Salt and Pepper Tofu
This is a delicious vegan fakeaway dish that's so simple to make, and can even be cooked in an air fryer! This is one of our favourite air fryer recipes because the tofu is so crispy on the outside, but soft and chewy on the inside. Try this simple recipe at home and you'll be surprised at how good it tastes considering it requires very little effort.
Serves
Ingredients
For the tofu
<item-todo-done>6 tbsp cornflour<item-todo-done><item-todo-done>1 tsp salt<item-todo-done><item-todo-done>½ tsp white pepper<item-todo-done><item-todo-done>½ tsp Chinese 5 spice<item-todo-done><item-todo-done> tbsp vegetable oil for frying<item-todo-done>
For the sauce
<item-todo-done>1 vegetable oil<item-todo-done><item-todo-done>4 spring onions<item-todo-done><item-todo-done>4 garlic cloves<item-todo-done><item-todo-done>2 red chillies<item-todo-done><item-todo-done>½ tsp salt<item-todo-done><item-todo-done>½ tsp white pepper<item-todo-done><item-todo-done>½ tsp Chinese 5 spice<item-todo-done><item-todo-done>2 tbsp sweet chilli sauce<item-todo-done><item-todo-done>2 tbsp maple syrup<item-todo-done>
To serve
<item-todo-done> sesame seeds<item-todo-done><item-todo-done> spring onion<item-todo-done>
Before you start
Frying pan | Wok | Serving bowl
Prepare the tofu
- Gently squeeze the tofu to get rid of any excess liquid
- Rip the tofu into roughly equal sized pieces
- Add the cornflour, salt, pepper and Chinese five spice to a bowl and and stir to combine
- Add the tofu pieces to the bowl and toss to coat and cover
- Warm 1 inch vegetable oil in a wok over medium heat until the end of a wooden spoon gently fizzes with small bubbles
- Lower the tofu into the wok and fry until golden and really crispy
- Use a slotted spoon to transfer the tofu to a plate lined with kitchen paper and set to one side
- If you prefer, stick the coated tofu straight into the air fryer and fry at 200º for 15 minutes
Prepare the ingredients
- Trim the spring onions, finely slice and split the white and green parts
- Peel and grate the garlic
- Finely slice the chillies
Fry the tofu and serve
- Warm 2 tbsp vegetable oil in a wok over medium heat
- Add the white parts of the spring onion and the garlic to the oil and stir for 1 minute to cook through
- Add the tofu to the wok and toss to coat
- Stir the maple syrup and sweet chilli sauce together into a glaze then pour over the tofu until it's nice and glossy
- Mix the salt, pepper and five spice in a small bowl to combine, sprinkle over the tofu and toss to coat
- Pour into a serving bowl and sprinkle the remaining spring onions and top with sesame seeds and serve immediately