This post originally appeared as a guest post on Better Homes & Gardens! I’m a pretty big fan. So I was super excited when they invited me to take one of their popular recipes and make it meatless for my readers.
A lot of people think that vegetarian cooking is intimidating or difficult, but I promise you it doesn’t have to be. And you can take just about any recipe and make it meatless. Yes, really, you can!
Is there anything more satisfying than taking a meaty recipe and making it vegetarian? Okay, yes, there are probably a lot of things more satisfying than that. (Winning the lottery? Definitely more satisfying.) But I still love that feeling of victory I get when I take something I can't eat and make it into something tasty and meatless.
I wanted to challenge myself, so I choose their Mango-Chili Chicken Stir-Fry recipe. I prefer not to use processed meat substitutes in my cooking, so I decided to replace the chicken with a package of extra-firm tofu.
Wait! Don’t click away! Don’t give me the side-eye.
When you prepare tofu the right way, it’s delicious. So I’m going to show you the best way to make it.
Making Tofu that Tastes Good
Tofu is packaged in water, so in order for it to absorb the flavors of the dish you’re preparing, you need to press that nasty tofu water out. If you just take the tofu out of the package, dice it up, and throw it in a stir fry, you will not like tofu. It needs pressing!
How to Press Tofu
I have a tofu press for this purpose, and it makes the job a LOT easier. But this is how you can press your tofu without one:
- Put 2-3 layers of paper towels on a cutting board.
- Put your tofu on top of that, then another layer of paper towels and another cutting board.
- Weigh everything down with bottles and cans and let the tofu sit like this for 30 minutes. Trust me, it’s worth it!
Making Mango Chili Tofu Stir Fry
After pressing the tofu, I cut it into 16 triangles. There’s no real reason for triangles, but they look nice, right?).
Next, I heated 2 tablespoons of grapeseed oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat, and cooked the tofu for about 3-5 minutes on each side, until it was browned and crispy. (Oh, and you can use any kind of cooking oil you like–no need to go out and buy grapeseed oil if you don’t have it on hand.)
Remove the tofu from the skillet and set it on a few layers of paper towels to absorb some of the excess oil, then stir fry the peppers, add the tofu back in, and stir in the fiery mango sauce.
The only other slight change I made to the original Mango-Chili Chicken Stir-Fry recipe is that instead of using dried chile peppers, I tossed in a pinch or two of red pepper flakes and I added some black sesame seeds at the end.
Oh, and I diced the mango instead of slicing it because I still haven’t figured out how to slice a mango without potentially losing a thumb.
I served this with brown rice and it was absolutely delicious–we loved the sweet-and-spicy mango sauce with the crispy, chewy tofu. If you’re looking for an easy Meatless Monday dinner, this is it!
Ingredients
- ⅓ cup bottled mango chutney
- 2 teaspoons Asian chili garlic sauce
- 1 teaspoon minced fresh ginger
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 2 teaspoons cooking oil
- ⅛ tsp crushed red pepper flakes add more for additional spice
- 16 oz firm tofu pressed to remove extra moisture
- 1 red bell pepper cut into 1- to 2-inch strips
- 1 mango seeded, peeled, and diced
- 2 tbsp grapeseed oil or other cooking oil
- 2 cups cooked brown rice for serving
- black sesame seeds for garnish
Instructions
For Sauce
- For sauce, in a small bowl, combine chutney, chili garlic sauce, ginger, and garlic. Set aside.
For Stir Fry
- Cut tofu into 16 triangular pieces. (Be sure tofu is pressed before starting to cook, to remove excess moisture.)
- In a large wok or large nonstick skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat.
- Add red pepper flakes. Cook and stir for 10 seconds.
- Add tofu, and cook for 3-5 minutes on each side, until browned. Remove from pan and set aside on paper towels to drain excess oil.
- Add the bell peppers to the pan. Cook and stir for 3-4 minutes, until just tender.
- Add the tofu back into the pan. Add sauce, stirring to coat all, and heat through.
- Serve over rice and top with diced mango and a sprinkling of black sesame seeds.
Nutrition
This post was originally published in 2013. It has since been updated.
Brian @ A Thought For Food says
Well doesn't this look amazing! Heading over now to see the post!
Caitlin says
i love how bright and summery this dish looks!
christina says
I am always looking for new tofu dishes and this looks great!
Abby @ The Frosted Vegan says
I totally agree with you on tofu! If someone doesn't like tofu, they haven't had it done right! : )
Kiersten says
Yup, totally! People don't believe me when I tell them that, but it's true. 🙂
Ash-foodfashionparty says
Congrats on your post and this plate looks like a beautiful summer dish.
