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).
Vegan 1-2-3-4-5 Tofu
Ingredients
- 21 ounces firm tofu (1 1/2 containers, 600g; cut into cubes)
- 2 tablespoons oil
- 4 slices ginger
- 1 tablespoon Shaoxing wine
- 2 tablespoons Chinese black vinegar
- 3 tablespoons light soy sauce
- 4 tablespoons sugar
- 5 tablespoons water
Instructions
- Preheat a wok (or cast iron pan) until it starts to smoke lightly. 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.
When I was a kid my dad used to make 1-2-3-4-5 ribs, and they were delectable. We lived in the suburbs of Central Florida where there were no authentic Chinese restaurants and there probably still aren’t, so Dad took to cooking us the classics of his youth. The ribs were among our very favorite dishes. That was decades ago and now I’m middle-aged, vegan, and Dad lives far away. I can’t tell you how much I appreciate this recipe–and I don’t miss the pork fat at all. Just finished my second serving and am feeling a lump in my throat, like I need to call Dad right now. I haven’t tasted those flavors in a very long time.
That’s wonderful :’) I’m so glad we could bring back hose memories for you. Definitely give him a call!
I made this for family and it was well loved, even by someone who doesn’t usually like tofu. It’s a keeper!
Wonderful, Genie! Thank you so much.
AMAZING!!!! Even my husband liked it and was surprised at how good it is.
Thank you
Hurrah! So glad you both liked it and that you could sneak in a quality itoldyouso moment ;)
I just tasted this and rushed to give a review. IT’S SO GOOD I actually feel a bit sad I need to share this with other people. Tastes just like the pork dish I had growing ip. So excited to make this again and again and again.
Thank you so much, Sheryl!!!
We loved the idea of this recipe and added a tiny twist on the sweetness of this recipe and I added quite a big of white pepper and a bit my roasted sichuan pepper/black pepper mix in the sauce and also sprinkled a bit over the tofu at the end. That made it work for us! My husband had bought “super firm” tofu and I found that this recipe was a great way to use it! Super firm tofu seems to be already so condensed that it browns more easily yet I found is able to absorb the sauce while keeping it sticky! I will continue playing with ideas and flavors, thanks for sharing I can see this becoming a quick weeknight staple!
That sounds great, Jess! It’s all about making it your own, and I’m honored to be in your weekly repertoire!
I would give this a million stars if I could, it’s one of the most delicious things I’ve ever eaten! My vegan husband asked if we can make this every week from now on. It’s also super easy and fast, and costs about $5 to make if you already have the sauces on hands. Thank you so much Kaitlin!
I’m so glad you both like it, Emily! Completely agree, it’s a great budget meal. :)
For some reason when I made this and also the thai basil pork recipe, my sauce doesn’t quite reduce and darken to that deep brown glaze in the photos. Am I not heating the wok hot enough, or maybe the water/sugar ratio is off?
Hi Daniel, it could be an issue with your heat, but yes, you definitely need adequate amounts of sugar to get it to reduce correctly. If you’re reconfiguring the 1-2-3-4-5 ratios, keep this in mind!
Thanks Kaitlin! I’ll be giving it another shot soon. I think the 2 main culprits are that I was reducing the amount of sugar to account for 1 packet of tofu rather than 1.5, but not properly squeezing all the moisture out of the tofu block (I am new to cooking tofu), so that tofu water was making the sauce way too thin.
Ah, thanks for the update, Daniel! I hope it works out better next time!!
This is really helpful because I make this often with 1 block of tofu and have been having similar troubles getting the sauce to brown to the extent it does in Kaitlin’s photos. I’ll try pressing the tofu and being more precise with my quantities.
I made this recipe today. It is simple, full of flavor and so delicious!
I also can’t help but take it to the next level with “Laoganma”fried chili in oil!
I’m so glad you liked it! Yas to the lao gan ma. Always.
Husband and 17 yo son loved them; thank you.
Unfortunately I didn’t serve “immediately” as I made something else, and it soaked up the sauce, which is a shame, but they were still devoured and loved.
Thanks, Melanie, I’m so glad you all enjoyed. That’s a good tip re: the sauce. Tofu is very porous. Timing the order in which Chinese dishes pass through the wok is a true art! Even I’m still learning. :)
Love it love it! I have to admit that the first time I cooked this, I only had silken tofu and the result was okey-ish. But with firm tofu, this is definitely a top level recipe! Really easy to cook, mainly because instructions are crystal-clear and the list of ingredients is quite minimal.
Finally, a big BIG thank you to your mum for the fantastic tip about how to avoid food sticking to the wok. Since I’ve been following this, no more food burnt bits sticking to my wok (and quicker cleaning up).
Again, thank you Kaitlin for this recipe, your mom for the tip and the whole family for your great recipes and website!
Glad you liked it Nico! I’m glad my mom’s tips are working for you! It’s truly been a revelation for the entire family. Thanks for reading and commenting :)