Delicious Garlic Tofu

MMM I love a great tofu dish – especially one that is a little sweet, a little sour and full of aromatics from caramelized garlic! I made this dish a short while ago and it was such a hit that Nelson and Jenevera asked for it again.

It’s a little time consuming as I do not own a deep fryer so I slowly pan-friend each piece of tofu, but it was absolutely worth it.

The tofu is crunchy and the sauce is sweet, sour and sticky. When you get a piece or two of the garlic, your mouth is filled with its aromatic and savoury-ness. I always garnish with loads of sesame seeds as they also pack a punch of flavour

Some tips with this dish.

• Take the time to press the water out the tofu and don’t forget to change your paper towels. Water and frying are not friends and to avoid a dance of hot oil and water (trust me, not pretty) press out the water as much as possible.
• Don’t over cook the garlic, you want it to have just a little colour so that it takes the bite out of the garlic but still full of flavour
• play around with the different spices you put into your coating. I kept it fairly simple and honestly even without the sauce the tofu is delicious

Ingredients

• 1 package of medium-firm tofu cubed into bite sized pieces

Tofu Coating (approximate measurements)

• 1 cup cornstarch
• 1.5 tsp salt
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1/2 tsp black pepper

For the sauce

• 5 cloves of fresh garlic finely chopped
• 1/3-1/2 cup honey
• 3 tbsp Rice Vinegar
• 1 Tbsp Dark Soya Sauce
• 1 Tbsp Light Soya Sauce

You will also need

• a neutral oil (I used canola)
• fry pan
• tongs or wooden chopsticks
• cooking spatula
• cooling rack
• sheet pan

Make it

1. Press out liquids from tofu before cutting (see tips above or refer to video below)
2. Cube Tofu into bite size pieces
3. Mix Coating ingredients into a bowl
4. Gently coat tofu
5. Heat oil in frying pan and cook tofu pieces until golden brown. Make sure to cook all sides for optimal crunch. I usually cook mine in a few batches.
6. Remove tofu from pan and let it drain on a cooling rack over a sheet pan. The tofu are already super flavourful and ready for snacking…but control yourself! Wait until you taste it with the sauce!
   
7. There should be enough hot oil in your pan to fry the garlic, if not, add a little more and let it heat up.
8. Cook the garlic until it just starts to change colour. Too brown will lead to a slightly bitter burnt taste.
9. Add in rice vinegar, honey and both types of soya sauce.
10. Let the sauce reduce, stir in tofu.
11. Plate and garnish with as much toasted sesame oil as desired

*other optional toppings can be fresh green onions, red chili flakes, fried onion…the sky’s the limit!

Let me know in the comments below if you try out this recipe and tag me on Instagram @TheDancingAvonLady !

Happy Eating!

XO’s ~ The Dancing Avon Lady