RECIPE
Sticky Sesame Tofu | High-Protein Vegan Meal Prep
Whether you’re vegan or not, you have to get a forkful of this sticky sesame tofu.
Niall Kirkland is here to help you spice up your Veganuary efforts with a delicious tofu recipe that’s a full-on flavour sensation. If you’re not keen on tofu, we’re willing to guarantee you just haven’t cooked it right yet, trust us.
With a sweet and sour sauce that’s as rich as this, we promise you’ll not be disappointed. Not to mention the spring onion and sesame seed garnish — they might sound like a small addition but boy do they make a whole lotta difference to the finished piece.
Ingredients
- 1 block firm tofu
- Salt & pepper to taste
- 25g cornflour
- 2 tbsp. soy sauce
1 tbsp. coconut oil
- 2 tbsp. soy sauce
3 tbsp. Sugar-Free Sauce (Sweet Chilli) - 2 tbsp. agave syrup
- 2 tbsp. tomato ketchup
- 2 garlic cloves (crushed)
- 1 tbsp. rice wine vinegar
- 1 tsp. garlic granules
- 1 tsp. cornflour mixed with approx. 50ml boiling water.
- Chopped spring onions
- Sesame seeds
- Basmati rice

Method
- First, dice the tofu into 2cm cubes and season generously with salt and pepper.
- Transfer diced tofu to bowl filled with soy sauce and toss until all pieces are coated.
- Then, transfer the tofu pieces into bowl filled with cornflour, toss until completely coated, and set aside.
- Mix all of the sticky sauce ingredients together (apart from the cornflour mixture) and set aside.
- Heat the coconut oil in a non-stick pan and add your coated tofu pieces. Cook for 4-5 minutes on a medium heat (the oil should be sizzling slightly). Check tofu pieces are golden and crispy on the cooked side before flipping and cooking the other side until golden and crispy.
- Once cooked, remove tofu from pan and set aside. Give your pan a quick clean with a paper towel and add the sticky sauce.
- Bring sauce to a low simmer and cook for 5 minutes. Add the cornflour mixture and stir well. Bring to simmer once more and cook until sauce thickens, this should take 3-4 minutes.
- Add crispy tofu back to pan and toss in the sticky sauce. Careful not to leave tofu in the pan for too long or it will lose its crispiness.
- Serve with basmati rice and garnish with spring onions and plenty of sesame seeds.
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Lauren Dawes Writer and expert