AirFryday: Sweet-and-sour tofu with noodles

In her new book, Louisa Holst transforms everyday staples — sausage, chicken, fish, mince, steak, chops, fruits and vegetables — into meals that take 30 minutes or less to cook.

Her recipes include biryani chicken salad, hake and jalapeño bake, biltong-spiced ostrich skewers, shisanyama steak, curried frikkadels, chops with roasted chakalaka and lots more — all with a tasty local twist.

Plus tempting fruit-based desserts that’ll have you sweet-talked into seconds. Quick, easy, and proudly South African. 

The book is also available in Afrikaans.

You will find tofu in the health section of your supermarket. It’s a good protein alternative to meat and a great choice for meat-free Mondays.

(Serves 4)

Preparation time: 20 minutes

Cooking time: 20 minutes

Air-fryer temperature: 200ºC

Ingredients

1 x 400g block firm tofu

100ml cornflour

Canola oil

1 x 600g pack crunchy stir-fry vegetable mix

4 spring onions, sliced

Asian noodles, to serve

Sauce

10ml sesame oil

10ml fresh grated ginger

2 cloves garlic, crushed

30ml rice vinegar

10ml cornflour mixed with 80ml water

80ml soy sauce

60ml brown sugar

15ml sesame seeds, plus extra

Method

Preheat the air fryer to 200ºC. Pat the tofu dry with a kitchen towel. Cut into cubes.

Sprinkle over the cornflour and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Drizzle or spray with oil. Toss to coat well.

Put the cubes into the air fryer in a single layer. Cook for 6-8 minutes, turning the pieces over halfway through the cooking time. Remove from the air fryer and set aside.

Remove the tray from the air fryer.

Add 30ml oil to the air-fryer basket and then add the vegetables. Cook for 3-5 minutes, stirring halfway through the cooking time.

While the tofu and vegetables are cooking, prepare the noodles and the sauce. Cover the noodles with boiling water and set aside, covered, for about 5 minutes until soft. Drain.

Sauce: Mix the sesame oil, ginger, garlic, vinegar and cornflour together in a small saucepan. Stir in the remaining ingredients, plus 125ml water. Stir over a medium heat until thickened. Remove from the heat and set aside.

Once the vegetables are cooked, add the tofu and pour the hot sauce over the mixture. Stir to coat. Serve with the noodles and sprinkle with spring onions and extra sesame seeds. DM

Louisa Holst has been a food consultant, recipe developer and food editor for 20 years. She is passionate about food and loves to discover new flavours and create delicious, easy-to-cook, family friendly recipes. In 2023 she won the South African Book Award for Non-fiction for her bestselling The South African Air Fryer Cookbook.