When I ate meat, I would often order sesame chicken from Chinese take out restaurants. It’s sweet, crispy, and full of flavour, but I’ve never found a vegan option, so I’ve adapted the chicken recipe, replacing the bird with tofu!

• 1 block extra firm tofu
• Flour for breading
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• oil for frying

Sauce

• 1 cup water
• 1 teaspoon tomato paste
• 1 tablespoon sesame oil
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon fresh ginger, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 teaspoon white vinegar
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon corn starch dissolved in water

Directions:

1. Thinly slice the tofu into finger sized rectangles. In a shallow bowl, mix four and black pepper and lightly coat each tofu piece in flour.
2. Heat a small amount of oil in a frying pan, and cook each side of the tofu until golden brown.
3. In a separate pot, bring all other ingredients to a light boil, as soon as it begins to bubble, remove from heat.
4. Serve over steamed, or fried rice with the sauce drizzled over top, and a sesame seed garnish.

*Image courtesy Flickr creative commons.