Tofu And Pepper Tempura Recipes

TOFU TEMPURA: DEEP FRIED VEGAN RECIPE

Steps:

• The first step towards the best tempura tofu is to freeze your packet of tofu. This gives the tofu a much chewier, firmer texture that's perfect for deep fried tofu recipes. Use a tofu press to press out as much liquid as you can from the block of tofu before cutting the block into tempura sized strips. Place your tofu strips into a resealable container and freeze overnight. The next day, allow the tofu to thaw, then press out any excess water a second time.
• When you're ready to start preparing your tempura batter, you need to remember to fry your tofu right away, as the batter itself needs to be cold for the best results. You can set up your skillet or pot and start heating up enough frying oil to cover your tempura strips while you prepare the batter (it doesn't take too long).
• Prepare your batter by first measuring out rice flour, all-purpose flour, salt, and baking soda into a mixing bowl. Mix the ingredients together and pour in cold club soda. You don't need the batter to be smooth; lumpy is fine.
• Your oil should be hot now, so it's time to learn how to deep fry tofu. Take your first tofu strip and give it a good coating of tempura batter. Place it straight into the hot oil and let it cook for 2 minutes. Remove the tempura tofu when it's crispy and place it on paper towels or a drying rack to remove excess oil.
• Repeat the process, frying tofu in small batches to give them enough space to cook without touching.
• Serve your tempura tofu with dipping sauces or as part of a larger Japanese-inspired dinner!

VEGETARIAN TEMPURA FRIED PEPPERS

Steps:

• Make a small slice in the peppers and remove seeds. Set aside on paper toweling to dry.
• Heat the vegetable oil in a skillet and saute zucchini, squash, eggplant, onion, and garlic until tender. Remove from heat and fold in bread crumbs and cheese, and set aside to let cool.
• Mix the flour, cornstarch, and baking powder in a bowl and add seltzer in a stream while whisking constantly. Season with salt and pepper.
• Heat canola oil to 375 degrees F in a deep fryer.
• Stuff each pepper with a small amount of the vegetable stuffing. Then dip each stuffed pepper in the tempura coating and deep-fry until golden brown. Drain on paper toweling and serve warm.

TOFU AND RICE STUFFED PEPPERS

Steps:

• Place rice and water in a pot and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer 45 minutes, or until tender.
• Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat, and stir in garlic and tofu. Cook about 5 minutes. Mix in 1/4 cup marinara sauce, season with salt and pepper, and continue to cook and stir until tofu is evenly brown.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Using a wooden spoon or spatula, press an equal amount of rice into each pepper half. Layer rice with remaining marinara sauce, and 1/2 the cheese. Press equal amounts of tofu into the pepper halves. Place 1 tomato slice on each pepper, and top peppers with remaining mozzarella. Arrange stuffed peppers in a baking dish.
• Bake 25 minutes in the preheated oven, until cheese is melted. Serve 1/2 of each color pepper to each person.

STIR-FRIED TOFU AND PEPPERS

Steps:

• Optional step for firmer tofu: Blot the tofu dry, wrap in a clean kitchen towel and place a cutting board on top. Let sit for about 15 minutes. Whether weighted or not, slice the tofu about 1/2 inch thick into 1- x 2-inch dominoes.
• Mix together 1 tablespoon of the soy sauce, 1 teaspoon of the brown sugar and 1 tablespoon of the oil in a medium bowl. Toss with the tofu, and stir to make sure all of the pieces are coated. Let sit for five to 10 minutes while you prepare the other ingredients.
• In a small bowl, stir together the remaining soy sauce and sugar, hoisin sauce and sesame oil. Set aside.
• Heat a large nonstick skillet or wok over high heat until a drop of water evaporates on contact. Add the oil, turn the heat to medium-high and add the peppers. Stir-fry for a couple of minutes, until the peppers begin to soften, and add the garlic and ginger. Stir-fry for 20 seconds, until the garlic and ginger begin to smell fragrant, and add the tofu, dried red pepper flakes and green onions. Stir-fry two minutes, give the sauce a stir and add to the pan. Cover and cook for three minutes. Remove the lid, stir the ingredients in the pan, and taste and adjust seasonings. Serve with rice or noodles.

