Going vegan doesn’t have to mean giving up eating your favourite foods, sometimes it just means having to find a vegan alternative. When people ask if there’s anything I miss since going vegan I usually say no, but thinking about it until now orange chicken from Panda Express might just have been an exception. I have no idea why I’ve waited 4 years to try and make a vegan replica of this recipe, but it was more than worth the wait, and I definitely won’t be waiting another 4 years before I make it again. Anyone that’s ever been to Panda Express, or ordered orange chicken from a good US Chinese takeout will understand my excitement about this recipe. It was probably the one thing I missed most when I moved back to the UK and realised it just isn’t really a thing over here, I once got super excited when I spotted it on the menu of one local Chinese takeaway but I’ll never forget the disappointment when I took the lid off that box and saw it was nothing like what it is in the states.
I’ve read through a few of the best orange chicken recipes out there, trying to work out how best to adapt this to make a vegan version. So that’s enough about orange chicken now, it’s time to talk ORANGE TOFU! I think tofu works great as a chicken substitute, especially in Asian cooking, I use it in lots of recipes from salt and pepper tofu, to healthy stir fries and tofu fried rice (you can expect to see these recipes on the blog soon), it’s so versatile, and packed full of protein too. Here we have crispy golden tofu, dripping in a sticky, sweet and tangy authentic Asian style sauce. No, it’s not quite Panda Express, but it’s homemade, it’s vegan, and it’s downright delicious, whats not to love? Even my Dad, who is the most anti-tofu person I know, just tasted this and admitted he really liked it, that in itself is a massive win so I must be doing something right with this recipe.
The orange tofu itself has so much flavour, it’s best to keep everything else as simple as possible. I have served it with plain boiled white rice and brocolli, but of course, it would go great with any kind of rice and your favourite veggies. You might be wondering why I have listed sesame seeds in the recipe but there aren’t any in the photo, I didn’t realise until I was halfway through cooking that I didn’t have any, but if you do, I think they are a perfect addition to any Asian dish and make it look that little bit more authentic too.
Orange Tofu (Vegan Orange Chicken)
Prep Time – 10 minutes
Cooking Time – 15 minutes
Serves – 2/3 servings
Ingredients
For the tofu
- 1 block extra-firm tofu, drained and pressed
- 1/2 cup cornflour
- 1/2 cup soya milk
- 1/2 tsp onion powder
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/4 tsp sea salt
- Vegetable oil for cooking
For the sauce
- 1 cup fresh orange juice
- 2 tbsp rice vinegar (or apple cider vinegar)
- 2 tbsp sugar
- 2 tbsp soy sauce (Tamari if gluten free)
- 1 tbsp sesame oil
- 1/4 tsp garlic powder
- 1/4 tsp ginger
- 1/4 tsp red chili flakes
- 1 tbsp cornflour
To serve
- Sesame seeds
- Cooked white rice
- Steamed broccoli (or other veggies)
Method
- Start by breaking the tofu into bite-sized chunks
- In a small bowl, mix the cornflour, onion powder, garlic powder, and sea salt.
- One by one take the chunks of tofu, dip them first in the soya milk, and then into the cornflour mixture until evenly coated.
- In a small saucepan over a low heat, whisk together all of the sauce ingredients except for the cornflour.
- Heat a little vegetable oil in a large frying pan or wok over a medium heat and fry the tofu chunks, tossing occasionally until golden brown.
- When the tofu is almost finished cooking, whisk the cornflour into the sauce and turn the heat up slightly to simmer until thickened, keep stirring throughout.
- Once the sauce is thickened, combine with the tofu and serve immediately with rice and your choice of veggies.
- Save any extra sauce for drizzling onto the rice
- Sprinkle sesame seeds on top and tuck in!
Have you tried this recipe? Let me know in the comments section below. And don’t forget to share a snap on Instagram! Tag @Liv_ing.Vegan and hashtag #LivingVegan
Variations
Gluten free – This recipe is already 100% gluten free, just be sure to use tamari rather than soy sauce.
Extra spice – I’m not a big fan of too much spice so I have kept it to a minimum with just a few chili flakes for that little bit of a kick, but feel free to add more or less spice depending on how you like it, you could also add a tablespoon of sriracha into the orange sauce for an extra hit.
Liv'ing Vegan 