The Crispiest Tofu
If you are a regular tofu-eater, I’d be willing to make a bet that like me, you dream, maybe even pray, for some god damn TEXTURE on those jiggly little cubes. Whether you’re adding it to a stir-fry, a salad, or just eating them as little finger-food nuggets, a little crunch never hurt ANYBODY! Now, I’d also be willing to bet that you, like me, have tried to get that all-desired crispy exterior by just cooking them in a pan for so long that they become almost-blackened, and still, incredibly, lack any crunch whatsoever. Well let me let you in on a little secret : cornstarch. A quick dredge (“dredging is a cooking technique used to coat wet or moist foods with a dry ingredient prior to cooking”) and an easy shallow-fry and you’re on your way to tofu nirvana.
This recipe includes not just a recipe for crispy tofu, but also two delicious sauces if you want to bring your tofu-bites to the next level. One simple soy-based sauce, and the other a vegan Tikka Masala!
Check out the recipes below!
The Crispiest Tofu
Ingredients
One block of extra-firm tofu
2 Cups of Corn Starch : minimum, extra may be needed
Canola Oil : amount varies depending on pan-size
Preparation:
Cut Tofu in to 1-inch cubes
Pour your corn starch into an extra-large plate or a large bowl (you want enough room to toss the cubes to coat without making a huge mess!)
Spread your tofu cubes out on a sheet of paper towels, cover with another sheet, pat down, and let the paper towels absorb as much water as they can for several minutes
For the shallow fry you need about ½ an inch of oil in the pan, so to reduce waste, we recommend finding a small pan and frying your tofu in batches. Pour your oil into the pan, and set on medium high heat. You can check that your oil is ready for frying by wetting your hand under a faucet and lightly flicking the droplets on your fingers into the oil. If it sizzles, your oil is hot and ready!
One by one, toss your tofu cubes into the corn starch, making sure to cover every inch of the surface well, and gently drop into the oil.
Once the tofu appears to be browning on the submerged side, flip and fry and on the other side. Once your tofu has crisped and browned on all sides, remove from oil, place on a large plate, and let cool for several minutes before eating (the outside will cool substantially before the inside is even close to cool enough).
Enjoy!
Vegan Tikka Masala Sauce
Ingredients
3 tbsp neutral vegetable oil
1/2 tbsp ginger : finely grated
1 tsp garam masala
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground turmeric
1 tsp ground coriander
1 cup of crushed tomatoes : this can be unseasoned tomato puree or blended tomatoes
½ tsp red chili flakes
½ tsp of salt : plus extra to taste
1 small onion : very finely diced
2 cloves of garlic : finely minced
½ cup of unflavored oat milk : or other milk replacement, just make sure its unflavored and unsweetened!
2 tbsp of butter replacement
Preparation
Add oil to a small pot on medium heat
Add grated ginger and garlic to the pan and stir constantly for 1-2 minutes
Once the ginger and garlic are aromatic, add in your onion and butter replacement and stir to mix. Cook the onions until they become translucent and begin to develop some color
Add in all of your spices and stir well.
Cook the spices down for 1-2 minutes (until aromatic) and add your tomatoes, mix well, and cook covered for 5 minutes.
Remove your pot lid, add your milk, stir well, and cook uncovered for another 3-4 minutes. At this time, begin to check if the sauce is at your desired consistency (if you want it thinner, add water by the quarter cup, stir and check, if you want it thicker, continue to cook it uncovered and check it every 3-4 minutes).
Once your sauce is at the desired consistency, remove from the heat and let cool for 10-20 minutes. If you wish to have a perfectly smooth sauce, use a blender (or if you have it, an immersion blender will work best) and blend until smooth.
If you have any on hand, garnish with fresh herbs (cilantro, parsley, or basil will work great)
Enjoy!
Sesame-Soy Glaze
Ingredients
6 tbsp soy sauce
1.5 tbsp oyster sauce
1.5 tbsp rice vinegar
1 tbsp sesame oil
1 tsp sesame seeds
Preparation
Mix all ingredients together in a small sauce pan and cook on medium heat for 5 minutes, stirring constantly
Take a small spoon and dip it in the sauce, if the sauce coats the back of the spoon, remove the sauce from the sauce pan into a small bowl and let cool in the refrigerator before serving.
Enjoy!
Best Practices:
As always:
Avoid packaged produce, or really anything packaged for that matter. This is not to say that you’ll always have the option, but when you do, go for it! For example, you may sometimes see onions in their own plastic packages, garlic in its own plastic-mesh bags, or ginger vacuum sealed. These are all very often available sans any container, so take the opportunity to use your hands, smell the produce, build that relationship with your ingredients! That being said, the spices for example, might be difficult to avoid without packaging. Pick your battles and fight them well!
Try to bring your own bags when you go shopping for these ingredients
Make sure you’re not buying more than you think you’ll reasonably use! Things like garlic, onions, and the ginger will all last a while, so with those if you buy a bit more than you needed, you’ll have plenty of time to use them in the future.
These ingredients have been chosen with several things in mind:
Most of these ingredients are household staples that are relatively inexpensive and last a long time. Tofu is a popular protein for those who wish to reduce (or avoid all together) consumption of meat, so the recipe aims to heighten the eating experience for those people! As soybeans are one of the most prominent crops cultivated globally, there are inevitably many companies that grow and harvest them using unsustainable practices. We encourage you to shop organically, in bulk, and review your products sustainability rating using the Cornucopia Institutes scorecard .
In the traditional version of most Tikka Masala recipes, dairy cream and butter are used. The dairy industry is one of the largest contributors to CO2, water use, and land use (within the food industry), and we do our best to not support industries at this scale as they typically do the most harm. That being said, if you have a local small-scale producer nearby, there is nothing wrong with indulging, just be sure to respect the ingredients!
It is likely that the most well known producers of the soy sauce, rice vinegar, and sesame seed oil are located in Asia. There may be fantastic options that are located more locally and I would encourage you to explore those options! You might be able to save on significant shipping emissions and will be able to support and connect with local businesses.
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