Spicy Crispy Breaded Tofu Strips

Spicy Crispy Breaded Tofu Strips. Marinated Tofu breaded and grilled or baked. Flavorful and easy. Vegan Breaded Tofu, Holiday Recipe. Can be made gluten-free with glutenfree bread crumbs. Easily doubled. Jump to Recipe   

For the longest while I disliked Tofu. I think it was because of the way it was prepared. Too bland, too fried or what not. After transitioning to a vegan diet, I was faced with a challenge to figure out how to make tofu on my own so I could like it. In general, I don’t necessarily need to eat Tofu at home. There are enough beans, lentils, veggie dishes that make up our meals. But when I eat out is when the options get limited by my dislike of tofu (and broccoli). I mean think of something like a saucy Thai Cashew delight minus both, it would just be cashews and onions. ha!

So once I started cooking some at home, I warmed up to this silky gelly beany slab. We eat Tofu infrequently at home, but at least the warming up has helped me be open to trying more options at restaurants. My current favorite tofu dishes come from Wedgewood II Thai in Seattle (Capitol Hill). 

Back to today’s recipe. This easy crisped up tofu needs just a few minutes of active time. Brush the marinade on the Tofu strips and let it sit for a while, then bread and grill. Serve as side or main with a side of salad or pilaf. Pictures below with a flavorful Butternut Squash Pilaf.  The ketchup, spices, soy sauce make a great marinade, which also acts like a sticky coat to keep all those breadcrumbs on. Use other sauces like bbq, and spices and herbs of choice. 

More Tofu dishes from the blog

• Celery Black Pepper Tofu.
• Spicy Orange Tofu
• Tofu in Spinach Curry
• Peanut Butter Tofu Bowl with mashed potatoes
• 5 minute Tofu “egg” Salad Sandwich
• Mango Curry Tofu

Reading for the day:

• First Vegan school opens
• “That one was definitely alive”  An undercover video at one of the nation’s biggest pork processors

Step by step photos:

Brush the marinate on the tofu and let it chill.  The marinade coating should not be too thick or too thin.

Prepare the breading mixture. Coat the tofu strips in the breading and grill. 

Grill over medium heat for 6 to 9 minutes each side. 

Slice and serve over salad, a roasted veggie and grain bowl with a creamy cooling dressing or over butternut pilaf.

Crispy Breaded Tofu Strips

4.97 from 26 votes

By: Vegan Richa

Prep: 1 hour hr

Cook: 30 minutes mins

Total: 1 hour hr 30 minutes mins

Servings: 6

Course: Main

Cuisine: American

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Spicy Crispy Breaded Tofu Strips. Marinated Tofu breaded and grilled or baked. Flavorful and easy. Vegan Holiday Side. Vegan Recipe. Can be made gluten-free with glutenfree bread crumbs. Easily doubled. Glutenfree option

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Ingredients 

US CustomaryMetric

 

1x2x3x

Tofu Marinade:

• ▢ 14 oz extra firm or firm tofu pressed, (I usually use Nasoya Organic non gmo)
• ▢ 1 tbsp low sodium tamari/soy sauce
• ▢ 2 tbsp ketchup
• ▢ 1 tsp maple syrup or other sweetener
• ▢ 1/2 tsp hot sauce, optional
• ▢ 2 tsp oil
• ▢ 1/2 tsp garam masala, or 1/2 tsp ground cumin and 1/2 tsp ground coriander
• ▢ 1/2 tsp garlic
• ▢ 1/4 tsp salt
• ▢ 1/2 tsp cornstarch or tapioca starch, (optional, helps the breadcrumbs stick better during grilling)

Breadcrumb coating:

• ▢ 3/4 cup breadcrumbs, , use gluten-free crumbs to make gf
• ▢ 1/4 tsp salt
• ▢ 1/4 to 1/2 tsp cayenne
• ▢ 1 tbsp nutritional yeast, optional

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Instructions 

• Slice the slab into 6 to 8 rectangles. Press the tofu for half an hour between kitchen towels and under a heavy weight to remove excess moisture. or use Tofu press (before or after slicing).
• Mix the marinade ingredients. (Add 1/2 tsp cornstarch to the marinade for extra binding). Dip the tofu in the marinade and coat all sides to make an even coating that is not too thick or too thin. Place the tofu strips in a container with a lid.
• Refrigerate for atleast half an hour or longer.
• Mix everything under breadcrumb coating. If the breadcrumbs are too large, pulse them a few times in a blender and use.
• Place each tofu strip in the breadcrumb mixture. Flip to coat all sides
• Heat a grill pan over medium high heat on the stove. Brush oil on the pan and place the breaded tofu on the pan. Cook 7 to 9 minutes each side or until brown strips appear.
• Serve with sauces of choice like vegan ranch or a dash of lemon, or slice and to salads, bowls, wraps, sandwiches, etc. Pictured with Butternut Squash Pilaf.

Video

Notes

To bake: Bake at preheated 425 degrees F for 30 minutes or longer until crisp, flipping half way through.
You can grill the baked tofu over high heat to get grill marks.
For a stickier marinade, add 2 tsp flax seed meal and mix in. Let sit for 2 minutes, then coat tofu in the marinade.

Nutritional information based on 1 serving

Nutrition

Calories: 120kcal, Carbohydrates: 14g, Protein: 6g, Fat: 4g, Sodium: 545mg, Potassium: 181mg, Sugar: 3g, Vitamin A: 85IU, Vitamin C: 0.7mg, Calcium: 46mg, Iron: 1.4mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Did you make this recipe? Rate and comment below!