Tofu nuggets (gluten free)
Makes 4-6 servings of nuggets as a side dish
Ingredients
- 450-500g firm tofu, frozen
For the dredging flour:
- 100 g gluten free corn starch see notes
- 8-10 g fine salt see notes - important!
- 1/2 teaspoon (2.5g) smoked paprika
- 1 tablespoon (5g) nutritional yeast
- freshly cracked black pepper to your tastes
- 1 teaspoon (1.5g) porcini powder or mushroom powder (optional, see notes)
- 1/2 teaspoon (2.5g) MSG (optional, see notes)
- 1/2 teaspoon (2.5g) baking powder (not baking soda)
For the dredging liquid:
- 180 ml (3/4 cup) milk of choice (I have tested soy and lactose free whole milk)
- 40 ml (2 tablespoons) Tamari or gluten free soy sauce
- 1/2 – 1 teaspoon liquid smoke
For the crumb:
- 100-150 g corn flakes blitzed to a medium crumb
Instructions
- Bring a medium pot of salted water to the boil.
- Cut the tofu out of the packet and place it into the boiling water. Boil for 15-20 minutes or until the tofu is defrosted and the corners of the tofu have started to flick upwards. Place the tofu on a cake rack and allow to cool to a comfortable hand temperature.
- Combine the ingredients for the dredging flour in a shallow but tall bowl (if possible). This makes it easy to dip. Do the same with the dredging liquid, and place the corn flake crumbs in a third bowl.
- Place the cooled tofu onto a chopping board with the large surface area facing upward. Slice this into 6 rectangles, then slice each rectangle in 3-4 nuggets. This will depend a little on the shape your tofu comes in.
- Place the first nugget into the dredging liquid and allow the excess to drip off. Place it into the flour mixture, then back into the liquid. Let go of the piece of tofu fully so that you don’t leave dry nugget edges from where your fingers were.
- Allow the excess liquid to drip off, then transfer the nugget into the corn flakes. Toss to coat completely, ensuring all sides are covered (if there’s a bald spot, you can dip just that spot into the liquid and back into the corn flakes). Place your coated nugget on the cake rack.
- Repeat with the remaining tofu pieces until all your nuggets are coated.
- Pour a thin 1/2 centimetre layer of vegetable oil into a large solid bottomed skillet or pan over a medium high heat. Make sure your space is well ventilated.
- Once the oil is shimmering hot, add about 6-8 nuggets (pan size dependent) evenly spaced. Crowding the pan will make for soggy, oily nuggets, so don’t cook too many at once.
- Allow the nuggets to cook for a minute or so, then turn them. They should be golden on the first side. Cook them for another minute or two, then turn them again. Cook them for ANOTHER minute or two, then turn them one last time. Cooking them twice on each side ensures the corn starch is cooked through and not pasty or floury.
- Transfer the cooked nuggets to the cake rack to cool and repeat the process of cooking the remaining nuggets.
- Best eaten fresh but keep well for a few days.
Notes
- How much salt you add depends heavily on a number of factors. If you don’t have the nutritional yeast, mushroom powder or MSG, your nuggets will be less salty tasting, so add the higher amount. With that said, salt is very subjective, so add salt based on your general preferences. You can always lightly salt each nugget at the end if you need to.
- How meaty your tofu ends up is quite dependent on the brand. I have tried some that worked really well and some that were just ok (I don’t remember which was which!). If your tofu doesn’t have a meaty texture, try a different brand (and always make sure it is firm tofu!)
- Read the notes in the body of the post about a corn free option.
- Read the notes in the body of the post about oil temperatures and cooking. A nugget cooked on a lower temperature will end up soggier than a nugget on a higher temperature.
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