• Skip to main content
  • Skip to header right navigation
  • Skip to site footer
Devour.Asia

Devour.Asia

Better Asian recipes for home cooks

  • Recipes
    • Cuisine
      • Chinese
      • Japanese
      • Korean
      • Thai
      • Vietnamese
      • Taiwanese
      • Filipino
      • Indonesian
      • Malaysian
      • South Asian
      • Fusion
      • Street Food
    • Ingredient
      • Poultry
      • Seafood
      • Meat
      • Rice & Grains
      • Noodles
      • Vegetables
      • Tofu
      • Mushrooms
      • Bread
      • Eggs
      • Fruits
    • Course
      • Breakfast
      • Snacks
      • Salads
      • Soups
      • Main Courses
      • Side Dishes
      • Sweets
      • Drinks
  • Kitchen
  • Stories
  • Cuisine
    • Chinese
    • Japanese
    • Korean
    • Thai
    • Taiwanese
    • Filipino
    • Indonesian
    • Malaysian
    • South Asian
    • Fusion
  • Main Ingredient
    • Poultry
    • Seafood
    • Meat
    • Rice & Grains
    • Noodles
      • Noodle Soups
      • Noodles Stir Fry
      • Instant Noodles (Ramen)
    • Vegetables
    • Mushrooms
    • Tofu
    • Bread
    • Eggs
    • Fruits
  • Course
    • Breakfast
    • Snacks
    • Salads
    • Soups
    • Main Courses
    • Side Dishes
    • Sweets
    • Drinks
  • Street Food
  • Kitchen Tales
  • Food Tales
  • About
  • Privacy
You are here: Home / All Recipes / Sweet Chili Tofu

Sweet Chili Tofu

Recipe by Connie Veneracion
Deep-fried firm tofu tossed in sweet chili sauce with additional chilies and finely chopped ginger thrown in. Sprinkling toasted sesame seeds over the cooked dish not only makes it more visually appealing but also adds texture, aroma and flavor. Sweet chili tofu is simple to make and truly delicious.
Prep Time 5 mins
Cook Time 12 mins
Total Time 17 mins
Course Appetizer, Side Dish
Cuisine Asian
Servings 4 people
Sweet Chili Tofu
Print Recipe

Ingredients
  

  • 4 cloves garlic
  • 1 one-inch knob ginger
  • 1 to 2 bird’s eye chilies
  • 2 shallots
  • 1 small bell pepper any color
  • 1 300-gram cake firm tofu
  • 2 cups cooking oil for frying
  • ½ cup sweet chili sauce I used homemade
  • 1 teaspoon chili garlic sauce I used Lee Kum Kee
  • salt to to taste
  • ground black pepper to taste
  • 1 small drizzle sesame seed oil
  • ½ teaspoon toasted sesame seeds
  • 1 teaspoon finely sliced scallions

Instructions
 

  • Smash the garlic cloves; shake off and discard the skins. Mince the garlic.
  • Peel the ginger and finely chop.
  • Thinly slice the bird’s eye chilies.
  • Peel the shallots and thinly slice.
  • Peel and finely slice the shallots.
  • Deseed the bell pepper. Finely chop.
  • Cut the tofu into bite-size pieces.
  • Heat the oil in a wok or frying pan. When fine smoke float on the surface, slide in the tofu pieces one by one. Cook over high heat until the surface is browned and crisp. Scoop out and drain on a stack of paper towels.
  • Pour off the oil leaving only about a tablespoonful.
  • Reheat the oil. Saute the shallots, garlic, ginger, chilies and bell pepper with a bit of salt and pepper.
  • Pour in the sweet chili sauce and chili garlic sauce. Stir. Taste. Adjust the amount of salt and pepper, if needed.
  • Add the fried tofu to the sauce. Stir to coat each piece well. Simmer the tofu in the sauce for a minute.
  • Off the heat, drizzle in the sesame seed oil and toss.
  • Sprinkle the sweet and spicy tofu with toasted sesame seeds and finely sliced scallions before serving.

Notes

Updated from a recipe originally published in 2006 and modified in 9/18/2017
Keyword Tofu
Explore Asian food
Chinese spinach (amaranth) egg drop soup

Chinese Spinach Egg Drop Soup

Tonjiru (butajiru)

Tonjiru (Butajiru): Pork and Vegetables Miso Soup

Instant curry ramen: upgraded

Instant Chicken Curry Ramen

Published: July 21, 2020 • Last modified: July 4, 2021 ♥ All Recipes, Side Dishes, Tofu
Further Reading
Fried and skewered quail eggs. Tamsui Old Street, Taiwan

Quail Eggs in Asian Cuisines

Mandarin oranges

Symbolic Food for the Lunar New Year

Pandan-flavored nian gao, dipped in egg and pan fried, served with tea

Nian Gao, a Chinese Lunar New Year Staple

Sidebar

Experience Asia

Paksiw na lechon manok in claypot

Paksiw na Lechon Manok (Filipino Sweet Sour Chicken Stew)

Thai Hot and Sour Soup (Tom Saap) Garnished with Chili

Thai Hot and Sour Soup (Tom Saap)

Japanese sakura rice bowls

Two Reasons to Go Back to Japan

Sam Veneracion making pottery. Bat Trang Village, Vietnam.

The Authentic Bat Trang Ceramic Village Tour and Pottery Class

Thai meatballs in curry sauce

Thai-style Meatballs in Coconut Curry Sauce

  • About
  • Privacy
  • Archive

Inspiration

“A full belly conquers all.”

From the film Saving Face
Popular Posts
  • A Guide To Ramen Broth: Shio, Shoyu, Miso and Tonkotsu
  • 3 Soy Sauce Braised Pork Belly
  • Steamed Pompano With Ginger Sauce
  • Tofu in Oyster Sauce
  • Slow Cooker Chinese-style Beef Tendon
Not So Fine Print

Devour Asia does NOT work with “brands”.

Devour Asia does NOT accept guest posts.

Devour Asia does NOT outsource recipe development, writing, photography and videography.

Except for the occasional stock photo and blockquote, everything © Devour Asia. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.