Try this easy and delicious Sizzling Tofu recipe that is inspired by Max's but with a spicy twist. You can serve it as an appetizer or side dish and also perfect as a beer chow.
The sizzling Tofu of Max Restaurant, a popular restaurant chain in the Philippines, is one of their most beloved and famous signature dish. Well, next to their fried chicken, of course.
It is the vegetarian option in their sizzling specials menu which mostly consist of meat, like pork and chicken.
This recipe requires very few and simple ingredients. Firm tofu, bell peppers, garlic, onions, mayonnaise, and oyster sauce is actually all you need. But if you like, you can add some chilis to give it an added kick.
I am used to frying tofu as a whole block and just cutting it once it is fried, this is how it is done usually, well in our house at least. It is easier and faster that way, especially if you are gonna fry a lot of tofu.
However, I want my sizzling tofu to look like that of Max's, I had to cut them into cubes first and fry them.
If you would like to take the faster and easier route in browning the tofu cubes, you can deep fry them.
But since I am only making this dish only for two, I find it a waste to use too much oil for just a block of tofu so I just fried them in a small pan with enough oil.
If you do not have a sizzling plate, like this one below from Amazon, a cast iron skillet would also do perfectly fine.
I now have one but not at the time when I made this, about a week ago, though I still got me one for future use, my cast iron skillet did a perfect job. It should as they are both of the same material anyway.
How to prepare Tofu for cooking?
I guess you know that you should drain the water from tofu before frying but did you know that you have to press it too?
This is to get rid of as much water inside the tofu as possible and will give you firmer, crispier fried tofu.
This how you do it:
- Line one or two sheets of paper towel on top of a plate. Place the tofu on top, as a blocked or sliced.
- Add another one or two paper towels on top of the tofu and cover with another plate.
- Add some weight on top of the plate, like a book or bag of beans, to squeeze out the liquids do this for some minutes and discard the liquids.
Printable Recipe
Sizzling Tofu Recipe
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons oil - for frying
- 1 block firm or extra firm tofu (about 350 grams)
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 2 cloves garlic - minced
- 1 medium onion - chopped finely
- 1 small red bell pepper - chopped finely
- 1 small green bell pepper - chopped finely
- 3 tablespoons mayonnaise
- 3 tablespoons oyster sauce
- 2 tablespoons water
- 1 piece bird's eye chili - sliced diagonally
- 1 piece green pepper - sliced diagonally
Instructions
- Fry tofu cubes in hot oil until golden brown on all sides. Remove the fried tofu from oil and transfer into a plate lined with paper towel to remove excess oil.
- In a sizzling plate or cast iron pan, saute garlic, onions, and bell peppers in butter for a minute or until onions become translucent.
- Add in mayonnaise, oyster sauce, water, green pepper and chili. Let it cook and simmer while stirring for 2-3 minutes.
- Toss in the fried tofu and mix until well blended. Serve while hot on the sizzling plate or cast iron pan.
Sophia lopez says
Delicious
Kate says
Hi Bebs, thanks for the recipe! Have you tried air frying the tofu instead of frying it in a pan?
Bebs says
I have not tried it but I am sure it should work with airfryer or oven.
Ferdinand says
Sarap bebs. Hi to armin.
Bebs says
😍, glad you like it, and regards back from Armin. Hi to Ms. Joy din.
Len says
This sauce is amazing! I think it will taste so good with ground pork belly and pork ears.. my husband loves it but I find the fried tofu a bit meh.. I wonder would it be fine to half cooked it and cooked well with the sauce do it can have flavor?
Bebs says
Hi Len, we do have a pork sisig recipe. But if you prefer to use this, of course, you can replace the tofu with meat.
Eloisa Sison Generoso says
I’ve tried it and it’s super yummy.. 5 stars from me…❤️
Nino from Melbourne, Australia says
Hi, love your blog. Just a comment on this recipe, athough you said that Max's offer sizzling tofu as a vegetarian option, I have to note that your recipe includes oyster sauce which then makes this recipe at best pescatarian but not vegetarian. I hope that people unfamiliar with vegetarian cooking that fish sauce and oyster sauce are not part of the vegetarian diet. Thanks
Bebs says
Hi Nino, thank you for your comment, and glad that you love our bog. You are correct about the fish sauce, but some vegetarians— like the pescatarians as you mentioned, or even some vegans, ostrovegans to be exact, would argue about the oyster sauce or oysters as they are not sentient like plants. And I would like to apologize, Max claims their sizzling Tofu is vegetarian and I do not know their exact ingredients, they could have used vegetarian oyster sauce or something similar that is plant-based like soy sauce with other additions. I should have made it clear in my post that this is my version, and I will when I update it. Thanks again😊.
Luchie says
😊 yummy! 👍👍👍👍👍
Amadito says
Ang swerte ng Mister mo, napakaganda mo kasi! don't get offended. Tutoo naman.
Bebs says
Thank you po.😊
Linda C says
Its great i tried it today👏👏👏
JC says
Tried this recipe earlier and it tastes great! I added eggs to top 🙂
Bebs says
The addition of egg sounds great, JC!
Isabel says
Delicious recipe, thank you for sharing your recipes.
Bebs says
Happy you like it, Isabel.
Artsi says
This tofu dish is so good. I really like the heat from the chili. Blends well in the creamy sauce. Thank you for sharing this recipe. God bless.
Bebs says
Thank you, Artsi for your lovely comment all the time...😘
Imee says
I love sizzling tofu frm max's. I would love to try it at home. Id like to have more of your shared recipes
Liv Cruz says
Tastes great 😊 for people who avoid pork, you should try this.
Bebs says
Thanks for the great review, Liv.
ginnie seva says
I could have rated 5 stars but the sodium content is too high for someone with hypertension like me. Do you have a substitute for the oyster sauce and mayonnaise? Appreciate, likewise that your recipes have nutritional labels. My family loves tofu and i am always on the lookout for tofu recipes. Cheers to your endeavor, time and effort for sharing your yummy recipes. God Bless.
Bebs says
Hi Ginnie, try low-fat plain yogurt or at the end, crack an egg and drop it directly to the sizzling tofu then mix it. As for the oyster sauce, a low sodium soy sauce could be used.