Columnist Seiran Sinjari is back with a new delicious holiday recipe: Pomegranate Glazed Tofu Balls. Her recipe column All About the Veg! is all about highlighting the versatility of fruits and vegetables by shining a spotlight on a different one in each of her articles.
Pomegranate Glazed Tofu Balls
We’re getting closer to the peak of the festive season so this week I’m sharing another fun recipe to share and enjoy with family and friends.
My Pomegranate Glazed Tofu Balls are the perfect appetizer for any festive holiday gathering or New Year’s Eve celebration. These tasty bites are a unique and fun twist on the classic meatball, made with hearty tofu balls and coated in a sweet, tart, and aromatic pomegranate glaze. The glaze complements the tofu balls beautifully, adding a burst of flavor and color to each bite. Plus, if you’re short on time, you can use frozen vegan meatballs and simply prepare the glaze to save on prep time. The star of the dish is the pomegranate glaze, it’s what makes it so festive and brings the humble tofu (or vegan meatballs) to the next level.
If you’ve been reading my column, you know that I love pomegranate molasses and pomegranates in general. Pomegranate is such a delicious and versatile fruit, and I often use it in both sweet and savory dishes. Their bright red seeds, or arils, are bursting with sweet-tart flavor and a juicy, crunchy texture.
Pomegranate molasses is made from the juice of pomegranates, simply cooked down until it thickens into a rich, sticky syrup. That’s how we traditionally make it, no added sugars and maybe just some lemon juice to preserve it. When pomegranates are in season, I make my own molasses and juice my own pomegranates but you can also use ready made juice (without any additives). However, you can also buy really good pomegranate molasses. I usually get mine at the Middle Eastern grocery stores.
When shopping for pomegranate molasses, it’s important to read the ingredient list carefully. Avoid products that have sugar or glucose syrup as the first ingredient, as these will likely be overly sweet. Instead, look for pomegranate molasses that is naturally sour or tart, with no added sugars or only a small amount. This will ensure that you get the authentic flavor of pomegranate molasses, which should be tangy and slightly tart, rather than overly sweet. Keep an eye out for high-quality, natural ingredients and avoid artificial additives or preservatives for the best taste and quality.
Once you add pomegranate molasses to your pantry (and maybe try some of my recipes), you’ll notice how it adds depth and complexity to a wide range of dishes, from glazes, marinades, dressings and stews to sweets and cocktails.
Tofu is a great source of plant-based protein that really soaks up flavors like nothing else, and when these little tofu balls are paired with the tangy, sweet flavor of pomegranate molasses, tofu takes on a whole new level of deliciousness. So without further ado, let’s get cooking!
What You’ll Need
For the Tofu balls:
- extra firm tofu
- white or yellow onion
- garlic
- parsley
- light soy sauce
- dried mint
- ground coriander
- ground cumin
- salt & pepper
- all-purpose flour
- breadcrumbs
- neutral oil for frying
For the Pomegranate Glaze:
- olive oil
- garlic
- orange, juiced
- pomegranate molasses (see recipe below if you want to make a homemade pomegranate molasses)
- vegetable stock
- sumac
- ground coriander
- ground cinnamon
- ground cloves
- Aleppo chili flakes (or other mild red pepper flakes)
- sugar
- salt & pepper
- cornstarch
- cold water
Top with:
- pomegranate arils
- mint leaves, cut in fine ribbons
- coarsely chopped pistachios (here I’m using Pistachio Dukkha which also works really well)
How to Make This Recipe
Pomegranate Glazed Tofu Balls
Ingredients
Tofu balls:
- 400 g extra firm tofu
- 1 small white or yellow onion
- 2 cloves of garlic
- 1 small bunch of parsley
- 1 tbsp light soy sauce
- 1 tsp dried mint
- 1 tsp ground coriander
- 1/2 tsp ground cumin
- salt & pepper to taste
- 4 tbsp all-purpose flour
- 4 tbsp breadcrumbs
- neutral oil for frying
Pomegranate Glaze:
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 garlic clove - minced
- 1 orange - juiced
- 100 ml pomegranate molasses - see recipe below if you want to make a homemade pomegranate molasses
- 100 ml vegetable stock
- 1 tsp sumac
- 1/2 tsp ground coriander
- 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
- ⅛ tsp ground cloves
- 1 tsp Aleppo chili flakes - or other mild red pepper flakes
- 1 tbsp sugar - more or less depending on how sour/sweet your pomegranate molasses is
- salt & pepper to taste
- 2 tsp cornstarch + 1 tbsp cold water
Top with:
- 3 tbsp pomegranate arils
- 10 mint leaves - cut in fine ribbons
- 2 tbsp coarsely chopped pistachios - here I’m using Pistachio Dukkha which also works really well
Instructions
Tofu balls:
- Press the tofu with a tofu press or place the tofu on a plate with an inverted plate on top, place a heavy object on top to squeeze out the liquid. Let sit for 30 minutes. Pat dry with a clean kitchen towel or paper towel.
- Cut the onion in half. Pulse onion, garlic, parsley, soy sauce, all spices and salt in a food processor until everything is very finely chopped. Break the tofu into a couple of pieces and add them. Pulse until you have a fine crumbly mixture, not a smooth paste.
- Place the mixture in a bowl and sprinkle with flour and breadcrumbs. Knead into a shapeable dough, if it is too wet add a little more flour and breadcrumbs. Season with salt and pepper.
- Form small balls with your hands. Take a piece of the mixture and first squeeze it with your hand to make it hold together, then shape it into a round ball.
- Heat 1 tbsp oil in a large frying pan and fry the balls in two batches over medium heat until nicely golden brown on all sides. Shake the pan every now and then to get an even color.
Glaze:
- Mix together orange juice, pomegranate molasses, vegetable stock, all spices, sugar and salt in a bowl.
- Heat 1 tbsp of olive oil in a pan and add garlic. Fry over medium heat, stirring until fragrant, then add the pomegranate mixture. Bring to a boil, then let it simmer over medium heat for about 10 minutes. Taste it and adjust saltiness, sweetness and acidity if necessary.
- Mix cornstarch with the water and add to the pan while stirring. Stir until the sauce thickens.
- Add tofu balls to the pan and mix around until they are all well-coated with the glaze.
- Remove from heat and place on a serving plate, top with pomegranate seeds, mint and pistachio or pistachio dukkah.
- Stick a few toothpicks into some of the tofu balls and serve as finger food or appetizer.
- Tip: The pomegranate glaze can also be used as a grill glaze or marinade. If you want to prepare a quick version of this, you can use ready made frozen vegan meatballs for this. Just fry them and coat in the glaze.
Recipe, text, and photography by Seiran Sinjari.
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