If you’re still on the fence about tofu, just wait until you’ve tried this – my latest tofu obsession!

Exceptionally crisp, golden nuggets of pan-fried tofu, coated in a savoury-sweet honey-garlic sauce, made with just nine simple ingredients, and accomplished in a quick 25 minutes or less!

Here are all the things you’ll love about it:

• incredibly tasty
• kid-friendly
• quick & easy
• less than 10 ingredients
• minimal prep
• one-pan meal
• meat-free
• gluten-free
• hearty and satisfying

Tofu can be a polarizing topic. You either love it, or you don’t – yet. At least that’s the case in our house. I personally love the flexibility tofu offers and reach for it often when cooking for myself. Where the rest of the family is concerned, there are two main reasons for the lack of enthusiasm around tofu: texture and taste. Definitely important factors involved in the overall enjoyment of food!

So, to ensure our best chance of success, this recipe tackles both texture and taste head-on (as does this fan-favourite; my crispy, spicy tofu crumble).

First, we need to use the right tofu for the job. Pressed tofu has a firm, chewy texture with less moisture than other types, which is why it’s the perfect choice to make our nuggets extra crispy. If you can’t find pre-pressed, buy extra firm tofu and press it yourself. You might be tempted to skip this step and I don’t blame you. I’ve been known to skip it too, just know that the results, while still delicious, might be slightly less impressive.

Tip! Freezing tofu improves the texture, making it “meatier” and also fortifies resiliency when cooking – helping to keep the tofu from falling apart. Simply defrost in the refrigerator overnight before using.

Another important step to really nailing that crisp, crunchy exterior on the tofu is a liberal coating of cornstarch. Simply toss the cut pieces of tofu in a large bowl with a generous amount of cornstarch, ensuring each piece is thoroughly coated on all sides. The cornstarch absorbs any existing moisture on the surface of the tofu and creates a bit of a craggy coating that gets insanely crisp after a few minutes in hot oil. Which, is the next important step.

Properly frying the tofu is crucial to achieving maximum crispiness. My skillet of choice is always well-seasoned cast iron, but if you don’t have one, any heavy-bottomed non-stick skillet will do. Heat a generous slick of neutral, high-heat appropriate oil (avocado, grapeseed, vegetable, canola, peanut) until you see ripples across the surface. You’ll need to be extremely carefully putting the tofu in the hot oil to avoid splattering. Using a set of tongs, slowly set one piece in the skillet to test the oil. There should be instant sizzling with oil bubbling in a lively fashion around the edges of the tofu. If not, the oil isn’t hot enough and needs a bit more time.

Once at least four of the six sides of each piece are shatteringly crisp, it’s time to cook the sauce. The key here is to simmer the sauce long enough for some of the liquid to evaporate, encouraging the sauce to thicken and intensifying the flavour, but not so long that it becomes thick and dark. If left too long, the sauce with turn into an almost candy-like coating as it cools. Still tasty, just not quite the idea.

What we’re looking for here is the colour of the sauce deepening slightly and watching for it to reduce by about a third. My fool-proof test is to swipe a rubber spatula through the sauce down the centre of the skillet from edge to edge. This will create a divide in the sauce about 2″ wide, with the bottom of the skillet visible. Wait for a count of one-one-thousand, two-one-thousand, three-one-thousand, and if the sauce meets back in the middle of the skillet around the three-one-thousand mark, it’s perfect. If you’ve used a smaller skillet or pot, this test might not work as it depends directly on the surface area. Likewise, if you’ve doubled the recipe but not increased the size of the skillet. Use your best judgment and trust it will be delicious even if slightly under, or overcooked.

Now, all that’s left is to give your perfect crispy tofu a toss in that scrumptious honey-garlic sauce and garnish liberally with thinly sliced green onion and toasted sesame seeds.

Best eaten straight out of the pan, but equally delicious when framed with steamed rice and garlicky greens of some sort – broccoli, bok choy, wilted kale – what have you.

Just one final thought before I send you on your way to crispy, honey-garlic tofu heaven… you may want to consider doubling this if feeding more than two, or if you just really love tofu!

Did you make this recipe? We’d love to hear how it went! Leave a comment below and don’t forget to give it a star rating.

Hope to see you over on Instagram too! Tag me @gaylemcleod and use our community hashtag #myfamilyfoodlife.

xo

Gayle