Are pigs flying?
I think pigs are flying.
Wait, maybe tofu is flying.
I know what you are thinking…Ange is eating tofu?
It all started a couple months ago when my friend Sarah treated me to an incredible sweet and sour tofu dish for dinner. A heavenly sweet and sour glaze coated crispy baked tofu all served over steamed vegetables and wild rice. This meal was all I could think about for days! I haven’t tried a lot of tofu because I always thought that tofu bothered my stomach (I tend to have stomach pains after eating tempeh and seitan, for example), however this tofu meal did nothing of the sort. My stomach was fine and my taste buds were smitten!
A few weeks later, I was in the kitchen making a similar recipe…
Then, I made eggplant roll-ups with “ricotta” cheese and was also blown away.
[Both recipes may appear in a hopeful future cookbook, but if not, I will certainly post them!]
This week, I was struck with an idea to make a crispy breaded tofu to pair with sweet potato fries. I was inspired by a cornmeal tofu recipe in Veganomicon. One of the meals Eric always ate in university was chicken fingers and fries so I was curious if I could make a tofu version that he’d enjoy. It was a stretch, but I figured it would be an interesting experiment! You know how I love my kitchen experiments.
Well, lo and behold it worked…and we both inhaled this meal. Dipped in ketchup and served with roasted sweet potato fries, it was easily one of our favourite easy meals in a long time. I seasoned the fries and tofu with a lovely cinnamon/cumin/chili powder blend which went along nicely with sweet potato fries. I never thought I would see the day when we would both inhale tofu.
Featuring all new, protein-packed salads, hearty toppers, flavour boosters, and dressings you'll want to drink, my new cookbook will transform the way you think about salads. Oh, and be sure to flip to the back for a surprise dessert chapter!
Crispy Breaded Tofu Strips and Sweet Potato Fries
Yield
3 servings
Soak time
20
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
These crispy strips could turn anyone into a believer…even my chicken finger loving husband.
Inspired by cornmeal tofu in Veganomicon
Ingredients
- 1 package firm or extra firm tofu (I use organic, non-GMO, about 350 grams)
- 1/2 cup almond milk (or other milk)
- 1 tbsp cornstarch
- 1/3 cup cornmeal
- 1/2 cup breadcrumbs (use gluten-free if necessary)
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp cumin
- 1/2 tsp chili powder
- scant 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 1/4 tsp cayenne powder (for a kick of heat)
- 1/4 tsp onion powder
- 1 large sweet potato + 1 tsp oil + 1/2 tsp cinnamon + pinch salt + 1/4 tsp cumin
Directions
- Press tofu: Rinse the tofu with water and place a couple kitchen towels on the counter. Wrap the tofu with another towel, place another towel on top, and finally several heavy cookbooks on top. Let sit for at least 20 minutes to soak out the water.
- Meanwhile, whisk together the milk and cornstarch in a shallow dish. In another bowl, mix together the cornmeal, breadcrumbs, salt, and spices. Set aside. Preheat oven to 400F and grease 2 baking sheets with oil. Slice the potato into fries and then coat with 1 tsp oil, 1/2 tsp cinnamon, 1/4 tsp cumin, and a couple pinches of salt. Lay out on greased baking sheet.
- Slice tofu into 8-9 strips, lengthwise, depending on how thick you want it. With one hand dip the tofu strip into the milk mixture and then into the cornmeal/breadcrumb mixture. Use other hand to sprinkle dry mixture all over the tofu. Coat both sides entirely and then place on baking sheet. Repeat with the rest.
- Bake tofu on middle rack and fries on bottom rack at 400F. Bake for 20 minutes, then flip the tofu and fries, and then bake for another 15-20 minutes until crispy. Remove tofu and broil the fries for a few minutes, watching carefully, until golden and charred in some spots. Remove and serve with ketchup!
The first thing I did was rinse and press the tofu. I put down a couple kitchen towels on the counter, then wrapped the tofu in another towel, added another towel on top, and then stacked heavy cookbooks on top. I let it sit for about 20 minutes. This simply soaks out some of the water in the tofu, allowing for a crispier result.
Meanwhile, I got my sweet potato on! I used 1 large sweet potato, added 1/2 tsp cinnamon, 1/4 tsp cumin, few pinches of salt, and 1 tsp oil. Mix it all together and lay out on a greased baking sheet. Set aside.
After pressing, I sliced the tofu into 9 strips (next time I would probably just do 8 so they are a bit thicker)
Then I dipped the tofu into the milk and cornstarch mixture, followed by the cornmeal/breadcrumb mixture.
Place on a greased baking sheet. Now bake the tofu and sweet potato fries simultaneously (tofu on middle rack, fries on bottom), for 20 minutes at 400F. Now flip everything and bake for another 15-20 minutes. Remove tofu and broil the fries for a few minutes, watching very closely!
Amazing, crispy, addictive tofu strips that were made for dipping in ketchup!
