Yay! I submitted my Salt & Pepper Tofu recipe to VegWeb.com back in April and just realized that they finally posted it earlier this month. I guess there’s a bit of a back-log over there, which is understandable considering the massive amount of recipes and info that they publish. I’m excited to have my first recipe on VegWeb and hopefully the feedback there is good. Of course, I also look forward to reading your comments below!
I came up with the recipe after eating something very similar at my local Thai restaurant. The tofu has a crispy exterior and soft middle – and the lemon and salt pair so well with the fresh coriander (cilantro) and red peppers (capsicum).
Recipe
Salt & Pepper Tofu
Ingredients:
- 1 red pepper (capsicum), cut into long strips
- 1 large white onion, sliced
- 1 green onion, sliced
- 1 bunch fresh coriander (cilantro), cut into small pieces
- 1 pound silken extra firm tofu*, sliced into triangles
- 1 prepared liquid vegan “egg” (like Ener-g)
- 1 lemon
- 1/2 cup cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- Vegetable oil, for frying
Directions:
- In a medium-sized bowl, mix the cornstarch, salt, pepper and garlic powder. In another bowl, mix the vegan egg, water and juice of 1/2 the lemon. Place aside.
- In a frying pan, saute the red pepper, white and green onions in some oil on medium-high heat.
- While the veggies are cooking, dip the pieces in the egg mixture and then into the cornstarch mixture, to coat. In another frying pan, cover the base with enough oil to fry the bottom of the tofu. Place each piece in the oil and fry until golden brown – turn and repeat on the other side.
- Divide the veggies onto 2 plates, top with tofu and sprinkle generously with coriander. Serve with a lemon wedge.
* NOTE: It’s really important to use the right kind of tofu for this recipe. You want it to be “silken” and extra-firm (“firm” is too flimsy). It usually comes in a hard-plastic container.
Makes: 2 servings, Preparation time: 10 minutes, Cooking time: 10 minutes
The same Thai restaurant near me serves theres with other veggies (carrots, onions, etc). Haven’t had your one yet, but boy oh boy is it good!!!!
I know, I’m due to eat it again… either by making it or just popping into the shop. Let me know if you’re free sometime and we’ll go eat it together! :))
Made this for our anniversary dinner last week. Served it after a deconstructed Thai tomato soup. Your tofu was a hit; my soup-turned-salad was needs work.
(p.s. This is Rik’s wife Kim—who suggested the Sarah Kramer mushroom soup recipe, AND who found your site for Easter dinner ideas. I cook; he eats. We’re both happy with that arrangement.)
Hi Kim!
First off… “YAY”, I’m so happy to hear that someone has made this (or taken the time to let me know). I was pretty proud when I cracked this recipe. Well,it wasn’t that tough to crack but you know what I mean.
Thanks SO MUCH for the mushroom soup recommendation. I can’t tell you how many nasty vegan mushroom soups I’ve endured. This is now my new favorite, and I’ll be posting all about it very soon! :)
I have the same arrangement here… it works but I can’t lie, I wouldn’t mind the opposite arrangement now and then, haha! :)
Thanks again for all the support~
I attempted to make this as I LOVE Salt and Pepper tofu but it all stuck together in the pan and turned into a ball of mush! The flavours were perfect nonetheless but it was just bit difficult to eat.
I am new to using tofu in receipts, should I drain/squeeze it before hand?
Hi Maddison – Thanks for taking the time to comment. I’m really sorry to hear that this didn’t work out for you.
You definitely can’t drain or squeeze silken tofu. It’s too mushy (not like regular firm tofu).
Having said that, did you use firm AND silken tofu? Was there enough oil in the pan when you were frying the tofu? I guess because it’s silken tofu, you have to be more gentle with it than you would be with regular tofu. You should just fry one side, then the other, and not try to move the pieces around too much. But if you did all that, then I’m thinking that you didn’t have enough oil in the pan..?
Another option would be to use A LOT of oil and drop the tofu into it so you’re deep-frying the whole thing and it is suspended in oil and has no chance of sticking to anything. You may only be able to do a few pieces at a time this way, but it would ensure even cooking and no sticking. You could drain the tofu on paper towels before serving.
Anyway, let me know if you try it again and if it works out for you. It’s one of my favorite recipes so I hope it works out for you!!
I figured it out! You need to use extra-firm silken tofu – not just firm. I made the same mistake tonight and it was all mush. I’m updating the post now. SO sorry about that!!