Try this Honey Jalapeño Tofu Nuggets recipe, or contribute your own.
- Carbohydrate 4.74182153432689 g
- Cholesterol 0 mg
- Fat 3.51330455087456 g
- Fiber 0.125712226851121 g
- Protein 0.145177195953226 g
- Saturated Fat 0.282822825406356 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (14g)
- Sodium 0.760450404225496 mg
- Sugar 4.61610930747577 g
- Trans Fat 0.156237812509905 g
- Calories 51 calories
Step-by-step
- Drain your tofu and cut it into 8 even pieces and then cut each piece evenly into 3 so you end up with nugget shapes.
- Place a couple of paper towels down on a plate or cutting board and lay out your tofu.
- Place a couple of paper towels on top.
- They idea is that you are drying it out slightly – you are not pressing it, just removing some excess moisture.
- Pressing removes most of the moisture from tofu, which is NOT what we want here.
- Leave it a bit moist, this ensures a soft and creamy tofu interior that will contrast with the crunchy potato starch coating.
- Spread your potato starch out in a shallow dish and coat each piece of tofu, ensuring that there are no bare spots.
- In a cast iron pan, heat up a bit of oil over medium high heat.
- You don’t need a bunch of oil here, just maybe about 1 1/2 to 2 tablespoons.
- When the oil is hot and shimmery (you can test it with an uncoated wooden chopstick – when the oil is hot bubbles will form around the chopstick), add the coated pieces of tofu and cook until golden brown and crispy.
- Time wise, this can vary, but tofu is quite forgiving as it doesn’t brown easily.
- When one side is brown, flip it over and repeat.
- Rest tofu on a wire rack (this ensures crispiness) while you make your sauce.
- In a small sauce pan, heat up the garlic, jalapeño, honey, and soy sauce over medium high heat until slightly reduced and glossy.
- Season with pepper and drizzle over the tofu pieces or serve as a dipping sauce.
- Enjoy immediately!
Using a single cast-iron skillet keeps equipment demands low while delivering high heat. Medium or firm tofu retains internal moisture when surface water is blotted rather than fully pressed. Starch coatings demand complete coverage. Bare spots absorb oil unevenly and prevent uniform crisping. Potato starch outperforms standard wheat flour here because it gelatinizes at lower temperatures, yielding a shatteringly crisp exterior.
Adapting for Dietary Needs
This formulation contains soy and honey. To substitute the soy sauce for dietary reasons, use tamari at a strict one-to-one ratio. Agave nectar replaces creamed honey equally without altering the viscosity of the reduction step. Cast-iron pans require proper preheating. Test the oil by inserting an uncoated wooden chopstick; steady bubble formation signals a temperature near 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Overcrowding the pan drops the oil temperature and creates soggy crusts.
- Skipping the wire rack traps steam underneath the fried nuggets.
- Reducing the glaze past the glossy stage causes the honey sugars to scorch.
