An easy variation on a favourite takeaway meal.
Who doesn’t love a good takeaway? I certainly do. The problem is that you usually end up spending way too much, and it isn’t all that healthy. But what if I told you that you could recreate that same feel good feeling of a takeaway by making it yourself? Without it being too difficult or too lengthy of a process? That’s what this recipe is all about.
This recipe reminds me of my American friend. She came to visit me for Christmas four years ago while I was studying in Glasgow. We weren’t sure what to cook for Christmas Eve which is when she told me that in her family it is tradition to get a takeaway meal on Christmas Eve as Christmas Day is the day where you go all out on a big meal. So the day before, Christmas Eve, you don’t really want to bother with spending too much time in the kitchen to cook another big meal.
I loved that idea. It was totally different from my culture and family traditions in Belgium where Christmas Eve is a Big Thing. So four years ago in Glasgow we had a Chinese takeaway for Christmas Eve. I had a sweet and sour stirfry. It was way too sweet. Not that healthy. But it was yummy.
This year, however, I learned how to make my own sweet and sour stirfry that is both delicious and healthy. I found this recipe in a magazine from Vegan Food & Living and adapted it to make it easier to follow, and, of course, changed the vegetables around.
Sweet and sour tofu stirfry
10 minutes preparation + 30 minutes cooking — serves 2
Ingredients
- 6 tablespoons ketchup
- 6 tablespoons syrup
- 9 tablespoons soy sauce (reduced salt)
- 6 tablespoons cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon cornflour
- 1 block firm tofu
- 1 teaspoon garlic granules
- 1 teaspoon Chinese five spice
- 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast (I buy them in sachets so it doesn’t spoil as quicly, as I only used it in tofu dishes to crispen up the tofu. You can leave this out if needed though)
- 1 onion
- 2cm fresh ginger
- 2 cloves of garlic
- 2 peppers (different colours — choice is yours)
- 150 grams frozen green beans
- 1 small can of pineapple chunks
- 2 tablespoons lime juice
- 160 grams (brown) basmati rice)
- Oil
Preparation
- Prepare the sauce by mixing the ketchup with 4 tablespoons of syrup, 6 tablespoons of soy sauce, the cider vinegar, cornflour and olive oil. Keep aside.
- Wrap the tofu in some kitchen paper and press to remove excess liquid.
- Cut the tofu into cubes.
- Wash the peppers and cut into cubes.
- Peel and cut the onion.
- Peel and finely slice the garlic.
- Peel and finely slice the ginger.
- Bring a liter water to the boil in a kettle.
- Wash the rice.
- Drain the pineapple chunks. Keep aside.
- Break the green beans in half if the pieces are too long.
- Cook the rice with the preboiled water for c. 19 minutes (longer/shorter depending on pack instructions). Drain and keep aside.
Preparing the stirfry
- Heat some oil in a pan and add the tofu once the pan is hot. Fry the tofu on a high heat for c. 6-8 minutes until golden. Turn frequently.
- Lower the heat of the pan and add 3 tablespoons of soy sauce and 2 tablespoons of syrup to the tofu. Fry for another minute.
- Add the nutritional yeast and garlic granules to the pan. Mix well with the tofu for another minute.
- Remove the tofu from the pan and keep aside.
- Add some extra oil to the pan and fry the onion, fresh garlic, ginger, peppers and green beans for c. 6-7 minutes until softened.
- Add the Chinese five spice to the pan and mix with the vegetables. Heat through for another minute.
- Add the sweet and sour sauce and let is simmer for 10 minutes.
Bringing it all together
- Add the tofu, pineapple and lime juice to the sweet and sour stirfry.
- Mix everything well and heat through for a couple more minutes.
- Serve the sweet and sour stirfry with the cooked rice.
Enjoy your meal!
Did you like this?
Leave a comment below if you made this recipe, and let me know what you think. Tips and feedback to improve the recipe are always welcome too!