Spicy celery black pepper tofu stars crisp, baked tofu in a celery black pepper sauce. Perfect for easy dinners and for meal prep! (gluten-free, nut-free with soy-free and oil-free options)

Recipe Snapshot

  • Prep time: 15 minutes
  • Cook time: 30 minutes
  • Total time: 45 minutes
  • Yield: 2
  • Category: Main Course
  • Cuisine: Asian

Ingredients

For the Black Pepper Tofu

  • 14 ounces firm tofu (cubed [adjustable](1.5 cups)[/adjustable] - no need to press)
  • 3 teaspoons soy sauce
  • 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 3 tablespoon cornstarch or other starch

For the Sauce

  • 2 teaspoons oil
  • 6 to 8 cloves garlic chopped
  • 1 inch ginger finely chopped
  • 2 dried red chilies (chopped or broken into 2 pieces. Use 1 for less heat. I like arbol or cayenne or Indian chilies in this. Use milder chile like california red for less heat)
  • 1 to 1.5 cup chopped celery
  • 1/4 cup chopped green bell pepper (or onion)
  • 1/4 teaspoon white pepper (optional)
  • 1 teaspoon coarsely crushed black pepper (preferably ground/crushed with a mortar pestle, or more, to taste)
  • 2 tablespoons soy sauce (, use tamari for gluten-free)
  • 1 tablespoon maple (or sugar)
  • 1 teaspoon rice vinegar
  • 2-3 tablespoon water
  • green onion for garnish

Method

Baked tofu.

  1. Chop the tofu and add to a bowl. Add soy sauce and toss to coat. Mix the spices in cornstarch and add to the bowl. Toss to coat. If the tofu is too dry, add a few drops of water to help almost all of the cornstarch to stick to the tofu.
  2. Alternatively: Make a thick batter of soy sauce through cornstarch. Add a teaspoon more water, if needed, but don't add too much, as the tofu will add its own moisture when you mix it in. Immediately add tofu and mix to coat. If you leave the batter to sit, it will solidify in a few minutes and you will need extra moisture to be batter again.
  3. Bake: Preheat the oven to 400° F / 200º C. Spread the tofu cubes on parchment lined baking sheet. Bake for 20 minutes or longer until crisp.
  4. Pan fry: Or pan fry in oil on a skillet over medium high heat. Once hot, add the coated tofu, let sit for 2 minutes, then flip. Repeat until golden on most edges. Keep aside

Make the sauce while the tofu bakes.

  1. Heat oil in a skillet over medium heat. Once the oil is hot, reduce heat to medium low. Add garlic, ginger and red chilies and cook until garlic is golden, 2 to 3 minutes.
  2. Add the celery and peppers. Increase heat to medium. Mix and cook for 2 minutes. Stir once in between.
  3. Add the baked tofu, black pepper, soy sauce, maple, vinegar and water and mix. Cook for half to 1 minutes or so to bring the sauce to a boil and slightly thicken. Serve hot with rice or quinoa or in lettuce wraps.

Kiyaan Singh’s Kitchen Note

Keep this recipe as a working base: cook once as written, then adjust spice, texture, and serving style for your own table.