Southern Fried Tofu

A lot of people are afraid of tofu. I, dear friends, used to be one of them. I remember making a dinner for my good friend Jerry once. I thought I could just replace ground beef for tofu and I couldn't have been more wrong. I stomached it just because I hate being wrong, but we both knew it was absolutely not good. However, I have now mastered the art of tofu, both combining it with other ingredients to make something completely unexpected and cooking it as a meat substitute. Thank goodness. It's cheaper, healthier, and so easy to use.

I was browsing recipes to find a 'fried chicken' substitute. I've been craving fried goodness lately, something I can dip into hot sauce. I found a recipe on Jaclyn's Vegan Yumminess and had all the ingredients on hand so I decided to give it a try. OMGoodness, it was pure Heaven.



Southern Fried Tofu
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 10 minutes

1 lb Firm Tofu (I like to freeze mine first, then thaw it out. It gets extra chewy this way)

Seasoning
1 1/2 cups nutritional yeast flakes
2 tsp salt
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp dried parsley
1/2 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp dried tarragon
1/2 tsp dried dill weed
1/2 tsp dried basil
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp curry powder
1/4 tsp dried mustard
1/4 tsp ground rosemary
1/4 tsp celery seed (I didn't have any celery seed, so I just put a pinch of celery salt instead)

Coating
2/3 cup plain soy milk
2 tsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
2/3 cup flour, as needed
1 tbsp vegetable oil

Tofu: Cut the tofu horizontally into three equal slabs. Wrap the tofu in a clean towel and press it gently all over with your hands to extract as much moisture as possible.

Seasoning: Combine all ingredients in a wide, shallow bowl (or tupperware!) Stir until blended.

Coating: Combine the soy milk and lemon juice in a small bowl, and stir well. Place the flour in a separate small bowl.

1. Cut each slab of the pressed tofu into 4 triangles, making a total of 12 in all (I usually just cube the block of tofu). Working with one piece at a time, dredge the tofu in the flour. Shake off any excess. Next, dunk the tofu in the soured soy milk. Immediately dredge the tofu in the seasoning mix, making sure it is well coated all over.

2. Coat a large, heavy skillet with a thin layer of vegetable oil, and place it over medium-high heat. When hot, add the tofu pieces in a single layer. Cook until the bottoms are well browned. Turn the pieces over and cook each side until well browned.

3. As soon as you remove the tofu from the skillet, place it on a plate lined with paper towels to blot off any excess oil and keep the surface of the tofu crisp.

We served this with some mashed potatoes (covered in green chile sauce) and a few dipping options. We had Frank's, the always-faithful hot sauce. I also put out some General Tso sauce. The Frank's worked better. This tofu was crispy on the outside, PACKED with flavor, and absolutely delicious. There were leftovers and I had them for lunch the next day. They aren't as crispy, however, the flavor is more potent. I will be making these again.......possibly tonight since now I'm craving them!