Easy Eats: Salt and Pepper Tofu
Economical and versatile tofu gets a spicy glow-up for a weeknight dinner.
Kelly GibneyChef
- prepare
- cook
- 4 servings
- Easy
Caption:This dish will convert tofu skeptics and delight tofu lovers, says food writer Kelly Gibney.Photo credit:Kelly Gibney
Tofu is really delicious when well-seasoned. This is a tasty dish for tofu enthusiasts or those that need to be converted. It's best made with firm tofu rather than the extra firm styles. It cannot be made with silken tofu.
Long cooking chopsticks are an excellent tool for cooking the tofu. They are gentle enough to not disturb the coating and make it easy to turn individual pieces in the hot oil.
Ingredients
- 600g tofu
- 3 Tbsp flour
- 3 Tbsp cornflour
- 2 tsp garlic powder
- 2 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp white pepper
- 1 1/2 tsp salt
- Oil, for shallow frying
- ½ head cabbage, thinly sliced
- 1 large carrot, grated or julienned
- 1 red capsicum, thinly sliced
- 1 spring onion, green part sliced
- For the dresssing: 2 tsp sesame oil
- For the dresssing: 1 Tbsp soy sauce
- For the dresssing: 1 Tbsp rice vinegar
- For the dresssing: 1 garlic clove, minced
- For the dresssing: 1 tsp finely grated ginger root
- For the dresssing: 1 tsp runny honey
- Steamed rice, to serve
Instructions
- Rinse the tofu blocks and cut into cubes, approximately 2.5cm wide. Lay the tofu on paper towels or a clean tea towel to soak up the excess moisture.
- Mix together the flour, cornflour, garlic powder, onion powder, white pepper and salt.
- Coat all the pieces of tofu in the seasoned flour.
- Heat ½ cm of oil in a sauté pan over a medium heat.
- Gently shake excess flour from the tofu. Fry in batches, until lightly golden on each side.
- Combine the cabbage, carrot and capsicum in a large bowl. Whisk together the dressing, pour over the top of the vegetables and toss well.
- Serve each person a scoop of rice, a helping of slaw and some tofu.