CRISPY SALT & PEPPER TOFU

Steps:

• Press tofu to remove excess moisture. To do so, line a plate with several paper towels. Place tofu on paper towels and top with two or three more paper towels. Place three or four more plates on top of the tofu, making sure they're well-balanced. Drain for 20 - 30 minutes, checking occasionally to make sure plates are still balanced (toppling plates = bummer!)
• Remove tofu from paper towels. Place on cutting board and cut tofu into squares or rectangles, as desired.
• Add the vegetable or canola oil to a large skillet over medium-high heat.
• Add the corn starch, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper to a large plate or shallow baking dish. Mix.
• Working in batches, dredge the tofu in the corn starch mixture, turning to coat evenly.
• Carefully add tofu to hot oil in skillet. Cook over medium-high for about 10 minutes, turning occasionally to brown all sides.
• Remove tofu from pan and place on several paper towels, blotting to remove excess oil.
• Serve as desired.

TOFU AND PEPPERS WITH SPICY VEGAN PEANUT SAUCE

Steps:

• Slice tofu into 1/2-inch-thick strips and press between paper towels to remove excess water; leave to drain while preparing vegetables.
• Heat 2 tablespoons peanut oil and sesame oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add green bell peppers, onions, and carrots; saute until peppers and carrots are tender and onions are golden brown, 5 to 10 minutes. Remove from heat, mix in green onions and garlic, and cover with a lid.
• Chop tofu into bite-sized chunks. Heat remaining peanut oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add tofu and cook until golden brown, about 10 minutes.
• Combine peanut butter, water, sriracha sauce, soy sauce, salt, and black pepper in a blender and blend until smooth to make the peanut sauce.
• Transfer tofu and peanut sauce to the skillet with the vegetables. Heat over low heat until warmed through, about 5 minutes.

TEMPURA GREEN BEANS, YELLOW BEANS AND TOFU

Steps:

• Combine first 5 ingredients in blender. Add 1 3/4 cups water and blend until smooth. Transfer batter to shallow dish.
• Whisk soy sauce, lime juice, wasabi and red pepper in small bowl to blend.
• Cut tofu horizontally into 1/2-inch-wide slices. Cut each slice into 1/2-inch-wide logs. Arrange tofu in single layer on several layers of paper towels. Cover with paper towels. Let stand 1 hour.
• Pour enough oil into heavy large Dutch oven to reach depth of 3 inches. Heat oil to 375°F. Working in batches, dip beans into batter, shake off excess and add to oil. Fry until golden, stirring often, about 3 minutes per batch. Using slotted spoon, transfer to paper towels; drain. Repeat with tofu and batter.
• Serve beans and tofu with sauce.

BLACK PEPPER STIR-FRIED TOFU AND ASPARAGUS

Steps:

• In a small bowl, combine soy sauce, sugar, Worcestershire sauce, 1 teaspoon black pepper and 2 tablespoons of water. In a large nonstick skillet, combine tofu and half of the black pepper sauce, and season with salt. Bring to a simmer over medium heat and cook, stirring occasionally, until sauce has thickened and nicely coats the tofu, about 5 minutes. Slide glazed tofu and any sauce out onto a rimmed plate.
• Wipe or rinse out the skillet and heat oil over medium. Add shallot and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, 2 minutes. Add garlic and ginger, and stir until fragrant, 30 seconds. Add asparagus and snap peas, season with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring occasionally, until crisp-tender, 4 to 5 minutes. Add scallions, the remaining black pepper sauce and the tofu, and cook, stirring, until vegetables are evenly coated in the sauce. Stir in cilantro, and season to taste with salt and pepper.
• Divide tofu and vegetables among plates and spoon over any remaining pan sauce. Serve with rice.

VEGETABLE TOFU CURRY

Steps:

• If using broccoli, trim the ends of the stems and discard, then cut the stems off near the base of the florets. Cut off the thick peel around the stems, then cut the stems into 1/2-inch slices. Cut the broccoli crowns into small florets. Drain the tofu and cut into 1-inch cubes.
• Open the can of coconut milk and spoon off an inch or so of the hard white solid part into a large saucepan with a lid. (If the milk is all liquid, add a few spoonfuls.) Turn the heat to medium-high. When the solids melt, add the onion and broccoli stems, if using, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cook, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the onion is translucent, 5 to 7 minutes. The coconut milk liquid should have evaporated, so the onions should be sizzling in coconut oil and the milk solids should be brown and smell toasty. Scrape up any bits sticking to the bottom.
• Turn the heat down to medium-low, add the curry powder and stir until evenly mixed, about 10 seconds. Add the remaining coconut milk, stir and bring to a simmer. Add the tofu and spread the cubes in an even layer, then top with the broccoli florets or other vegetables, sprinkle with salt and cover with the lid. Cook until the vegetables are just tender but still bright green, 5 to 7 minutes.
• Gently stir so the vegetables are also coated in sauce. Taste and stir in more curry powder, salt and pepper if you'd like. Serve hot over rice or other grains or noodles, with hot sauce if you want.