”Tofu has been misunderstood by some as a bland rubbery filler food, but when cooked well it’s surprisingly addictive. Take the time to really dry out the tofu and crisp up the edges.” – Ravinder Bhogal
Tofu tossed in a stir-fry also makes an easy weeknight win.
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Ingredients
For the tofu:
- 396g block firm tofu (we used Cauldron, from large supermakets)
- Olive oil for frying
- 1 tbsp sesame seeds, toasted briefly in a dry pan until fragrant
- Crispy fried shallots (from a tub) and micro coriander to serve
For the caramel sauce
- 125g soft brown sugar
- 1 tbsp red wine vinegar
- ½ tbsp Chinese black rice vinegar
- 25ml light soy sauce
- ½ tbsp chilli bean paste
- 1 tsp grated fresh ginger
- 1 garlic clove, crushed
- ¼ tsp sichuan pepper
- ½ bird’s eye chilli, finely sliced
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Method
- Put the tofu block on a plate between 2 thick wads of kitchen paper. Press down firmly to squeeze out as much moisture as possible, then use more kitchen paper to pat the surface of the tofu block dry.
- Heat a glug of oil in a non-stick frying pan and fry the tofu on both sides for 4-5 minutes in total until crisp and golden. Remove from the pan (reserve the pan) and set aside.
- To make the caramel sauce, put the sugar and 3 tbsp cold water in the pan and heat gently until the sugar dissolves and turns into an amber caramel. Add the remaining caramel sauce ingredients and stir to combine.
- Return the tofu to the pan and baste in caramel sauce. Slice thickly, then serve on a platter, drizzled with the remaining caramel sauce and topped with the toasted sesame seeds, crispy shallots and micro coriander.
Nutrition
- 324kcal Calories
- 14.7g (2.4g saturated) Fat
- 13.7g Protein
- 32.9g (32.1g sugars) Carbs
- 2.5g Fibre
- 1g Salt
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