Vegan 1-2-3-4-5 Tofu

A vegan spin on my mom’s 1-2-3-4-5 ribs, this 1-2-3-4-5 Tofu is a delicious, extra saucy way to cook up tofu with a perfect balance of sour and sweet! Plus, you need just 8 ingredients to make it.

An Irreplaceable Ingredient?

The original recipe that inspired this is a pork rib recipe. You brown the ribs and simmer them in a sweet and sour sauce until they’re tender and sticky (a process that only takes about 20 minutes or so!). 

I LOVE this recipe. 

When my mom first made it, I was the last one standing over the plate, and it’s become a regular go-to for me. The tofu version follows the exact same blueprint…almost. There are some tricks to it. 

Why? THERE’S NO PORK FAT. Duh—but let me explain.

Creating Balance in Vegan Cooking

In vegan cooking, there are some truly brilliant workarounds for your favorite animal products. Plant-based cheeses melt up fantastically, and I’m the first one to admit that I love vegan chicken nuggets, but pork fat may truly be the one ingredient that is truly impossible to replace and replicate. 

The pork fat in the original rib version of this dish balances out the salty, sour and sweet of the soy sauce, Chinese black vinegar and sugar. It mellows the black vinegar and absorbs all the umami of the soy sauce. 

The reason why I wax on about pork fat in a vegan recipe is because for anyone veganizing meat dishes, it’s important to recognize the limitations of your ingredients. The tofu requires an extra hit of umami.

I tried the recipe with the same ratios as my mom’s version with ribs: 1 tablespoon Shaoxing wine, 2 tablespoons light soy sauce, 3 tablespoons Chinese black vinegar, 4 tablespoons sugar, and 5 tablespoons water. The result was much too sour, and just lacking in a way that almost tasted raw despite having cooked for 20 minutes. 

I realized that the trick with the tofu version is to dramatically reduce the amount of Chinese black vinegar and up the amount of sugar to give that much-needed umami burst of flavor in the absence of pork fat. Thus, I’ve switched the 1-2-3-4-5 order around a bit! 

That’s all you really need to know about this recipe. It’s a delicious and easy weeknight meal, with minimal ingredients involved. Let’s cook! 

1-2-3-4-5 Tofu Recipe Instructions

Preheat a wok or cast iron pan until it starts to smoke lightly (see my mom’s post on how to prevent food from sticking to a wok). This is very important to prevent the tofu from sticking. 

Add 2 tablespoons oil, along with the ginger slices. Over medium heat, fry the ginger for 1 minute. Add the tofu, and take 10 minutes to brown the tofu on at least 2-3 sides. 

When the tofu is lightly browned (or to your liking)…

Add in 1 tablespoon Shaoxing wine…

2 tablespoons Chinese black vinegar…

3 tablespoons light soy sauce…

4 tablespoons sugar…

And 5 tablespoons water. Stir and mix everything well. Turn up the heat to bring it to a boil.

Cover and reduce the heat to medium/low. Simmer for 15 minutes. Halfway through, check to make sure the liquid is not drying up. If so, reduce the heat further and add in a little more water if needed.

After 15 minutes, remove the lid. The sauce should be mostly cooked down. With the heat on high, gently toss the tofu to ensure every piece is coated in glistening sauce. This process takes a couple of minutes. Reduce the liquid until there is ¼ cup of liquid left and the tofu is gleaming with sauce.

Serve immediately (garnish with scallions if desired).