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Indian-spiced fried tofu sticks
I used to have a hard time making tofu look and taste appetizing. Whenever my wife saw me pull the tofu package out of the refrigerator, she figured she was in for a bad dinner (and she was usually right).
Regardless of how I attempted to cook tofu, it ended up kinda mushy and broken apart. This would have been fine if I were making a tofu pie or scramble. But usually I was going for stir fry, or just pan-fried slices of tofu. I couldn’t figure out how to give the tofu some shape and texture.
Then one night my aunt served some amazing pan-fried tofu for dinner, and I asked her how she cooked it so perfectly. She told me she pressed the excess liquid out of the tofu block before cooking it. I had never heard of anyone doing this before (despite growing up vegetarian). It opened up a whole new world of tofu possibilities.
Last night, I used my aunt’s method to make Indian-spiced fried tofu sticks. Here’s how:
Recipe
First, squeeze the liquid out of a whole block of extra-firm tofu. Be firm but gentle. You don’t want to squash the thing. Then lay it out like a loaf of bread and cut 6 relatively even slices. Turn it on its end and make one more cut, leaving you with 12 sticks.
Combine 3 tablespoons of corn starch and 3 tablespoons of corn meal in a bowl, then add some spices. I did an Indian-style spice mix with some curry powder, garlic powder and turmeric.
Crack one egg into a different bowl and whisk it (vegans might try ground flax seed and water). Dip the tofu sticks in a quick egg bath, then roll the sticks in the spice mixture.
Heat about 1/4-inch of vegetable oil (or maybe a nut oil) and fry the tofu sticks on medium heat for 4 to 5 minutes per side. Drain them on paper towels and serve with dipping sauce. I only had hoison sauce on hand, and while it was sort of a culture clash, the flavors went together fairly well.
Ingredient list
- 1 package extra-firm tofu
- 1 egg
- 3 tbs corn starch
- 3 tbs corn meal
- 1 tsp curry powder
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- Pinch of turmeric (for color)
- Vegetable oil
Sides
I served these with a vegetable mix of steamed broccoli, edamame and green peas and some basmati rice lightly flavored with Better Than Bouillon.
February 28th, 2008 at 7:38 pm
That sounds amazing, I’ll have to try it.
Here’s a couple of things I thought of when I read it:
-You can also squeeze tofu by slicing, wrapping in paper towels and placing between two plates with a small weight on top.
- Another good vegan substitution for the egg dip: soy milk
Keep on cookin’
it smells great!
February 29th, 2008 at 5:24 pm
That’s a good tip. I’ve always squeezed the entire block, not post slicing. Thanks.
March 1st, 2008 at 6:42 pm
This was great…I cut the tofu up into smaller bite sized squares and tossed them in a tablespoon of oil. I used avocado oil but any good oil would work great. Then I tossed them into the spice mixture. I then baked it in the oven (the mixture would have fallen off if I fried it). It was great! I have done this method with other “mixes” the oil allows the spices to adhere and works wonderfully. Thanks for the spice recipe!
March 1st, 2008 at 8:19 pm
Hey thanks, Jess. :) When I first made them for my omni wife she asked me why I had not made them before–with a bit of angst I might add.