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Pomegranate Glazed Tofu Balls

Pomegranate Glazed Tofu Balls

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These 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. 
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Author: Seiran Sinjari | Legally Plantbased
Servings: 1 sharing plate, serves 4

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.
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