Crispy Tofu With Sesame Asparagus And Dipping Sauce Recipes

SESAME ASPARAGUS AND TOFU

Steps:

• In a medium bowl, whisk together 1 tablespoon soy sauce, mustard, sesame oil, vinegar, and chives. Bring a large stockpot of water to boil. Blanch asparagus just until tender, 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer to a colander, and rinse under cold water. Set aside.
• Pour sesame seeds onto a small plate. Place remaining 2 tablespoons soy sauce and tofu in a medium bowl. Turn tofu in soy sauce to coat; let sit 30 seconds. Remove a baton; dip one side in sesame seeds. Transfer to a clean plate. Repeat with remaining batons.
• Heat a large saute pan over medium-high heat. Coat with cooking spray. Arrange tofu, with sesame seeds down, in pan. Cook until golden brown on the bottoms, about 5 minutes. Brown remaining sides, about 2 minutes per side; remove from skillet.
• In a large bowl, toss the asparagus in vinaigrette. Divide the asparagus and tofu among four plates, and drizzle with any remaining vinaigrette. Serve.

THE BEST CRISPY TOFU

Steps:

• Wrap the tofu in a clean dish towel and place on top of a wire rack set inside a rimmed baking sheet. Place a heavy pan on top of the tofu and let it sit for 5 minutes to release as much moisture as possible. Unwrap the tofu and slice lengthwise into 1/2-inch-thick by 1 1/2-inch-wide planks.
• Whisk the soy sauce, lime juice, agave syrup, scallion whites and sriracha together in a small bowl and set aside. Mix the panko, sesame seeds, cornstarch, garlic salt, onion powder, 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt and a few grinds of pepper in a pie dish or shallow bowl. Press the tofu planks into the panko mixture to coat on all sides.
• Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the tofu and cook, undisturbed, until deep golden brown, 4 to 5 minutes. Flip the tofu with a metal spatula and continue cooking undisturbed until a deep golden brown, 4 to 5 minutes more. Transfer to a platter.
• Reduce the heat to low and add the soy-sauce mixture to the pan. Cook until bubbling and slightly thicker, 1 to 2 minutes. Pour the sauce over the tofu planks and sprinkle with the scallion greens.

CRISP TOFU WITH CRUDITES AND SESAME-GINGER DIPPING SAUCE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Make the sauce: Finely chop ginger in a food processor. Add tahini, tamari, honey, oil, and vinegar; process until combined. With machine running, add 3 tablespoons cool water. Process until smooth.
• Put tofu into a medium bowl. Add sesame seeds, oil, and salt; toss to combine. Arrange tofu in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake until golden brown and bottoms are lightly crisp, 12 to 15 minutes. Flip tofu, and bake 10 minutes more. Let cool completely.
• To assemble, divide cabbage, green beans, and bell pepper into 4 servings, and top with tofu. Divide sauce among 4 small cups. Serve within 2 hours, or refrigerate, covered, up to 1 day.

CRISPY SESAME TOFU

Steps:

• Place block of tofu flat on cutting board; slice lengthwise into 4 equal pieces, then down the middle to make 8 squares. Place on baking sheet lined with three layers of paper towels; cover with three more layers. Place another baking sheet and a weight on top. Let tofu drain until towels are soaked, 5 minutes.
• Spread the sesame seeds on a plate. Press both sides of each tofu square into sesame seeds. In a large nonstick skillet, heat 1 tablespoon sesame oil over medium heat. Cook tofu, until golden brown, 4 to 6 minutes per side. Add the soy sauce; continue cooking, turning tofu, until it has absorbed all the liquid, about 1 minute. Remove from pan. Wipe skillet with a paper towel.
• Add broccoli, 1/4 teaspoon salt, 1/8 teaspoon pepper, and 1/2 cup water to skillet. Simmer, covered, until broccoli is tender, about 5 minutes. Divide among 4 serving plates; arrange 2 tofu squares on each. Drizzle with remaining tablespoon sesame oil. Serve.

SESAME TOFU WITH DIPPING SAUCE

Steps:

• Cut tofu into 1/2 inch thick slices, lay flat on a towel to dry out.
• Combine all the dipping sauce ingredients in a small mixing bowl.
• Marinate tofu in 1/2 to 3/4 of the dipping sauce for a couple hours. (The original recipe says to marinate for thirty minutes, but I did it overnight to maximize flavour).
• Remove tofu from marinade and pat dry with a paper towel (I skipped this step).
• Dip tofu in beaten egg white then coat with sesame seeds.
• Brown tofu slices on each side over medium heat in a non-stick pan with olive oil until sesame seeds are golden and crispy, about 5-7 minutes per side (The recipe says two minutes per side, but I found it took much longer).
• Serve with remaining dipping sauce.

CRISPY TOFU WITH SWEET-AND-SOUR SAUCE

Steps:

• Press the tofu: Wrap the block of tofu in a clean tea towel, and place on a cutting board. Weigh down the tofu with a sheet pan topped with something heavy, such as a large skillet, cans or books, until the tea towel is soaked, about 30 minutes.
• While the tofu is pressed, prep the zucchini: Halve the zucchini crosswise, then cut each piece lengthwise into 1/4-inch-thick planks. Finally, cut each plank lengthwise into 1/4-inch-thick "fries." Place the zucchini fries in a large colander set over a medium bowl. Add 1 teaspoon salt, and toss until evenly coated. Set aside to drain.
• Meanwhile, make the sauce: In a measuring cup, stir together the apricot preserves, rice vinegar, soy sauce, red-pepper flakes, 1 teaspoon onion powder and 2 teaspoons water until smooth. Transfer to a small dish for dipping, and set aside.
• Slice the pressed tofu in half horizontally, and cut each of those halves into 8 rectangular pieces, creating 16 nuggets total. Directly on the cutting board, season the tofu with 1 teaspoon salt and the remaining 1/2 teaspoon onion powder, smearing each piece around to catch all the seasonings.
• In a large bowl, toss to combine the potato starch and the remaining 1 teaspoon salt. Place the tofu in the starch, and gently toss with your hands until each piece is evenly coated.
• Fry the tofu: Heat a large skillet over medium-high, and add a thin layer of oil, enough to coat the bottom of the pan. Add the tofu in a single layer, and cook, flipping a couple of times, until lightly golden on both sides, about 10 minutes total. Transfer the cooked tofu to a towel-lined plate to drain, and season it with salt to taste.
• To serve, transfer the tofu and zucchini to a large platter, and serve alongside the dipping sauce.

CRISPY TOFU

Steps:

• Drain the tofu, wrap in 4-5 sheets of kitchen paper, put on a plate and put something heavy over the top, like a wooden chopping board, or a tray with a few tins on it. Leave for 20 mins to drain the excess moisture from the tofu.
• Mix the cornflour, garlic, paprika, salt and pepper in a small bowl. Unravel the tofu from the paper, cut in half through the centre, then cut into triangles, cubes or strips.
• Toss the tofu pieces in the spiced cornflour to coat all over. Heat the oil in a large non-stick frying pan over a medium-high heat. Fry the tofu for 2-4 mins on each side until golden, crunchy and browned at the edges. Smaller cubes will take 2 mins each side, larger triangles will take 4 mins. Cook in batches if you need to, adding a little more oil if the pan gets dry.
• Drain the cooked tofu on kitchen paper and season with a pinch more salt before serving.