Chilli Tofu with Vegetables
Kolkata's Indo-Chinese chilli dish, made with lightly coated, pan-seared tofu instead of deep-fried paneer: glossy, garlicky, hot and sour, ready in 25 minutes.
- Region
- West Bengal (Kolkata Indo-Chinese)
- Status
- Adaptation — tofu in place of paneer; pan-seared, not deep-fried
- Diet label
- Strictly vegetarian, egg-free
- Time
- Press 15 min · Prep 10 min · Cook 15 min
- Serves
- 2
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Good for
- Quick weeknight dinner
- Tags
- High protein · Quick · Dairy-free · Whey-free
- Allergens
- Soy (tofu, soy sauce); gluten (most soy sauces contain wheat)
Nutrition (estimated)
- Calories
- 445 kcal
- Protein
- 25 g
- Carbs
- 49 g
- Fat
- 16 g
- Fibre
- 6 g
Headline values are for the full plate.
| kcal | Protein | Carbs | Fat | Sat fat | Fibre | Total sugars | Protein per 100 kcal | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chilli tofu only (about 280 g) | 305 | 21 g | 17 g | 16 g | 3 g | 5 g | 5 g | 7.0 g |
| Dinner plate: chilli tofu, 40 g raw rice (steamed) | 445 | 25 g | 49 g | 16 g | 3 g | 6 g | 6 g | 5.5 g |
High protein. Soy and chilli sauces are high in salt: about 0.5 g sodium per serving from the sauces, so no extra salt is added. Tofu, soy sauce and cornflour use label or USDA values. Values checked against IFCT 2017 on 14 Oct 2026.
Ingredients
- 250 g firm tofu, pressed, in 2.5 cm cubes · 10 g cornflour
- 100 g capsicum and 80 g onion, in 2.5 cm squares · 30 g spring onion · 10 g garlic and 10 g ginger, finely chopped · 2 green chillies, slit
- Sauce: 15 ml light soy sauce · 10 g red chilli sauce · 5 ml vinegar · 1 tsp cornflour in 60 ml water · pinch of black pepper
- 10 g groundnut oil
- Plate: 80 g raw rice for 2, steamed
Method
- Press tofu between kitchen towels under a heavy pan for 15 minutes; cube.
- Toss tofu with 10 g cornflour. Sear in 6 g oil in a wide non-stick pan on medium-high, turning, for 6–7 minutes until golden on all sides. Remove.
- Turn the heat to high. Add the remaining oil, garlic, ginger and chillies; stir 30 seconds.
- Add onion and capsicum; stir-fry 2 minutes so they stay crunchy.
- Add soy sauce, chilli sauce and vinegar, then the cornflour slurry. Stir until the sauce turns glossy and thick (about 1 minute).
- Return the tofu, toss to coat, and finish with spring onion and pepper. Serve at once with rice.
Protein optimisation
- Tofu supplies 19 g per serving; vegetables and soy sauce 2 g; rice 3 g on the plate.
- Boost: add 100 g edamame or green peas with the capsicum (+3–5 g protein, +50–60 kcal per serving).
Variations, serving and storage
- Regional: Kolkata gravy style — add 150 ml water with the slurry for a saucier dish to eat with hakka noodles.
- Substitution: paneer for tofu (chilli paneer; adds about 70 kcal and 8 g fat per serving); tamari for a gluten-free version.
- Lower-sodium: use half the soy sauce and add 1 tsp extra vinegar.
- Storage: best fresh; 1 day refrigerated.
- Food safety: keep opened tofu in fresh water, refrigerated, and use within 3 days.
- Meal prep: chop vegetables and press tofu ahead.
Nutrition values are estimates calculated from the Indian Food Composition Tables 2017 (ICMR-NIN) and typical product labels. They have not been laboratory-analysed and will vary with your ingredients, brands and cooking. Recipes are for healthy adults and are general information only, not a substitute for advice from a doctor or qualified dietitian. If you are pregnant or breastfeeding, cooking for children, have food allergies, or live with kidney disease, diabetes or any other medical condition, please take professional advice about your diet. From the collection Protein-Rich India by Dr. Shantanu Deshpande · drshantanudeshpande.com