Crunchy Tofu Strips
1 lb. extra-firm tofu, frozen, thawed, and pressed
1 cup water, soy milk, or rice milk
Toasted bread crumbs or seasoned bread coating
Salt and pepper to taste
Pam or shortening (if not using nonstick baking sheet)
Note: you don't have to use thawed tofu! I just like to freeze mine for an extra extra firm texture.
Cut tofu into strips. Pour water (or soy milk or rice milk) into a small bowl, and pour crumbs or seasoned vegan breading mixture onto a plate. Dip each tofu strip into the liquid, and then roll in vegan breading mixture to coat. Season with salt and pepper, and place in rows on a baking sheet sprayed with Pam or lightly greased with vegetable shortening. Bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes, or until heated through and crisp. Serve with your favorite dipping sauce.
[hr] Hi everyone, i just had to say that if you are going to use anytype of shortening, please don't use Crisco as it is owned by Proctor and Gamble, who regularly conduct animal testing. Thanks, and happy eating.
Archived comment by: christine [hr]Thanks for the tip Christine, and, as far as the recipe, it went over really well at a party with both meat-eaters and vegans (all the food was vegan) Thanks!
Archived comment by: alex [hr]Word of caution. You should not use shortening or margarine of any sorts. It contains hydrogenated oil which has been linked to cancer. please see this web address for more details: http://cgi.pathfinder.com/drweil/archiveqa/ 1,2283,1365,00.html This recipe is just as tasty substituted with olive oil or canola oil
Archived comment by: mark [hr]Can anyone recomend a good sauce to serve with these tofu strips? I do not like garlic and am allergic to bell pepper but everything else goes. Thanks in advance =)
Archived comment by: erika [hr] A great sauce for this is the peanut sauce also located in The Recipe Directory. You can leave the garlic out if you're allergic. It is soooo good!
Archived comment by: mary [hr]if not using margarine or shortening but require the texture place your olive oil in a refrigerator until it thickens - good for when you need the texture in baked goods etc :)
Archived comment by: esta [hr]For the tofu newcomer, remove tofu from original container and pour off water; wrap in foil, then freeze. Allow a day to thaw or hasten the process with a short period in the microwave.
Archived comment by: kathy [hr]I'm a new vegetarian and i don't know what it means to press the tofu.... could someone help me out THANX
Archived comment by: sanny [hr]Sanny?? To presstofu cut into slabs and lay on paper towels,that are on top of a cloth towel.Cover the top of tofu slabs with paper towels and lay a cloth towel over the paper towel.Now put a cookie sheet on top of that and then a heavy weight.Let press for 10 to 20 mins.
Archived comment by: michelle [hr]i did this recipe but added spices to the vegan bread crumbs: cumin, garlic, ginger, tumeric, coriander, etc before i rolled the tofu strips. i baked the strips elevated on bars to keep them crispy all over (and so you don't need any pam or crisco). serve them with some vietnamese hot sauce for dipping.
Archived comment by: j [hr]Hi... i am a vegetarian and i just recently found out i was lactose intolerant.. so i made the Crunchy Tofu Strips with Lactaid milk... i use the skim kind... after i dipped the strips into the Lactaid i rolled them into Italian Seasoned Bread Crumbs (they come pre-seasoned) @ the grocery store... i didn't bake them for only 15 minutes.. i wanted them to be a little crunchier.. so i baked them for 20 minutes.. they were very good! thanx for the recipe!
Archived comment by: michelle [hr] Just a suggestion to everyone who is concerned, and rightfully so, about hydrogenated margarine. There are quite a few brands out there that make trans-fatty acid free buttery spread. Earth Balance is definitely my favorite and its non-GMO too. I use this for almost everything that calls for butter, margarine, and sometimes even oil.
Archived comment by: eli [hr]These came out like crunchy little sponges... what did I do wrong?
Archived comment by: kateri [hr]This recipe was tasty. I'm not quite the tofu lover, which is probably why this recipe wasn't my cup of tea. I thought it was good wen dipped in soy sauce, (I didn't have any dip or sauce recipes ;(. butotherwise flavorless. Maybe if there was some other spicees with the vegan bread crumbs it would be better.
Archived comment by: lilzozo1228 [hr] New PURE brand spreads (available only in the UK) are margarines that are free from hydrogenated oils, and even have vitamins.. and are available as organic if you chose to. Cheaper than the Buttery-flavoured spreads that are bad for you! :)Available in most supermarkets, just look.
Archived comment by: vegan_carnival [hr] tofu made with calcium sulfate and glucono lactone won't make a sponge. medium soft make a more absorbent sponge than the firm.
Archived comment by: jawnn [hr] I made this recipe for dinner tonight and it was my first time eating tofu. I added some spices to the breadcrumb mixture, but I didn't really like the tofu itself. It tasted like nothing, so I think it would help to marinate or something. Thanks.
Archived comment by: bahamaMama [hr] OMG! this recipe was so good. mind you i did add some garlic and cayenne to the bread crumbs. just for that added ooomph of flavoring. this was my first experience w/ breaded baked tofu, i am totally in love. this would be a great replacement for chicken fingers or fish sticks for children. i used some sweet & sour sauce for dipping in. thanks for the recipe :)
Archived comment by: buttahigh [hr]
SO HOW'D IT GO?
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If you use the new non-stick foil or parchment paper, you don't need any sort of fat for the pan, although I like to spray a little olive oil on top of the strips to make them more like fried. Note to kateri - crunchy little sponges is a good description, but that's baked tofu, and you need to develop a taste for it. Bake it somewhat longer, and it will get a chewy alomost-all-the-way-through texture that's more like chicken. That's how I like baked tofu best.
Another hint is to dip the tofu strips into Italian or other dressing or marinade before the crumbs instead of the soy milk to give it more flavor. If you want to be vegan you have to be creative!
This recipe was pretty tasty. The tofu came out fairly bland but as a good base for a sandwich-y meal. (We put the tofu in pitas with honey mustard, cucumbers, onions, and tomatoes.) I used Italian-seasoned breadcrumbs, but I'll also add additional seasonings when we make this again. I may also try tossing the tofu in dried coconut with plain bread crumbs to do a more tropical theme.
I used Pam to spray the cookie sheet and then drizzled on olive oil. I also sprayed the tops of the tofu pieces in the pan briefly to add to the crispening effect. I flipped the pieces after about 8 minutes.