Crispy fried tofu sandwich
Ingredients
For marinading
- 1 block extra firm tofu drained & sliced lengthways
- 225 ml/8fl oz pickle juice
- 1 tbsp hot sauce
- 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
- 1 tsp gochugaru or red-pepper flakes
- 2 tbsps grapeseed oil or other neutral oil
For frying
- 2 tbsps Dijon mustard
- 100 g/3½oz plain flour
- ½ tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- ½ tsp onion powder
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- ½ tsp ground cayenne
- 1 tsp fine salt plus more as needed
- 1 tsp black pepper
- Grapeseed oil or other neutral oil for frying
To assemble
- 2 potato buns or other soft rolls
- Vegan mayonnaise and hot sauce as needed (I used sriracha chilli mayo sauce which is vegan)
- Thinly shredded green cabbage and dill pickles for serving
Instructions
For marinading
- Line a baking sheet with paper towels or a clean kitchen towel. Arrange the sliced tofu in a single layer on the baking sheet
- Cover the sliced tofu with more towels and gently press each piece to extract some of the moisture
- In a large bowl, combine the pickle juice, hot sauce, mustard and gochugaru
- Heat the grapeseed oil in a large, non-stick or cast-iron skillet over high heat until shimmering
- Sear the tofu to form a golden-brown crust, 4 to 5 minutes per side. Immediately drop the hot tofu into the pickle juice mixture
- Refrigerate and let the tofu marinate for at least a few hours, or even overnight
For frying
- In a medium shallow bowl, stir the mustard with 2tbsp water until it’s the consistency of heavy cream and set aside
- In a large shallow bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, spices, salt and pepper
- In a Dutch oven or sturdy pot, heat 2 inches of grapeseed oil over medium heat and set a wire rack on top of a baking sheet
- Remove the tofu from the marinade and pat dry
- Dip the tofu in the mustard mixture, turning until coated all over, then the flour mixture; dip it again in the mustard then flour until twice coated
- When the oil temperature reaches 175ºC/350ºF carefully place the battered tofu into the hot oil and fry, flipping as needed, until golden brown - about 5 minutes
- Transfer the fried tofu to the wire rack and sprinkle with a little salt
To assemble
- Toast the buns and spread generously with vegan mayo and dot with hot sauce, if desired
- Top with fried tofu, cabbage and dill pickles and eat immediately
To get the best texture, slice the tofu, press, pat dry, freeze, thaw, repress, pat dry again, refreeze and thaw.
Pat dry again before searing