If you're not a fan of tofu, you'll be once you try this vegan crispy Mongolian tofu recipe. And each bite is a delight with stir-fried peppers in a delicious sweet and sour chili garlic sauce, served on a bed of rice.
This vegan Mongolian beef stir fry is the perfect tasty meal for Meat Free Mondays and is surprisingly an easy recipe to make.
I was inspired by the many servings of crispy shredded Mongolian beef we always order at our local Chinese restaurants.
But instead of flank steak, I used pieces of tofu and low-sugar ingredients. However, if you prefer a keto or Slimming World option, you might also like my Korean crispy beef with noodles.
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🛒 Ingredients
Please see the printable recipe card with exact ingredient quantities, nutritional daily values, and instructions at the bottom of this post.
Extra firm tofu - the bigger the block of tofu, the more you servings you can create.
Rapeseed oil - for extra crispy tofu, or you could opt for olive oil which is healthier or vegetable oil.
Corn starch - we use this twice in the recipe. First coat the tofu before frying for crispiness, then later a 1 tablespoon cornstarch for a slurry thicken the sauce.
Soft brown sugar - to beautifully caramelise the sauce, but we used Soft Brown Sugar Stevia sweetener by Pure Via which contains 96% less sugar.
Light soy sauce - adds colour and enhance the sweet and savory sauce flavours. Or you can use Gluten Free Tamari if needed.
Fresh ginger - creates a fiery, warming taste.
Garlic - adds a mustardy taste to enrich the flavours.
Sherry vinegar - adds a sour acidic taste to balance the sweet sauce. Or you can use rice vinegar for a more traditional Chinese takeaway.
Bell pepper - to make it this Mongolian tofu stir fry recipe, I added slices of a red and green bell pepper. Or for example, you could 1 yellow bell pepper.
Siracha - using this sweet chili sauce easily adds heat to the dish compared to preparing chili peppers.
Red pepper flakes - adds sweet heat to the dish, but you can increase if preferred.
Cold water - helps create a thickening slurry separately in a small bowl, then later thins the thick soy sauce mixture to coat all the food.
Spring onion - (scallions/green onions) adds a fresh onion crunch to the dish and vibrant colour.
Sesame seeds - adds fibre, protein, and healthy fats and sprinkled on top once the Mongolian sauce is finished.
Rice - we use basmati rice as it was accessible, but you could use brown rice instead.
📋 Instructions
First step: cook the rice as per instructions. Then press the tofu block to squeeze out as much water as possible for 30 minutes to 1 hour. (This will help it get crispy).
If you don't have a tofu press, slice in half lengthways and lay a heavy object on it like a cast iron skillet while wrapped in layers of paper towels.
Discard the kitchen towel, then slice tofu into cubes. I diced mine about ½" thick but you can cut bigger.
Place it in an airtight container with the cornflour and shake well until every cube is well coated.
Heat up some oil in a large non-stick pan and fry over medium-high heat until golden brown and set aside.
Now add the remaining oil and fry the ginger, garlic, and siracha and fry over medium heat for 1-2 minutes.
Add the green and red bell pepper slices and fry for 3 minutes while stirring.
Add the sugar or brown sweetener and fry until it starts bubbling.
Stir in a little water and vinegar, then simmer over low heat for 2-3 minutes, followed by the cornstarch slurry, and stir until thickened.
Stir in the crispy tofu until everything is coated and immediately serve with green onions and sesame seeds. And enjoy!
Tip: once you've stirred in your crisped tofu pieces and serve immediately to prevent them from going soggy.
⚖️ Substitutions
If you're following a special diet, then you may find some suitable swaps below.
- Diabetics - I personally would use coconut aminos instead of ⅕ cup soy sauce, date sugar, and oat flour
- Slimming World - try Fry Light instead of oil, oat flour, and sweetener of your choice, and add more veggies like green beans, bok choy, etc
- Keto - you may prefer to coat your tofu in coconut flour and bake on a parchment-lined baking sheet, then xantham gum, sweetener, and cauliflower rice or healthy noodles such as zoodles/courgetti
👩🍳 Variations
Aside from the main ingredients, you can really personalize it how you wish. Here are just a few ideas to help you.
