Crispy Tofu Teriyaki
Crispy tofu has been one of my favourite things to make lately. I put it in sushi, fried rice, in sandwiches… anywhere I can add it into, I do. I was eating it without any sauces, so to give it a little something something, it I decided to coat it in a spicy garlicky teriyaki sauce, and it made it seriously amazing. The tofu is incredibly crispy, and the glaze caramelises and creates a crackly crispy crust on top of the already crispy tofu.
serves: 1-2 people
prep/cooking time: ~20 minutes
Ingredients
250g firm tofu
3 tbsp cornstarch
1/4 cup teriyaki sauce
spring onion, cut in slices, to garnish
toasted sesame seeds, to garnish
salt, neutral oil
Method
1. Wrap tofu in kitchen towel and place on a cutting board, place a weighty object (heavy plate, mortar…) onto the tofu for 5-10 minutes to press out any excess moisture.
2. After the tofu has drained, cut it into rectangles or triangles; cut the block in half width-wise stop here if making rectangles, if not, separate the two rectangles and cut into both diagonally to create a total of 4 triangles.
3. In a pan with high sides, add in enough oil to coat the bottom of the pan, you need about 1 cm worth of oil. Turn the heat up to medium high.
4. In a shallow bowl or plate add the cornstarch and lightly season with salt. Coat the tofu triangles in the cornstarch mixture, pat the excess off and lay them gently into the hot oil.
5. Fry the tofu until the coating goes crispy and golden. If it’s getting dark fast, turn the heat down to medium.
6. Remove the golden crispy tofu pieces from the oil, and put on a paper lined plate.
7. When done frying all the tofu, pour out the oil from the pan, and add the teriyaki sauce into it. Bring it up to medium high heat, the sauce will start to bubble and thicken. When it starts to bubble, add the tofu pieces back to the pan and stir and flip to coat the tofu properly. Once everything is coated remove from pan, put it on a plate along with the sauce and garnish with spring onion and sesame seeds.