all the time! Its a good quick diiner. I add a little extra chile powder but besides that its perfect.

This is a very nice recipe. Next time I make it I plan to chop the garlic so I don't have to fish it out later. The soy sauce smelled very strong, but did not have a strong taste in the finished dish. My only problem with this recipe is that I can't seem to brown tofu successfully.

Tweaked it a little to my tastes - used jalapeno instead of chile and added broccolini to the veg mix.

this is a standard in our house now. I do drain it over night as I think that it turns out crispier. It is very spicy so I vary the amount of pepper depending on our mood. Leftovers if any are awesome

GREAT. I only used about 3/4 of the red onion. Everything else I followed exactly. Served over brown rice. AWESOME.

Very good, best tofu dish i've made. I drained the tofu very well, chopped it into small cubes, and marinated for 30 mins with tamari, white wine, and bit of five spice powder. I also used 1 tbsp vinegar and 2 tbsp white wine instead of straight vinegar. Went well with brown rice. It turned out great, perhaps not quite as spicy as I'd like, and even a little sweet. Overall, it was fabulous.

Who knew tofu could be so good! Never had tofu before, but I just made this and it has become my favorite meal! I basically followed all of the directions, with a couple of additions from other reviewers. I added beansprouts to the dish, a dash of honey and a dash of Mirin Asian cooking wine to the "sauce". With 2-3 minutes left on the timer, I added a box (two packages)of Kame Hokkien Stir-fry noodles. I absolutely loved it and so did my husband and daughter, except for the spicyness. Perhaps I'll reduce it to a 1/2 teaspoon of red pepper flakes next time; otherwise I'll keep it at a teaspoon so I can enjoy the leftovers myself!! Delicious and highly recommended! Thanks!

I used to think I only liked tofu if it had been marinated prior to cooking, but this recipe changed my mind. The flavor was excellent and I liked the texture of the tofu in the stir-fry because of frying it first before adding the vegetables. I like food spicy but only used crushed red pepper and with the strong vinegar flavor that was enough to satisfy me. The only change I would make was to maybe add a bit more brown sugar next time. Since my initial review, I've made this several times. My favorite vegetable combination is yellow onion and broccoli.

Spicy and low calorie! Served over organic quinoa was great :-)

Very easy to make. After cubing the tofu I dabbed it with a towel to remain any excess water.

OMG-don't you just love it when people say that, but this is OMG good. I have hated tofu but with recipes like this I am loving it and it is so good for you. I used 1 tsp. ground fresh chili paste instead of the pepper flakes and it had nice heat. I am sorry but I don't want to share this with anyone else in my family so I am dishing it up in small containers and putting it in the frig for me. Sorry family but you really wouldn't like tofu. Don't tell them. I will make this very often.

I was incredibly please with this recipe and the result! I have never made tofu before, though I love it, and this was a winner in my book. I did change the recipe a bit, but it was still quite good. I left out the onions because I don't care for onions, and I didn't have chili peppers. And it was still quite spicy! It's a great dish - I will absolutely make it again.

This turned out well except for a couple things. I added extra bell pepper. It wasn't terribly spicy. It was too vinegary. The sauce was a little thin still.

I LOVED this recipe! I made a few modifications - like, adding broccoli and leaving out the corn starch and it was incredible.

So delicious! This is one of my first tofu recipes used and I absolutely love it! It tastes like it was made in a restaurant. Only thing was that the sauce didn't seem to get any thicker. But overall, a deliciously yummy recipe over rice with a little kick!

Made it pretty much as written and it was very good!

Good, I made it with garbanzo beans instead of tofu.

this dish is tasty and easy to make. if you really have a high tolerance for spice, it is not very spicy, but has a nice neutral spicy flavor. for more spice, maybe add more chile peppers. tastes very similar to a sweet and sour dish. good.

This is one FABULOUS dish....I served it over soba noodles. Fresh, spicy, and totally delicious. A keeper recipe! I can't wait until lunch tomorrow to eat the remainder and I can't wait to make this recipe again in the near future.

This was my first try at tofu as well and it was amazing. I actually have made it twice already. Very awesome.

I loved this recipe. The sauce will thicken, trust me. Don't change a thing about it or add a bunch of unnecessary garbage.

This was my first attempt at any tofu dish, and I couldn't be happier. I maybe went a little overboard with the peanut oil, so it did have more of a deep-fried texture, and I made sure it was nice and crispy on all sides. I was really afraid it would be crispy outside and mush inside, but it tasted good all around. I combined two suggestions and splashed some soy sauce on the tofu and tossed it in the freezer for 15 minutes before frying it. I used the whole amount of red pepper flakes and two (not-very-spicy) jalapeno peppers and thought it had just the right amount of spice. I used 3/4 of a yellow onion because it's what I had on hand, and after I tossed the veggies in I sprinkled some garlic powder and ground ginger on top. Also, I waited until I only had about 2 minutes left of cooking the veggies (out of 5) to add the garlic, so it wouldn't burn. I added about 1/2 tsp of honey and a dash of Worcestershire to the sauce, because I felt like it. This is a keeper~

This meal was restaurant quality!!! great choice for a quick yet fancy (veggie) dinner party dish. love love loved it

This was delicious!!! I made it even spicier by adding chili paste and sriracha hot sauce. ;) I also added a bit of black pepper, onion powder, and a pinch of salt. One of the yummiest things I've made in a while!

