Chilli Tofu on an Asian Pancake
This week was my birthday and usually, I’m at home with a house full of family and everyone else spoils me with a full-on buffet of food, from starters to desserts, but this year due to the lockdown, it wasn’t possible. Nevertheless, the celebrations had to continue! I took out some tofu in the morning and was waiting for some inspiration on how to prepare it… Turn the tofu into some sort of paneer dish? Add it to noodles? Make a curry? Make a stirfry? Make skewers? Tofu is so versatile that it took me a long time to decide but I finally decided on an Indo-Chinese dish, which in my mind, is the most perfect fusion food ever to be created! I made Chilli Tofu with a side of stir-fried mushrooms and zucchini, all assembled on an Asian pancake. This recipe is gluten-free and vegan. I would suggest that you make the items in the order below so that by the time your pancakes are ready, the flavours would have soaked nicely into the tofu.
Chilli Tofu
Ingredients
4 cups deep-fried tofu, cubed (a soft and spongy type of tofu found in Asian supermarkets)
4 Tbsp cornflour
1 tsp white pepper
Salt to taste
4 Tbsp coconut oil (or any flavourless oil of your choice)
½ tsp cumin seeds
1 medium-sized red onion, thinly sliced
1 tsp fresh green chilli, minced
1 tsp fresh garlic, minced
1 tsp fresh ginger, minced
½ tsp ground coriander powder
1 tsp brown sugar
1 tsp dry red chilli flakes
2 Tbsp Tamari sauce (or soy sauce)
1 cup green peppers, sliced or cubed
½ cup spring onions, chopped
¼ cup fresh coriander leaves, chopped for garnish
1 tsp black sesame seeds for garnish
Method
Ensure that the tofu is dry and not moist by placing it on a clean dishcloth or paper towels for about 10 minutes. This will allow any excess moisture to drain out.
Combine the cornflour, white pepper and salt in a bowl. Coat the tofu in this mixture.
Fry the coated cubes of tofu in oil, in a non-stick frypan set on medium heat till all the sides are crispy. Remove the crispy tofu cubes from the pan and set aside.
In oil that remains in the pan, add the cumin seeds. Allow to crackle slightly.
Add the red onion and fry on low heat till translucent and slightly crisp.
Add green chilli, garlic, ginger, coriander powder, brown sugar, red chilli flakes and Tamari sauce. Stir to combine.
Immediately add green peppers and spring onions. Fry till peppers are just slightly soft, not mushy.
Add the crispy tofu cubes to the pan, give it a good toss and turn off the heat.
Mushrooms and Zucchini Stir-Fry
Ingredients
1 Tbsp coconut oil (or any flavourless oil of your choice)
3 cups mushrooms, sliced
1 cup zucchini, sliced
½ tsp white pepper
Salt to taste
1 tsp fresh green chilli, minced
1 tsp fresh garlic, minced
1 tsp fresh ginger, minced
½ tsp ground coriander powder
1 tsp brown sugar
¼ cup spring onions, chopped
Method
In a non-stick frying pan, set on medium heat, add oil.
When the oil is hot, add mushrooms and zucchini. Toss so that it’s coated in the oil.
Then add white pepper, salt, green chilli, garlic, ginger, coriander and brown sugar.
Cook till mushrooms shrink and lose most of their moisture.
Finish with spring onions.
Asian pancakes
Ingredients
1 cup plain flour (You can also use a gluten-free flour mix OR make your own mix with ¼ cup potato flour, ¼ cup tapioca flour, ½ cup rice flour and 1 tsp xanthan gum)
½ tsp salt
1 Tbsp oil
1 cup water, or more depending on the consistency
Method
Sift the flour and salt together.
Add water to make a thick pancake-like dough.
Stir in oil. Whisk gently to ensure an even, thick batter.
Ladle small saucer-sized pancakes onto a non-stick frying pan and allow to bubble through. Once bubbles appear, flip the pancake to allow even cooking on both sides. The pancakes will actually look more like flapjacks. This thicker texture will allow for the weight of the fillings to be carried by this base.
Final Assembly
Before assembling everything, make sure you heat up the tofu again, keeping the lid open. Keeping the open lid will allow the moisture to escape and the tofu will get extra crispy. It will also taste much better if the mushroom and zucchini stir-fry is warm.
To assemble, place a pancake on a plate, spoon some mushroom and zucchini in the middle and finally place the chilli tofu on top.
Garnish with coriander leaves and black sesame seeds.
You should be able to hold this whole assembly nicely between your hands. Enjoy while it’s hot to get the perfect crispness of the tofu and the juicy flavours of the mushrooms and zucchini.