RECIPE: Crispy Salt & Pepper Tofu
This tofu melts in your mouth and is the perfect accompaniment to salads, especially when paired with a fresh peach salad. It's a simple recipe but a few tips & tricks to ensure the tofu stays nice and crispy!
INGREDIENTS
- 500g extra firm tofu
- Neutral oil for frying (i.e avocado, coconut etc)
Spice Mix to sprinkle:
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 1/4 tsp white pepper or finely ground black pepper
- 1/4 tsp Chinese five spice powder
Tofu Coating:
- 64 g cornstarch plus 1-2 tbsp more if needed
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 1/2 tsp ground white pepper
- 1/4 tsp Chinese five spice powder
Sautéing:
- 2 tbsp neutral oil
- 1 red or white onion diced
- 2 tbsp minced fresh garlic
- 3 long green chillies
- 3 bird’s eye chilies or other red chillies (optional for spice)
- 1 small green or red capsicum
- 3 schallots sliced
- Additional 1/4 tsp sea salt if needed
METHOD
- Drain the excess water from the tofu for 10-15 minutes. Simply wrap them in paper towels and placing them on a flat surface before putting a plate or flat heavy surface on top.
- Slice the tofu into 1inch cubes.... Small cubes are much crispier compared to larger ones!
- Prepare the spice mix ingredients in a small bowl. Mix well then set aside for later.
- Before you start coating your tofu, heat a large pan or wok over high heat with oil enough to submerge at least half of your tofu. Submerging them in oil will evenly crisp the sides.
- This step is important—you’ll want to make sure your oil is VERY hot before you cook the tofu. Coat them right before frying so the tofu doesn’t sit in the starch too long—when it does the tofu starts to release some liquid and dampen the starch, causing it to stick to one another.
- In a large bowl, mix the cornstarch, salt, pepper, and 5 spice powder.
- Coat the tofu in batches. You can add around 1/3 of the tofu cubes (depending on the size of your pan/wok) into the cornstarch mix. Roll the tofu into the starch until they’re white and well coated well.
- Check the heat of the oil. If you see small bubbles, you can test it out by getting a small piece of tofu. Add it in the oil and if it immediately sizzles very rapidly, it’s good to do! Remember, you’ll want to fry the tofu quickly to get them crisp evenly so the oil has to be very hot.
- Add in the first batch of coated tofu. Make sure not to overcrowd the pieces of tofu so they can all cook well.
- Leave the tofu to cook for 4 to 5 minutes, flipping halfway through as needed, until all sides are cooked through and crisp. You’ll know the cornstarch is cooked through when it dries up and gets firm and crisp. The tofu won’t turn to a golden brown—just a very pale yellow.
- While the first batch of tofu cooks, you can go ahead and add in another batch of tofu cubes into the starch mixture to coat it well.
- When the first batch is done cooking, remove the tofu cubes from the oil. Transfer it to a strainer or cooling rack to cool. Don’t place them on a plate with paper towels since they’ll get soggy. Do not cover them as well.
- Add in the next batch of tofu cubes into the oil. Repeat the coating and frying process for the rest of the tofu—so you’ll repeat this 3 to 4 times depending on the size of your pan/wok.
- Set aside the fried tofu cubes while you sauté the rest of the ingredients.
- Remove the oil form the wok/pan.
Sautéing:
- In the same pan/wok over high heat, add in some oil.
- When hot, add in the onions and sauté for 1 minute.
- Move the onions to the side of the pan/wok and then add in the garlic.
- Leave the garlic to cook over medium high heat until golden brown and crisp for 3 to 4 minutes. You can add in the chillies and capsicum to cook down as well.
- When the garlic is golden brown, add in the scallions then mix everything together and leave to cook for 1-2 more minutes until the chillies and onions are cooked.
- Over high heat, add in the fried tofu cubes.
- Sprinkle 1/2 of the salt and spice mix first.
- Mix the tofu well, then sprinkle in the rest.
- Taste the tofu and feel free to add more salt if needed
- Serve and enjoy immediately while still hot and crisp.
Recipe and images by The Foodie Takes Flight
