This recipe is from Cook, Share, Eat Vegan by Áine Carlin. I have only started exploring this book, but there are some interesting ideas in this book and I look forward to checking out more recipes.
As a vegan, there is a constant search for better ways of preparing tofu, especially methods that give it that crispy outer texture that is so delicious and found in restaurants. So, I decided to give this recipe a try in my quest for delicious tofu options. As a bonus for some, this is made with gluten free ingredients!
Ingredients:
¾ cup rice flour
1 tsp baking powder
½ tsp garlic powder
1 tsp sea salt flakes (I didn’t have sea salt flakes, so I took my rock sea salt and blitzed it for a second in my coffee grinder)
1 tsp dried red pepper flakes
¼ tsp black pepper
1 heaping tsp brown sugar
½ cup water
7 Tbsp olive oil
Firm block of tofu, pressed (another chance to use my fancy tofu press)
And then for the coating:
1 tsp fine sea salt
1 tsp dried red pepper flakes
¼ tsp brown sugar
¼ tsp black pepper
Step one is always to get that tofu pressed. If you have discovered the joy of a tofu press, this is a great time to use it, and if not, just wrap in paper towel and put some heavy pans on top of the block to press until a bunch of the liquid is removed.
Mix together the rice flour, baking powder, garlic powder, sea salt, red pepper flakes, black pepper and brown sugar. When that is mixed, add the water and use a whisk to mix. This step did not go well for me. I’m not sure if there is an issue with my ingredients or the recipe, but in order to make a usable batter, I needed to almost triple the amount of water listed (I used almost 1-1/2 cups).
Now it’s time to get the oil heated in a pan. This frying step is always sketchy for me, so I truly appreciated that the recipe told me that I would know the oil was ready when a cube of bread browned in 30 seconds. 😊
Cut the pressed tofu into “fingers” and dip them in the batter before frying for 2-3 minutes per side.
Remove the tofu fingers from the oil and let them drain on paper towel. As they are draining, combine the ingredients for the coating and dust the fried bits of goodness with the coating.
Simplicity rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ This is an easy recipe, as long as you have the ingredients on hand. Simplicity would have increased if I had a thermometer for the oil or sea salt flakes…though I know that statement sounds horribly spoiled ☹
Vegan rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ These were good tofu fingers, but I think my search for the perfect recipe might still continue. I think I might try this again with medium tofu instead of the firm, and I think I would change the coating a bit – it needed more flavour. If I was doing it again, I would probably include garlic salt, or maybe more red pepper flakes.
Carnivore rating: ⭐ “Nope.”
Kid rating: ⭐⭐⭐ “It’s ok…”
I think this recipe has potential. I really liked the texture of the coating and just need to adjust flavour a bit. All in all, pretty good, from a vegan perspective!
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