- Spicy - use fresh chili peppers while cooking for extra heat or an extra tablespoon of Siracha
- Deluxe - add some hoisin sauce, maple syrup, fresh cilantro (coriander). Also, use cold vegetable broth instead of water adn a tablespoon of sesame seed oil
- Kid-friendly - try omitting the chili or Siracha and maybe reduce the cloves of garlic
🔪Equipment
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- Tofu press (or heavy pan)
- Large skillet
- Chopping board
- Chopping knife
- Measuring spoons
- Cheese grater
- Garlic press
- Saucepan
- Rice cooker if needed
❄️ Storage
If you have any leftovers, I store them in an airtight container and refrigerate them for up to 3 days. Or you can freeze for up to 3 months.
Reheating: whichever way you do it, the tofu will sadly no longer be crispy.
However, you can microwave for 4 minutes, stirring half way, or pan fry again over medium high heat until piping hot.
💡Pro Tips
- Try not to boil and cook the sauce ingredients too much at the end as you run the risk of it evaporating.
- Avoid overcooking the tofu when adding it back to the pot as it may no longer be crispy.
❓FAQ
To give tofu a crispy exterior simply add 1 tablespoon oil when you place tofu and cornflour in a lidded container and shake well. Then bake in your air fryer for 10 minutes at 400F/200c/180c fan/Gas mark 6.
To make this Mongolian cuisine extra tasty, you can marinate it overnight in soy sauce, garlic powder, paprika, etc.
You can use less firm tofus, but the best option is extra-firm tofu as it's quicker to remove the excess water when pressing.
📖 Recipe
Crispy Mongolian Tofu Recipe {Vegan}
Ingredients
Crispy Tofu
- 11 oz Extra Firm Tofu block (300g) diced
- 3.5 tablespoon Cornstarch (Cornflour)
- 2 tablespoon Rapeseed oil for frying
For the Stir Fry
- 1 tablespoon Rapeseed oil for the
- 2.5 tablespoon Soft light brown sugar (or sweetener)
- 3.5 tablespoon Light soy sauce
- 1.5 teaspoon Ginger puree (or 2 teaspoon grated fresh ginger)
- 3 tablespoon water
- 3 cloved garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon Siracha or more for hotter
- 1 tablespoon Sherry vinegar Or rice wine vinegar
- ½ Red bell pepper Sliced
- ½ Green bell pepper Sliced
- 1 teaspoon Red pepper flakes
Cornflour Slurry
- 1 tablespoon Cornflour
- 1 tablespoon Cold water
For Garnish
- 3 scallions (spring onions) sliced
- 1 tablespoon Sesame seeds
Rice
- ¾ cup Rice (150g) We used basmati
Instructions
- First step: cook the rice as per instructions. Then press the tofu block to squeeze out as much water as possible for 30 minutes to 1 hour. (This will help it get crispy).
- If you don't have a tofu press, slice in half lengthways and lay a heavy object on it like a cast iron skillet while wrapped in layers of paper towels.
- Discard the kitchen towel, then slice tofu into cubes. I diced mine about ½" thick but you can cut bigger.
- Place it in an airtight container with the cornflour and shake well until every cube is well coated.
- Heat up some oil in a large non-stick pan and fry over medium-high heat until golden brown and set aside.
- Now add the remaining oil and fry the ginger, garlic, and siracha and fry over medium heat for 1-2 minutes.
- Add the green and red bell pepper slices and fry for 3 minutes while stirring.
- Add the sugar or brown sweetener and fry until it starts bubbling.
- Stir in a little water and vinegar, then simmer over low heat for 2-3 minutes, followed by the cornstarch slurry, and stir until thickened.
- Stir in the crispy tofu until everything is coated and immediately serve with green onions and sesame seeds on a bed of rice.
Disclaimer
*This is an unofficial page and has no affiliation or endorsement from Slimming World. Slimming World's website can be found at https://www.slimmingworld.co.uk/. Any syn values are personal estimates and not verified by Slimming World.
Video
Notes
- Try not to boil and cook the sauce ingredients too much at the end as you run the risk of it evaporating.
- Avoid overcooking the tofu when adding it back to the pot as it may no longer be crispy.
Anonymous
I think you mean grapeseed oil vs. rapeseed oil?
Vikkie Lee
Hi, no, it is rapeseed oil which crisps better.