Fried tofu in ginger, soy and butter sauce
Easy to make, and very easy to eat – even managed to convert the boyfriend (favourite meal steak) to this delicious protein. The secret is to bleed the excess moisture out of your tofu prior to frying so you get a nice crispy shell.
Ingredients
Makes around 20 bite sized nibbles; or a good sized snack/entre for six
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- 450g tofu block – I prefer soft tofu, but firm also works well for this recipe
- 4 spring onions, finely diced
- 2 tsp grated fresh ginger
- 3 cloves garlic, crushed
- 1 shallot, finely diced
- juice of one lime (approx 2 tbsp)
- zest of half a lime (approx 1 tsp)
- 3 tbsp soy sauce
- 4 tbsp sake
- 3 tbsp mirin (sweet sake used for cooking)
- 1 tbsp sesame oil
- 2 tsp butter
- 1 spring onion, finely sliced (to garnish)
Method
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- It is important to press the moisture out of your tofu to achieve a crispy shell when frying. To do this, simply wrap the block of tofu in a couple of paper towels or a clean tea towel and place something heavy (a chopping board or recipe book works well) on top. Leave it for half an hour for the liquid to absorb into the paper towels – you’ll be surprised at how much there is.
- 1. Combine the spring onions, ginger, garlic, shallot, lime juice and zest, soy sauce, sake, and mirin in a shallow dish.
- 2. Cut the tofu into desired sized pieces – anything between 3 and 5 cm cubes - and marinate for between 20 minutes and half an hour.
- 3. In a large, heavy-based pan heat the sesame oil and 1 tsp butter. Add the tofu pieces and fry in one layer, turning to achieve an even golden-brown shell. Once cooked, remove the tofu and drain on a paper towel.
- 4. Add the remaining teaspoon of butter and the leftover marinade to the pan, and cook on a medium-high heat for a further couple of minutes, until the spring onions have softened, the shallots have gone clear and the sauce has thickened.
- 5. Place two or three pieces of tofu on a plate, spoon over sauce, and top with a sprinkling of sliced spring onion. Serve hot.
COMMENTS
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I’ve never been a tofu fan until I tried this recipe – everytime I made it, it always ended up soggy, and was something I associated with brown rice eating vegetarians – but this recipe is really nice. The marinade would probably work really well with chicken too.
I had my vegetarian friend over for dinner, and thought this with some stir fried vegetables and rice would be great. But I was wrong, it was amazing! It was so easy to prepare giving us lots of time to catch up, and when it came to eating it we couldn’t get enough. My friend even said, I just don’t want this to finish! I also agree with the comment above about trying it with chicken, might just do that this weekend. Thank you!
I absolutely adore fried tofu. These look like the yummiest little bites. Nom. I will have to give these a try. If I do, I’ll post back.
Thanks for sharing!
mmm. i love tofu any way it’s cooked and this just looks delicious!
stunning photography! we just made something similar to this–but not fried– called hiyayako tofu. We’ll definitely have to subscribe.
This looks delicious and your website is gorgeous. I am so happy I found it (via emma’s comment on 101cookbooks.com)! Thank You
Made this tonight w/ a slight modification. A great, tasty dish! Thanks for sharing. It’s a great weekday, timesaver meal
Glad you enjoyed it! And nice to see you are trying to cook vegetarian one night a week
I’ve just discovered your blog and am in love! This is wonderful and this particular recipe is fabulous. It was the chocolate cake that got me…..so now you’re on my blogroll….www.jbaxstudio.blogspot.com
Thanks for the inspiration.
Jackie, thanks for your kind words. We have so much fun making and photographing the recipes. This recipe is definately one of my favourites too. Lauren.
The stuff on this web site is really witty and cool wise