Honey Garlic Tofu

Crispy fried tofu with a sweet and spicy glaze you can make in less time it would take to get delivery – and only $1.33 per serving.

Originally, I made this glaze for salmon. Fish is expensive, so I don’t have it more than once every week or two.

I don’t know how to cook fish well enough for the purpose of this blog, unless it would be acceptable to post photos of a torn-up mess in a half-burnt frying pan, which is typically what happens when I cook fish. Don’t get me wrong – it tastes good. It’s just not something I would want to preserve in photographic form.

So I started playing around with the recipe and realized I could tweak it for fried tofu, an ingredient that makes up most of my dinners as of late. The glaze is actually healthier this way as I’ve left out the butter, which I don’t think is needed.

I should note that I am not calling this recipe “vegan” because honey, typically, is not considered vegan.

INGREDIENTS

Exact amounts are in the recipe at the end of this post.

As usual, I like to keep things simple, and this recipe is no exception.

• extra firm tofu
• cornstarch or arrowroot powder
• oil for frying
• honey
• tamari or soy sauce
• chili garlic sauce or sriracha
• garlic

Optional: rice vinegar. I’m listing this as optional because I’ve left it out before and barely noticed the difference. But if you have it, it’s a nice but subtle addition.

Optional: sesame seeds, which can be sprinkled over the top before serving.

Chili garlic sauce or sriracha have become more popular in recent years, but if you’re missing these ingredients you could always just sprinkle some crushed red pepper or cayenne pepper into the glaze to make it spicy. I always have chili garlic sauce on hand – it’s a year-round staple as far as I’m concerned.

If tofu is a regular part of your diet, you probably don’t need the following mini course on how to prepare it, but I’ve included detailed steps for anyone who has been tofu-averse due to unfamiliarity. Tofu is not scary, I promise. No, it doesn’t taste like much on its own – that’s why we cook it and glaze it to death.

INSTRUCTIONS

Additional instructions are in the recipe at the end of this post.

For frying, I recommend using extra firm tofu. The outside of the package (which I have conveniently ripped off in the following photos) should indicate the texture. Soft tofu is great for crumbling. For frying, stick to firm.

WHAT’S A SERVING SIZE OF TOFU?

Great question!

A typical 12 oz. (340 g) package of tofu will say there are 4 servings per package. (I have also seen “4.5 servings” which is like, come on.) I followed this “rule” for a while and never felt like I was getting enough tofu with my meal. So at one point I started using one third of the block as a serving. I’m just a rebel like that!

Tofu is so incredibly low in calories; as far as I’m concerned, a third of a package – or four ounces – is not too much for one person.

If you’re making this meal for three people (or two hungry people), use the entire block of tofu and triple the recipe for the glaze.

CUTTING AND PRESSING

I cut my tofu block into thirds right inside the package. Sometimes I get the lines perfectly straight, but not always, which is fine and I am not upset about it at all!

I remove one third and place the remaining two thirds into a glass container. I cover the leftover tofu with the water from the package and tap water, put a lid on it, and stick it in the fridge. The leftover tofu should be good for a few days.

There are a few ways to press tofu. Some people use a tofu press, something I actually own yet have never used.

Cut your block in half lengthwise to maximize the surface area of the tofu being pressed. Some recommend using multiple paper towels for this step, but I hate waste, so I use a single paper towel inside a dish cloth.

Wrap it all up like a flat burrito.

(By the way, I know my cloth looks dirty but I swear I had just washed it – this is just what happens when you press a lot of tofu using a white cloth.)

Cover the folded up cloth with a cutting board and then place a heavy book (a cook book is perfect) on top. Let this sit for about 30 minutes to remove as much water as possible. Sometimes I let my tofu sit for an hour and sometimes only ten minutes. It always comes out great, so don’t worry if you don’t press for exactly 30 minutes.

After 30 or so minutes, cut the now-much-drier tofu into cubes. I like to make 16 cubes from mine but they can be larger or smaller depending on what you want.

Roll the cubes around in a tablespoon or two of cornstarch (or arrowroot powder, as I used when I shot this recipe) and coat all sides.

Place a couple of tablespoons of oil into a hot frying pan and let it heat until a sprinkle of water makes the drops sizzle. It’s usually recommended to use an oil that can stand a high heat, but I’ve almost always used olive oil on a medium heat and it’s worked out fine. If you use olive oil just don’t turn the heat up too high.

I line up my tofu cubes and carefully turn each one over until four sides have been fried for two to three minutes each, but if you’re happy to just roll the cubes around in the oil you can do it that way, too.

The cornstarch or arrowroot powder helps to give the tofu a “fried” texture. You could leave it out and the tofu would still fry, but it would lack this nice crispy skin.

While the tofu is frying, mix together the ingredients for the glaze.

Once the tofu is done, turn off the heat, as you don’t need the pan to be super hot to heat the sauce. If there is excess oil in the pan, pour the contents of the pan onto a paper towel, then place the pieces of tofu back in the pan.

Pour the glaze over the tofu and cover each piece.

HOW TO SERVE HONEY GARLIC TOFU

What I love about this recipe is that it can be either an appetizer, a side dish, or part of a main course. Usually I will have this with a bunch of other vegetables, and sometimes I’ll add rice or even pasta.

For extra flavor, you can drizzle some more chili garlic sauce or sriracha over the top, and finish with a sprinkle of sesame seeds – this goes so well with the sweet and spicy flavors!

There will be more glaze than is needed to cover the tofu, but I did that purposely: you might want to have this with rice or something else that will absorb some of the sauce. (Full disclosure, I made rice for these photos but decided in the end to not use it so you could see the sauce more easily.)

COST BREAKDOWN

You’re in luck: now that you know how to make fried tofu, you should also know that it’s one of the least expensive protein sources out there, especially when compared to faux meat products or fish. I eat tofu almost every night which I’m sure keeps my grocery bill fairly low.

Here is my cost breakdown for the ingredients in this recipe. I’m not including any vegetables or rice – this is just for one serving of the tofu and glaze.

• extra firm tofu: $0.50
• olive oil (or any oil for frying): $0.22
• cornstarch or arrowroot powder: $0.03
• garlic: $0.04
• honey: $0.31
• tamari or soy sauce: $0.13
• chili garlic sauce or sriracha: $0.09
• rice vinegar: $0.01

Total cost: $1.33

If you make this recipe, let me know how it goes in the comments! Especially if you’ve never made tofu before.