The Real Honey Sriracha Tofu

I created this crispy honey sriracha tofu recipe over a decade ago and it still remains one of the most loved dishes on my blog! The texture of the tofu is both crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, and the sauce is sweet, nutty, and spicy. This is an easy weeknight meal I serve with a side of rice that only takes 20 minutes to make.

this RECIPE!

I’ve been cooking with tofu for over two decades. And it’s been making an appearance at our dinner table more frequently in the past few years since we made the decision to no longer eat red meat. Whenever someone says to me they don’t like eating tofu because it has no taste, I tell them that tofu is just as versatile as chicken, and can also be just as delicious, when prepared and cooked the right way.

Take this honey sriracha tofu for example – aside from being one of the most loved recipes on my blog, it showcases how versatile a simple block of soybean can be. The flavors are punchy and there is nothing boring about biting into these crunchy and pillowy tofu cubes. Since coming up with this dish 11 years ago, my recipe has been adapted over and over again by many home chefs and food bloggers. That’s the best compliment I could have asked for!

Best Tofu For This Recipe

There are three general levels of firmness when it comes to tofu:

• Silken. This is the softest and smoothest type of tofu that has the highest water content, meaning it’s been pressed the least. It’s mostly used for soups, smoothies, dishes like mapo tofu, or served cold with a drizzle of soy sauce (hiyayakko). Silken tofu is very delicate and difficult to handle with bare hands as it breaks easily.
• Medium firm. This one is considered the regular type of tofu. The texture is between soft and extra firm, and is often used in stir fries, salads, and dishes where it can be scrambled, or cooked in a gooey sauce like sweet and sour tofu. Medium tofu is hard enough to hold in your hand without breaking but still needs to be pressed before using to let out excess water.
• Extra firm. The most condensed of them all, extra firm tofu contains the least amount of water. It’s great in stir fries like this honey ginger stir fry, can quickly be pan fried with a sauce, and can be marinated to take on various flavors. It can be baked (and dressed with a black pepper sauce – so good!) or grilled, and served in sandwiches and burgers.

For this recipe, the best types of tofu to use are medium firm and extra firm. I personally like medium firm the best because it’s a little more pillowy and tender once it’s cooked than extra firm. And I don’t find it any harder to handle it when I’m dusting and cooking the cubes.

Ingredients

• Tofu: As mentioned above, medium firm or extra firm tofu are the best types for this recipe. Make sure that the tofu you are using says non GMO. I usually go for organic US tofu or Japanese tofu – most of them if not all of them are all free of GMOs.
• Cornstarch: Cornstarch gives the sauce a gooey texture and the tofu cubes a crispy exterior. I sometimes use potato starch as an alternative since both of them work the same way.
• Oil: Choose a neutral oil with a high smoke point such as vegetable oil or grapeseed oil.
• Honey sriracha sauce: A mix of garlic, sriracha sauce, soy sauce, honey, and rice vinegar.
• Toasted sesame oil: A lot of people wonder why I add toasted sesame oil in the end instead of cooking the entire dish with it. That’s because toasted sesame oil is a delicate oil that has a low smoke point. It’s not the same as regular sesame oil which has a high smoke point. The toasted kind is much more concentrated in sesame flavor and can taste rancid when cooked at a high temperature for too long. Because of that I always add at the very end to preserve its clean nutty taste.
• Toppings: Green onions are an essential garnish for many Asian dishes. I added them to this one because of their refreshing and mildly sweet taste.

How To Cook This Dish

1. Drain the tofu. Open the tofu package and drain the water. Place the block of tofu on a plate and leave it for 10 to 15 minutes. This is to drain any excess water.
2. Slice the tofu. Place the block of tofu on a cutting board and slice it into bite size cubes.
3. Coat the cubes. Dust the tofu cubes with cornstarch until all sides are well coated.
4. Pan fry until golden brown. Put a little oil in a pan and when the oil is hot, fry the tofu for a few minutes, until all the sides are golden brown and crispy.
5. Add the sauce. Add the honey sriracha sauce and briefly toss the cubes. Turn the heat off, drizzle with sesame sauce, and toss again.
6. Add the garnishes. Transfer the dish to a serving plate and top with green onions and sesame sesame seeds.

Frequently Asked Questions

What To Serve With

Whether it is plain white rice, egg fried rice, or Japanese fried rice, serving this dish with rice is a must!

The grains will soak up the sauce and intensify the flavors with each bite you take. Because the flavors of this tofu recipe are so intense, I recommend sticking to milder sides such as:

• Miso soup
• Japanese style yakisoba squash
• Edamame with soy and sesame sauce
• Japanese potato salad

Did you like this recipe? Are there changes you made that you would like to share? Share your tips and recommendations in the comments section below!

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