Chilli salt tofu recipe
I know die-hard meat-eaters who turn weak at the knees for this. When fried, this soft tofu becomes almost custard like, encased in a golden, crisp and spicy shell. Tofu is such a pure ingredient — don’t mess with it too much, and certainly don’t make burgers out of it or the meat-eaters will be running away at speed. A golden ale will be a fine friend indeed to this dish.
Ingredients
For the tofu- 600 g soft tofu
- 150 g plain (all-purpose) flour
- 500 ml vegetable oil, for frying
- 2 spring onions, thinly sliced
- 1 large red chilli, thinly sliced
- 6 lemon wedges, to serve
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 1 tsp ground white pepper
- 0.5 tsp chilli powder
Details
- Cuisine: American
- Recipe Type: Snack
- Difficulty: Easy
- Preparation Time: 15 mins
- Cooking Time: 10 mins
- Serves: 6
Step-by-step
- To make the chilli salt, combine the ingredients in a small bowl.
- To prepare the tofu, carefully remove it from its packaging and drain on paper towel. The tofu may already be cut into ¾cm cubes. If not, use a sharp knife to cut it into cubes, then pat dry with paper towel.
- Put the flour on a plate. Heat the oil in a saucepan or wok over medium-high heat. When the oil is shimmering, it is ready to use.
- Working in batches, gently roll the tofu in the flour. Use metal tongs to lower the tofu into the hot oil and cook, turning, for 2-3 minutes, or until crisp and golden. Drain on paper towel.
- When you’ve finished cooking all the tofu, add the spring onion and chilli to the hot oil and fry for 2-3 minutes, or until crisp. Scatter over the tofu. Serve sprinkled with the chilli salt, with lemon wedges on the side.
Food + Beer by Ross Dobson (Murdoch Books, £18.99). Photography by Jason Loucas.
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