Kiersten says
Thank you!
[email protected]'s Recipes says
I can eat this every day! The stir-fry looks outstanding!
Maria Tadic says
I love tofu - especially when it's pressed OR roasted. So much better texture! A lot of people dont realize how delicious it can be!!
Kiersten says
Yes, it's so good roasted too!
Averie @ Averie Cooks says
Omg gorgeous! I am a huge fan of mango tofu (and red peppers). Yours is stunning!
Congrats on your BHG feature!
Kiersten says
Thank you! I thought about adding pineapple too like your BBQ tofu recipe. 🙂
Kelly @ A Girl Worth Saving says
I don't eat tofu but that looks fantastic! Congrats on your feature!
Kiersten says
Thank you! 🙂
Emma says
This looks fab! It makes me sad when people tell me they hate tofu as it can be so good if prepared right. Hurrah for veganizing meat recipes!
Kiersten says
I blame restaurants! I have gone to so many restaurants where the tofu is just awful. I didn't start to appreciate tofu until I started making it myself.
Amanda says
So pretty! I love the bright colors 🙂
Courtney @ The Fig Tree says
Ooooo! This looks delicious! Must try this ASAP. The mango chili sauce sounds perfect!
Kiersten says
I could seriously put that sauce on everything I eat. 🙂
Brenda Williams says
Mango chili...I'm in! Yummy. I am going to forever be amazed at the creative dishes you can make. WOW...this one is beautiful...the photos are really good!
Kiersten says
Yes, you would love it--it's nice and spicy! 🙂
Erica says
Just wanted to tell you that your recipe pictures looks SO much more delicious than the pictures from BH&G. If I had seen the original recipe I wouldn't have been motivated to try it (even though I do eat chicken). But your pictures look so amazing that this is going on my list to cook next week.
Kiersten says
Aw, thank you so much! I hope you like the recipe--even if you do use chicken! 😉
Kelli @ The Corner Kitchen says
Congrats on the BHG guest post!
Love this recipe! I feel like I've been in a rut of making the same tofu dishes lately....can't wait to try this and change it up!
Kiersten says
Thank you! I get in a rut with tofu recipes sometimes too. When you find what works, you want to stick with it!
Laura (Tutti Dolci) says
I love stir-fry, these flavors sound so good together!
Lauwchen says
This looks amazing! I made my own version of it today 🙂 (in Belgium, I haven't seen mango chutney anywhere, so I made it myself :D)
This one is definitely a keeper 😉
Kiersten says
I'm glad you enjoyed it! 🙂
Sarah @ Making Thyme for Health says
I love turning meat dishes vegetarian and you did a fantastic job with this one. It looks amazing! Congrats on the guest post too!!
Kiersten says
Thank you!
Georgia @ The Comfort of Cooking says
Congrats on your BHG feature, how exciting! This stir fry looks scrumptious and certainly magazine cover worthy! I love it.
Kiersten says
Thank you, Georgia! 🙂
mjskit says
Just came back from BH&G - Congratulations! Great guest post and what a dish!!!
Kiersten says
Thank you! 🙂
Erika says
Ok so you've definitely convinced me to start pressing my tofu. I've always been too lazy but I ADORE those crispy tofu edges and have never figured out how to achieve them at home. Thanks for the tip!! And I have like 5 mangoes ripening on my counter so this is perfect!
Kiersten says
That's how you do it! You press it and cook it in a skillet with about a tablespoon of oil. And then it gets crispy!
Daniela @ FoodrecipesHQ says
Mango and tofu... a combination I have never tried. Colors are amazing and the pics are so... appealing!
Kiersten says
It's really good! Averie Cooks has a great recipe for BBQ tofu with pineapple and mangoes too. 🙂
Kiran @ KiranTarun.com says
Yum!! We love using mangoes in savory stir fry's. This looks scrumptious 🙂
Anna {Herbivore Triathlete} says
This looks awesome Kierstin!! I love tofu, I always press mine when I buy it, freeze it, then press again after it thaws. Lots of steps, but totally worth it.
Mangoes are so good, I don't know how to make pretty slices either, he he, it's hard to cut one of those suckers! Still haven't found black sesame seeds anywhere locally either.
Kiersten says
Yeah, it's SO easy to cube mangoes, but slicing is tricky! The only thing I can think of is maybe cutting the pit out, then slicing the mango meat, THEN peeling it. But that seems like it would be a pain, huh? (Perhaps I should Google this?)
DamnGina says
Hey looks great but where did you buy the sauce? or did you make it????????????
Kiersten says
If you follow the link, there's a recipe for it on the Better Homes & Gardens website. It's a semi-homemade sauce made with store-bought mango chutney.