Mexican Tofu with Apricots, Chipotle and Tamarind

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A Mexican style tofu that could be the most vibrant dish you’ve ever eaten!

This Mexican Tofu with Apricots, Chipotle and Tamarind is, literally, bursting with flavor. The sweet, spicy and tangy sauce coats chewy mushrooms, soft tofu cubes and melting slivers of apricot with a pretty, orange-brown glaze, making every bite one to savor and cherish. Serve it with white rice or a Mexican style rice for lunch or dinner. The recipe is vegan, gluten-free and nut-free and it can be soy-free.

Front photo of Mexican tofu in a bowl with cilantro in a smaller bowl on the side, a spoon and green napkin.

I could have been Mexican in a past life because I just love that country and its cuisine so much. Part of the appeal for me is its similarity to Indian food. There’s so much to love with the spices and the herbs and, of course, the chili peppers.

All of those appealing flavors come together and do a tango on your tongue in this delicious Mexican Tofu with Apricots, Chipotle and Tamarind.

I was inspired to make this recipe years ago after watching D.C.-area public television chef Patti Jinich, who is Mexican-born, make a similar dish with chicken. She described it as being inspired by immigrants from Lebanon, Syria and Israel. Those influences are indeed very apparent in the ingredients used here, such as the apricots, with the tamarind and chipotle adding a nice Mexican touch.

I usually serve this with Mexican green rice or Mexican red rice or simply with brown rice. Or eat it with a soft roll with guacamole on the side for a memorable meal.

Why you’ll love this Mexican Tofu with Apricots, Chipotle and Tamarind

It’s beyond delicious. And I don’t say that lightly. This is one of the most flavorful dishes I’ve ever cooked and eaten, and that’s saying a lot as I love full-flavored foods. I adore it so much, in fact, that when I cook it I usually can’t wait for lunch or dinner — I just scoop it out of the pot with my fingers and eat it.
It has wonderful, contrasting textures. The slivers of apricot become meltingly soft as the sauce cooks, the dry and fresh mushrooms add lots of chewy texture, and the baked tofu is soft but slightly chewy. Yum.
It’s good for you. Apricots, mushrooms, tofu…it’s all great. The sweetness in the dish comes from the apricots, a couple of tablespoons of preserves, and piloncillo.
It’s easy to make. This recipe may sound complicated but it’s actually very simple with a relatively short ingredient list. And it’s nearly foolproof. As always follow instructions to get a good result unless you know what you are doing when you tweak.
It’s everyone friendly. The recipe is gluten-free and nut-free and vegan, of course. You can skip the tofu for a soy-free dish.

Overhead photo of Mexican tofu in bowl with a spoon and green napkin.

Ingredients

1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 cup dry mushrooms. I used a mix of dry oyster mushrooms, black trumpets, portobello and porcini mushrooms that I bought at Costco. You can use just one kind of dry mushrooms, including shiitake.
8 oz fresh cremini mushrooms.
1 small jalapeno pepper
¾ cup dried apricots
2 tablespoons apricot preserves
1 chipotle chili with 1 teaspoon adobo sauce. It might sound like there is a lot of spice in this recipe but don’t worry–it is all balanced out by the other flavors and you will hardly taste the spice. You always have the option, of course, of using less chili, or skip the jalapeno.
14 oz baked or air-fried tofu. You can follow this recipe for air fryer tofu. Air-fry the tofu plain, without the marinade.
2 tablespoons cilantro, optional but nice.

For the tamarind sauce

2 tablespoon tamarind paste. I use the kind I buy at the Indian store, I’ll leave a link in the recipe card. You can use any tamarind paste you find at your grocery store but the Indian style paste is a concentrate and works perfectly here.
½ cup grated piloncillo. You can use jaggery instead; coconut sugar will work well too.
1 teaspoon ground cumin
Salt and ground black pepper

How to make Mexican Style Tofu

Reconstitute the mushrooms

Soak the dried mushrooms in 2 cups of boiling water for 30 minutes. Strain the liquid and reserve for making the tamarind sauce.

Mushrooms reconstituing in hot water in bowl.

Make the tamarind sauce

Place the strained mushroom stock, tamarind paste, piloncillo, cumin and ½ teaspoon of ground black pepper in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer and cook until the sauce has reduced by about half. Add salt as needed–I find this recipe needs very little salt.
Place the strained mushroom stock, tamarind paste, piloncillo, cumin and ½ teaspoon of ground black pepper in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer and cook until the sauce has reduced by about half and is darker. Add salt as needed–I find this recipe needs very little salt.

Tamarind sauce for Mexican style tofu before cooking.

Make the Mexican Tofu with Chiptole, Tamarind and Apricots

Heat oil in a saucepan or saute pan. Add the mushrooms and jalapeno pepper and cook, stirring frequently, about 10 minutes or until the mushrooms are nicely caramelized and golden-brown.

Add the sliced apricots, apricot preserves, chipotle chili with adobo sauce and the tamarind sauce to the pot. Mix well, bring to a boil, then lower heat to the lowest point on your stove and cook 25 minutes or until the apricots are really soft.
Stir in the tofu and mix well. Check for salt and add if needed.
Garnish with cilantro for fresh flavor.
Stir in the tofu and mix well. Check for salt and add if needed.
Garnish with cilantro for fresh flavor.

Front photo of Mexican tofu with chipotle, tamarind and apricots with a green napkin and cilantro on the side and sprinkled on top.

Storage and freezing instructions

Leftovers store nicely in the refrigerator for up to three days.
You can freeze the Mexican tofu for up to three months but keep in mind that the texture of tofu will alter in the freezer and it will become more chewy and porous.