Sweet and Sour Tofu "Meatballs"

This recipe was developed by Gf-Zing! , which celebrates flavor in the gluten free world.

1 pound block of firm tofu, crumbled and drained

Mix in:

1 1/2 Tablespoons gluten free Honey Roasted Peanut Butter
3 Tablespoons gluten free soy sauce
1/4 cup minced fresh parsley
8 scallions, minced
1/2 cup fresh or soaked dried shitake mushrooms, chopped fine
1 cup green pepper, minced
2 gluten free french rolls or 3-4 gluten free hot dog rolls, crumbled
freshly ground black pepper

Mix all of the above ingredients thoroughly, form into walnut sized balls, roll in garbanzo bean (chickpea) flour, and fry in 1/2 inch of peanut oil in a heavy-bottomed pan on high heat or non-stick pan on medium-high heat. The balls will brown so that they look like a meatball on the outside. When you cut in to the tofu balls, they will be light colored on the inside. If you roll the balls in rice flour they will shed a nasty grit in to the frying oil, then the grit will burn and the meatballs will have a ghostly pallor on the outside. Use garbanzo bean flour for rolling the tofu balls!

Set the cooked tofu balls aside on paper towel on a plate to drain the frying oil away.

Sauce:

Mix all of the following in a saucepan:

1 1/2 cups unsweetened pure pineapple juice
1/2 cup plus 2 Tablespoons brown sugar
1/2 cup apple cider or rice vinegar
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
2 Tablespoons cornstarch
1/4 cup gluten free soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon Vietnamese hot garlic sauce
freshly ground black pepper

Whisk the mixture so there are no lumps. Bring to a boil, stirring all the while. When thick, it is ready. Add 1 drained can of pineapple chunks and heat through.

The tofu balls are more delicate than meatballs. To serve the tofu balls place some on each dinner plate and spoon sauce and pineapple chunks on each serving. If you add the tofu balls to the sauce all at once, the presentation will not be as nice, they will soak up the sauce and they will be hard to retrieve intact.

Note: one large can of pineapple chunks yields quite a lot of juice. You can use the juice from the chunks as part of the 1 1/2 cups of juice.

Serve them with rice, and steamed broccoli.

Make sure all your ingredients are gluten free!

© Gf-Zing! | Alice DeLuca