Simple Easy Fried Tofu Recipe

How To Fry Tofu and Use It In Easy Vegan Tofu Recipes

Fried Tofu is a versatile vegetarian|vegan cooking staple. It goes well in lots of easy vegan tofu recipes, such as tofu, pasta and veggies, or spicy tofu rice pilaf.

How to Fry Tofu: For best results, the tofu should be extra firm and dry, to soak up marinade, and turn crispy in the pan.

Little or no oil is needed to fry tofu with a non-stick fry pan, but a fairly high pan temperature is best.

Kids love fried tofu, all by itself, and will reliably eat it, preferably dipped in ketchup (buy organic!). Even non-vegetarian kids love fried tofu. It's salty, crispy and oily - reminds them of fries.

Serves 4 - 6

Total Prep and Cook Time: 20 Minutes

Nutrition Data Per Serving, 92g: 150 cal, 4g carb, 13g fat, 263mg sodium, 2g fiber, 13g protein, low Cholesterol, good source Selenium, Calcium, Manganese. Estimated glycemic load 2

Fried Tofu Ingredients:

• 1 lb extra firm tofu, drained and blotted dry
• 1 Tbsp Braggs liquid aminos (preferred), or soy sauce
• 1 Tbsp high temperature cooking oil, such as coconut oil or grape seed oil
• Optional: paprika, cumin, ginger, cayenne
• Optional: nutritional yeast

Directions

1. Slice the tofu in 1/2 X 1" pieces, or in 1/2 inch slabs (for sandwiches or tofu 'steaks' - there must be a better word!)
2. Place in a bowl, sprinkle with braggs, and shake or stir
3. Marinate for a few minutes to an hour as you like
4. Optional: Add a bit of paprika, cumin, ginger, pinch cayenne to the Braggs or soy sauce
5. Optional: After marinating in Braggs, coat with nutritional yeast before frying for a cheesy crispy crust
6. Heat the oil on medium/high in a heavy non stick frying pan or well cured cast iron pan
7. Add the tofu, fry 5 minutes or so on each side until brown and crispy, turning with a spatula (that's the fun part!)
8. To speed things up, fry the tofu in 1/2 inch slabs, which you can then cut up as needed

Fried Tofu Cooking Tips

How to Fry Tofu Crispy Without Oil: Use a non stick fry pan and cut the tofu in 1/2 inch slabs. Fry on medium heat with no oil, pressing the tofu onto the pan. Fry both sides until golden, about 5 minutes each side. Then marinate or sprinkle tofu with soy sauce, Braggs or bbq sauce, and fry again until crispy. Use a little oil if you prefer, but I've found this method works well, as the dry fry tofu really soaks up the marinade like crazy!

If you can only get firm tofu, make it extra firm by wrapping in a dish towel or paper towels and weighting it with something heavy to press out the excess moisture.

Different brands of tofu vary greatly in firmness. One of the best we've found is Woodstock, but you should try a few that are available in your area, to see what works best for you.

Fried tofu makes great sandwiches, especially if you coat the tofu slices with nutritional yeast before frying - as in the tofu-on-a-bun picture.

What To Do With Your Fried Tofu

• Serve with pasta and steamed veggies, with a little tomato sauce
• Serve with rice or quinoa and steamed veggies
• Add to a salad for a meal in a bowl
• Combine with sautéed veggies and salsa in a wrap
• Cut in bite size chunks, and add to a pilaf, or veggie stew
• Serve on a bun with fixin's and fries
• Refrigerate in a covered container for sandwiches