With the leftovers, I chopped up a couple strips and mixed it into a big salad for lunch. It was a great salad topper with a kick of protein. You could also layer these in a sandwich or wrap too.
If you try it out, let me know what you think!
oh how very delicicious!
YUM! Is the ketchup homemade? It looks like it!
Nope it is Simply Natural Organic brand though!
Thank you! I am going to try this on the weekend, I was missing a meal in our mealplan and you just filled the spot! I am going to try tofu again because tempeh has always bothered me as well but these look too good to pass up!
Yum! I’ve honestly always loved tofu, even “raw”, weirdly enough. But this sounds like the ultimate recipe. Cannot wait to try it!
Your recipe looks delicious! However, personally I stopped eating tofu after I learned (via the Institute for Integrative Nutrition) that as little as 2 tablespoons per day can negatively affect thyroid function, greatly increase estrogen levels, etc. It’s also one of the most common allergenic foods. However, I am sure it’s fine in moderation. :)
Dippable? Sounds like we have a winner.
I’ve made something similar to your Crispy Tofu Strips. They weren’t as crispy as I’d hoped but were still o.k. I’ll have to give your recipe a try. Of course, you can’t go wrong with Sweet Potato Fries. Yum!
Made them today to see if I could convince myself to like tofu. Better than any tofu I’ve ever had but I’m still not a fan of the curd. Anyone have any killer gotta try these and you’ll be a tofu lover recipes?
That looks scrumptious! And girl, now that you are making things with tofu, you neeeeed a TofuXpress! No more stacking books and mess. I love mine!
Hi, I’m a big fan of your blog. It has really helped me get in touch with my body and conquer my issues with food. I have a few questions: have you ever had buckwheat (kasha)? I’m Russian, so I’ve had it a lot back there. When my mother cooked it, it was always “whole” and chewy. However, here in the states, our buckwheat always turns out mushy and paste like, and doesn’t keep its ‘grains’ intact. I was wondering, if you have had made it before, have you been able to keep it together so that it doesn’t become a mushy paste. Is there a difference between raw buckwheat groats and the toasted kind? (we tried both kinds, both turned out mushy). Thank you so much!
Also, I live in the states, so IDK if they sell this in Canada, but if they do, I was wondering if you have ever tried: http://www.glutenfreepalace.com/Ciabatta-Parbaked-Rolls-p/s9391.htm
Although I don’t have any gluten/wheat allergies, I love these bread rolls as an emergency bread when we don’t have access to a bakery (we don’t buy pre-sliced bread), and despite being gluten free, it tastes great after being cooked in the oven (or a toaster) and has a good ingredient list approved by my family (who have the same food values as you- meaning fresh, mostly organic, whole, local and nutritious foods of the best quality)
My kind of meal. I do not use tofu all that much, but enough to give this recipe a whirl!! Thanks Angela. :) Love those fries too. YUM!
Well it looks like I know what I’ll be having for dinner tonight! I adore tofu and I have a love affair with sweet potatoes so I have a feeling this meal will quickly be added to the weekly rotation. Thanks for the great recipes, Angela! I love the fact that you go old school with how to press tofu. It seems like everyone else has those fancy-shmancy tofu presses but the towel-book method still works just fine.. not to mention it’s much more economical :)
Do you think you could use oat flour or flax flour instead of cornmeal?
ground flax might work?
I haven’t scrolled through all of the comments, but just in case this hasn’t been said already, you must get a tofu press!! I have yet to get one because of the budget i’m on right now. But it squeezes all of the water out without having to wait :-)
here is the link: http://www.tofuxpress.com/
Thanks Erin!
Those look delicious. They remind me of breaded fish sticks but of course these are better for you and the planet.
Thanks for the simple recipe!
I wish I had seen this an hour earlier! I was searching for tofu recipes for dinner and wound up just making my usual marinated/pan fried tofu – yours looks terrific! I will be trying this very soon :)
And those pictures of the glazed tofu & eggplant roll ups – woah. I can’t wait to see them in your cookbook!
Why do I have to be off of soy this week?!? I think I am intolerant to something I’m eating, but I hope it’s not soy because these look tooooo good to miss out on. ;)
I’ve found that tofu is cooked at extremes. It either turns our absolutely amazing, or its horribly inedible. Unfortunately, I can’t eat tofu anymore (soy is one of many things that irritates my spastic bowels), but I have seen a recipe for burmese style tofu I’ve been wanting to try. Thanks for giving me the motivation to go get the ingredients and go for it.
Hehe love the picture of the “light reading” pressing the tofu. At least I now know my uni textbooks are good for something else!
I bought a package of tofu [never tried it!] with absolutely no idea how I was going to use it. It is extra firm silken tofu.. could I use it in this recipe? Does the “silken” part matter even though it says extra firm?
I’m not sure Andrea! Maybe a tofu pro knows?