ramyaramesh3007An easy and spicy tofu recipe that is irresistible. And the secret to its ‘chicken’-like texture? Read to find out the secret behind the BEST, CRISPIEST TOFU!
The Secrets to Making the Best Tofu
An easy and amazing tofu snack that is simply irresistible. And the secret to it’s ‘chicken’-like texture?
Secret #1: Freezing & thawing your tofu blocks! All you have to do is freeze your firm tofu overnight and thaw it in the refrigerator for a few hours or microwave on high for a minute. Remember to drain the excess water fully using paper towels or a tofu press.
Alternatively, you can also press it down with your sauce tubs or anything that resembles heavy blocks. Once that is done, you should notice the change in the texture – it should be firmer, chewier and springy.
Secret #2: When pan frying, deep drying or air frying your tofu pieces, remember to coat them in some spices and corn flour. This gives you extra crispy tofu!
Secret #3: Choosing a flavourful sauce. The sauce base for this recipe is very simple – a mix of gochujang (korean chilli paste), gochugaru (korean chilli flakes), sesame oil, dark soy sauce and rice wine vinegar. I love the brand of gochujang shown below and it’s vegan friendly.
You can use this in wraps, tacos or just eat it by itself because that’s what I did 🤭
Gluten Free Options
Unfortunately, there is no gluten free option using gochujang as gochujang is not gluten free. However, you can substitute it with regular chili paste and replace the soy sauce with tamari for a gluten free version of this dish.
I really like the ones below by Lee Kum Kee and Kikkoman. I have also attached the images of other gluten free soy sauce alternatives like Tamari and Coconut Aminos below. You can get them at Amazon or your local Asian grocery store.
You can find out more about the relevant substitutes in the notes below!
Korean BBQ Popcorn Tofu Bites
Equipment
- 1 Frying Pan
Ingredients
- 450 g Firm Tofu
- 1 tbsp corn starch
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1/4 tsp black salt
Spicy Sauce
- 1/2 tbsp gochujang
- 2 tsp gochugaru
- 1 tsp sesame oil
- 1 tsp dark soy sauce
- 1 tsp rice wine vinegar
- 3 tbsp water
Toppings
- Toasted Sesame Seeds
Instructions
- (OPTIONAL) Freeze tofu overnight. Thaw it in the refrigerator for a few hours or microwaves for a minute.
- Tear up the tofu into pieces and coat it with the dry mixture.
- Panfry or air fry the tofu pieces with a splash of olive oil until crispy.
- Prepare the sauce by mixing the ingredients together. Add the sauce into the pan and mix with the fried tofu pieces until the sauce thickens and reduces. The dish should be sticky and not dry. Add more water if required.
- Add toasted sesame seeds and give it a good mix. Serve in wraps, tacos, sandwiches, rice bowls or just eat it as a snack!
Notes
- For a gluten free version, replace gochujang with a regular chilli paste and replace soy sauce with tamari.
- You can replace rice wine vinegar with mirin or white vinegar.
- This recipe will work if the tofu is pan fried, air fried, or deep fried. I have yet to try baking it to achieve optimal crispiness.