Tofu is an excellent source of amino acids, calcium, iron and loads of other good stuff. But who gives a crap, sometimes you just want something deep fried and delicious. Popcorn tofu – all of the taste, none of the campylobacter!

There are various tofu popcorn recipes knocking around, but I didn’t peek! This recipe is all  my own – although I guess the concept is pretty basic 🙂

This recipe comes as three parts: the tofu, the “egg” wash and the coating. It looks like a lot of ingredients but its well worth it. The result is lovely, slightly tongue tingling pieces of tofu which are soft in the middle but wonderfully crunchy on the outside.

Ingredients:

• 250g Tofu – firm, not the silken variety.

“Egg” wash:

• 1/3 x cup non-dairy milk (40ml)
• 1/3 x cup Aqua faba (40ml)
• 1 x tbsp. cornstarch

Coating:

• 1 x cup plain white flour (125g)
• 2 x tsp ground black pepper
• 1 x tsp ground coriander
• ½ x tsp ground ginger
• 1 x tsp salt
• ½ x tsp smoked paprika
• ½ x tsp ground cumin
• ½ x tsp garlic powder
• ¼ x tsp tumeric
• ¼ x tsp ground nutmeg
• 1/8 x tsp cayenne pepper (or more if you’re a hot head!)
• 1 x tsp dried sage
• 1 x tsp dried parsley
• 2 x cloves (ground)

Method:

1. 1. Drain and press the tofu in advance. Once prepared, cut into 1inch cubes. (Tip: For an even more authentic texture, freeze and defrost first. Shaking a few drops of liquid smoke over the cubes adds even more taste.)
2. Whisk up the aqua faba, dairy-free milk and cornstarch until white and fluffy. Pour into a bowl along with the tofu cubes and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
3. In the meantime, create the coating by mixing together the flour, herbs and spices.
4. Roll each cube of tofu in the flour mixture until coated and set aside for a few minutes. You will see the coating turn a yellowish colour as the turmeric soaks up the moisture.
5. Add all of the coated tofu cubes into the remaining flour mixture and give them a gentle toss to make sure that they are fully coated. The coating might look a little lumpy but this is good as it gives a nice authentic texture when fried.
6. Deep fry at 190oC for 3 – 4 minutes. The tofu will float when cooked and should be a nice golden colour.
7. Drain on some kitchen roll before enjoying!

Tip: It is best not to overcrowd the fryer. So unless you have a very large fryer I would recommend cooking in two batches. You can keep the first batch hot and crispy by spreading out across a baking try and putting in a warm oven.

Flash-Gordonette…x