I doubled the sauce and it was still not quite enough. It did have a great flavor, but I didn't find the tofu really absorbed enough of it. I'll just have to experiment - maybe marinating it? Thanks a lot for sharing the recipe!

I really liked this recipe. I changed it slightly using green bell pepper instead of red and added sliced carrots to the mix. Also, instead of the chile pepper I used chile pepper miso paste to give it a little extra kick. The recipe does not mention how to prepare the tofu but since I've cooked with it before I drained it first then froze it to give it more texture then drained it again before cubing. I would definitely make this again. The sweetness of the red onions plays great with the tang of the chili pepper flakes.

Been making this recipe for years. I use thawed tofu because the texture is more meaty. I add fresh minced ginger in at the same time as the garlic, and I finish it off with fresh cilantro at the end when the heat is off. So easy, so good. I have to say, it's defintely my go-to tofu recipe.

Yummy! I will definitely do this again! I had to substitute a little with what was on hand veggie wise but the sauce was by the recipe & fantastic! Oh yeah, I used veggie broth instead of water for the base.

My husband loved this recipe. It had a reallly good sweet and sour flavor with not too much sweet and the spicy was a great compliment. i added some carrots to it as well and they fit in perfectly. I will be making this agian.

We really liked the hot and spicy flavors but it is not our favorite tofu dish. Going to try this recipe with chicken next time and see how that turns out.

This was a great dish! My husband made it and used a bit less peanut oil but added cashews (he used a lot, maybe 1/2 cup), which was FABULOUS! He also added quite a bit of steamed broccoli near the end--more than 1 cup florets. Very delicious--we loved the tofu (he sauteed it first so it was a bit firmer). Thanks for the great recipe!

Great recipe! I have made this recipe a few times and I modified it a bit by taking out the green chiles and adding some frozen broccoli florets and frozen zuchini and its perfect! It's way less spicy without the green chiles. Also I mix 1 tsp of cornstarch with 1 tbs of cold water before adding it n the sauce, it makes a thicker consistency and doesn't soak into the tofu when u add it!

this was yummy! my husband thought it was from a pre-prepared spice mix...and was shocked to hear i could make something that delicious on my own! thanks.

subsititue the tofu for this in the Fast and Easy Tofu Lo-Mein recipe!

grate flavor! served with rice and steamed broccoli. has lots of potential to use as a standard recipe for different stir-frys. will make again.

Can't say the family was a fan of tofu. Biggest complaint was texture. The sauce though was very good. Will probably make again, but will substitute diced chicken breast.

Have to say I liked the sauce without the green chilis but will definitely not make tofu again! This dish would be yummy with chicken or strips of beef but we could not get over the tofu taste. I even marinated it in soy sauce ahead of time as other reviewers suggested. I will keep the recipe for the sauce and use it to make another stir fry with meat! LOL.

Great, easy recipe. Love it.

This recipe was spot on. As usual, I changed a few things. I used toasted sesame oil in place of peanut oil, a added an additional green bell pepper and an orange bell pepper, 2X the garlic, sushi vinegar in place of white vinegar, and used a jalapeno for the "green chile pepper." Fantastic stir-fried in a cast iron wok! We definitely make again, and again and again...

The perfect meal. Easy to make, and oh so delicious! Made it exactly as written - this is a keeper.

This isn't bad....I cut back the garlic thinking it might be overkill but now I wish I hadn't....probably needed it. Although I suspect this will taste better the next day once the flavors have melded a bit. I'm not a big fan of onions so I cut those out and added mushrooms, chopped carrots, and peapod to it. It is super spicy, though (which I loved!), so if you're not into spicy foods, cut back on the chile and/or crushed pepper.

Follow this to the "T". It is so delicious, by far my favorite tofu recipe. Absolutely delicious and perfectly spicy.

it took me so long to try this cause I hesitate when I see sweet and sour in the description. but was happily surprised it wasn't too sweet. This is of course my preference. I also did like the spicy kick.

I thought this recipe was very good. I marinated the tofu in the sauce before frying. Great for a quick meal.

I tweaked the receipe slightly by adding the Chinese-style dried mushrooms (you soak the mushrooms in water before cooking them). The dish is not very flavourful though - the mushrooms and the vinegar helps but the bell peppers are just okay and it really isn't very spicy. It is a good "filler" dish when you are cooking a few dishes for a Chinese dinner.

Very good. I changed the veggies up. I added carrots and some red cabbage as that is what I had on hand.