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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.Ā Jump to RecipeĀ Ā
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 donāt 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 tryingĀ moreĀ options at restaurants. My current favorite tofu dishes come from Wedgewood II Thai in Seattle (Capitol Hill).Ā
Back to todayās 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.Ā 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.Ā
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 āeggā Salad Sandwich
- Mango Curry Tofu
Reading for the day:
- First Vegan school opens
- āThat one was definitely aliveā Ā An undercover video at one of the nationās biggest pork processors
Step by step photos:
Brush the marinate on the tofu and let it chill. Ā The marinade coating should not be too thick or too thin.
Prepare the breading mixture. Coat the tofu strips in the breading and grill.Ā
Grill over medium heat for 6Ā to 9 minutes each side.Ā
Slice and serve over salad, a roasted veggie and grain bowl with a creamy cooling dressing or over butternut pilaf.
Crispy Breaded Tofu Strips
IngredientsĀ Ā
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
InstructionsĀ
- 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
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
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This is my new favorite tofu recipe. It comes out amazingly moist, which is hard to get in tofu. I even forgot to bread it, but it was still yummy. Next time Iāll try the breading.
Great!
Looks yummy! I am going to try this tomorrow!!
I donāt have a grill, but to make this crispy, is it better to pan fry with some oil instead of baking in the oven? Have you try pan frying??
yes you can pan fry as well. I use a grill pan on the stove. which is a pan with grill marks and pan fry on that. You can use a regular pan, just keep an eye on the breading so that it doesnt burn/char completely.
Hi Richa, I made this tonight ā very nice, especially considering that it used virtually no oil! They grilled up well, got the grill marks, but I found myself wishing I had pan fried them ā the breading was a bit dry. I also think I actually over-pressed the tofu; it was also kind of dry. All of that said, I would make this again, doing a couple tweaks. Iām curious ā did you use fresh bread crumbs, or panko, or what? Thanks!
I used panko and a thick coating of the sauce. It could be the over dry tofu or over cooking. You can soak the slices in a marinade of soy sauce + garlic powder and spices of choice for an hour or and then coat in the thick sauce, and bread and grill. I did use an oil spray on both sides, so maybe that also helped lock in the moisture.
OK, thatās it ā Iām going to finally invest in a spray bottle thingee for oil, because I think that is exactly what the tofu needed: just a bit more oil than I had brushed onto the grill pan. Also Iām going to get a better brand of tofu ā brand I used for this tends to be dense and dry. Iād forgotten that I wasnāt going to buy it again. Thanks!
š yes, the type of tofu matters for sure. š
Those look like some of the best crispy tofu strips I ve ever seen. Can t wait to try them.
I made this last night along with the Butternut Squash Pilafā¦ oh my! It was incredibly scrumptious. Thanks for all the delicious recipes you provide here. I was telling one of my friends how youāre such an amazing cook!
Awesome!! So glad you loved it!
YUM! Iām always looking for new ways to prepare tofu. This looks simply delicious!
Thanks! this one was a hit at our recent potluck!
ive never tried breading tofu but this looks really good!!
try it!
I will try this but not cure if you buy soft or firm tofu?
firm or extra firm. just make sure to remove excess moisture by pressing
Made this tonight and itās delicious! My non-vegan husband really enjoyed it as well. Thanks so much!
Awesome!!!!