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"Eggy" Battered Tofu with Chili Sauce | Vegan, GF

Up your tofu game with this chili tofu that's full of yummy surprises! The tofu slices are coated in an "eggy" batter and pan fried to golden crispy perfection, then cooked in a umami, spicy, savory, and slightly sweet red and green chili pepper sauce - prepare extra rice to serve because this dish is a flavor bomb and you won't wanna waste a single drop of the sauce!


One of my greatest joy in the kitchen is to think of endless new ways to eat tofu. I can literally gush about my love for tofu all day, it's a complete protein, it's one of the oldest foods that human beings have been consuming for thousands of years, it's mind-blowingly versatile, and contrary to some uninformed assumption, it's utterly delicious. Oh, and above all, soy is good for you, females or males, don't let the dairy industry or the other newer and more expensive plant milk options that has 3 times more ingredients fool you.


Since I went vegan/plant based overnight, I haven't had much problems recreating all my previously fave dishes with mostly whole food plants. But one thing I kind of missed was egg batter, it's like a little culinary magic trick that my mom does a lot, almost everything is instantly 10 times more delicious when battered in egg and pan fried, eggplants, pumpkin, zucchini, and of course, tofu. And finally I tried to recreate that eggy batter feeling with chickpea flour and it worked perfectly! Crispy on the outside and fluffy and tender on the inside, just like I remembered!


For the sauce, I did a very festive red and green chili pepper sticky sauce. I'm currently summering in Southhampton so am taking advantage of all the amazing local produce, the peppers I used here are locally grown cherry bomb peppers and shishito peppers, but you can use any peppers you like and if you have low tolerance of spiciness you can definitely go with sweet peppers.

Watch the video to follow the easy steps and refer to ingredients measurement and more detailed instructions in written recipe below. Follow me on Instagram and Tiktok for more daily food share ^^


INGREDIENTS:

14 oz extra firm tofu
Neutral tasting cooking oil

For the "eggy" batter -
1/2 cup chickpea flour
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon of salt and pepper each
3/4 cup soy milk

For the pepper sauce -
3 - 4 red cherry bomb peppers, or other red peppers
3 shishito peppers, or other green peppers
4 garlic cloves minced
2 tablespoon soy sauce or tamari sauce for GF
1 tablespoon mushroom "oyster" sauce
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon arrowroot powder or corn starch
Small pinch of salt
3/4 cup water

TO MAKE: 

- Drain and pat dry the tofu, cut into 1/2 inch thick slices;
- Prepare the eggy batter by mixing all the dry ingredients first, then slowly pour in the soy milk while whisking everything together till very smooth;
- Heat a generous drizzle of oil in a nonstick pan over medium heat, dip a slice of tofu in the batter mixture, make sure to coat all sides and shake off any excess;
- Place in the pan, and continue to dip and transfer the rest of the tofu slices;
- Lower the heat to medium-low and pan fry the first side for about 2 - 3 minutes, DO NOT move them until the batter is cooked solid on the first side, if you move the slices around when the batter is still liquid it'd be smeared all over the pan instead of staying on the tofu;
- When the batter on the first side is cooked and golden, flip it over to cook the other side for another 2 minutes, same rule,  do not move them around until the batter is cooked;
- Meanwhile, finely chop the peppers, and mix all pepper sauce ingredients in a bowl;
- Once all the tofu slices are done pan frying and both sides are golden crispy, give the sauce a final stir to make sure the starch isn't settled on the bottom, then slowly pour in the pan, tilt the pan to make sure the sauce spreads evenly;

- Cook for 1 - 2 minutes till the sauce bubbles and thickens, serve immediately, enjoy!

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