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This Crispy Salt and Pepper Tofu vegetarian appetizer is crispy on the outside and silky on the inside. Perfect for entertaining!
Scale
Ingredients
For the Tofu
- 1 block (14 oz when drained) extra firm tofu
- 4 tablespoons corn starch
- 1/4 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- Canola oil for frying
For dipping:
Garnish with sliced green onions.
Instructions
- Drain the tofu block and tightly wrap with paper towels or a kitchen towel to remove excess liquid. Let sit for at least 30 minutes. Place on a cutting board and cut the tofu into one-inch cubes.
- Place the cornstarch into a shallow dish (like a pie pan). Mix into the corn starch the chili powder, salt, and pepper. Lightly toss the tofu cubes into the cornstarch to coat all sides. Heat a wok or heavy skillet on medium high heat using 2 tablespoons of the canola oil. Add the tofu cubes and brown the tofu on all sides, about 3 to 4 minutes, until crispy. Remove the tofu cubes from the pan and let drain on a paper towel.
- Place on a serving plate, garnish with slices of green onion, and serve with sweet chili sauce for dipping.
Notes
- You really don’t need to use a lot of oil in the pan to fry these up. As long as you have thoroughly dried the tofu, the cubes should brown up nicely with the corn starch coating!
- I don’t like a lot of oily foods, so once the tofu is nicely golden place them on a paper towel to drain off the oil.
- Sweet chili sauce is great for dipping, but you can use any Asian dipping sauce that you’d like!
Keywords: salt and pepper tofu, Chinese appetizer, tofu, vegetarian, appetizer