Cut your tofu into half-inch cubes. Then arrange some paper towels or a clean dish towel on a cutting board and place the cubes in a single layer on top. Now add another clean dish towel on top of the cubes and another cutting board, flat plate, or baking sheet on top. Finally, place something very heavy on top like a cast-iron skillet or heavy books. Press like this for 15 minutes.
Prepare the tofu
Preheat the oven to 425℉/218℃ convection bake and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Once the tofu is pressed, place the cubes in a medium bowl with the soy sauce and gently mix. Then add the cornstarch and gently stir to coat the pieces.
Arrange the tofu in a single layer on your baking sheet, leaving space in between each cube. Bake for 15 minutes, then flip, and bake for an additional 15-20 minutes, or until desired crispiness is reached.
For the Szechuan sauce + veggies
While the tofu is baking, combine all the sauce ingredients in a small bowl and whisk together. Set aside.
Preheat a cast iron pan or wok on your stovetop, and then add the frozen veggies to stir fry for 2-3 minutes (don't overcook them, they taste best when still a little crisp). Then add the sauce and let it simmer for 2-3 minutes with the veggies to slightly thicken the sauce.
Add the baked tofu cubes to the pan with the veggies and toss to coat them.
Serve with grains of your choice or spiralized vegetable noodles. Then top with green onion and sesame seeds if you'd like.
Notes
Try and cut your tofu cubes as uniformly as possible for even cooking and crispiness.
Arrange the cubes in a single layer with space in between each piece. They shouldn’t touch each other on the baking tray in order to get the maximum crisp level.
If you don’t have a convection oven, it may take an extra few minutes to get crispy results. Bake until desired crispiness level is reached.
For the best texture, plan to enjoy your Szechuan tofu immediately. The longer it sits in the sauce, it will begin to lose its crispy exterior.
Leftovers keep refrigerated in a sealed container for 3-4 days.