Tandoori tofu nuggets
Better than normal chicken nuggets, and with some simple, perfect fries on the side!
Tandoori Tofu Nuggets
Time: 1 hour | Difficulty: 3/5 | Recommendation: Weeknight dinner
Ever wanted to make a chicken nugget at home but had no idea where to start? Enter, tofu nuggets! They’re just as good (if not better) than chicken nuggets, and they’re much simpler since you don’t have to use ground chicken (or however you make a chicken nugget, I honestly have no idea). They get super crispy on the outside, and the inside stays springy and soft, and of course the tofu takes on any flavor you give it. I adapted this recipe from Eric Kim at NYT Cooking—I’ve added some different flavors, made it for one person, and added a french fry recipe (I want french fries with my nugs!). Give these a try, and you WILL be a tofu convert!!
Ingredients/Special tools:
Two thick slices of tofu (preferably from frozen—you can chop up a store-bought block and freeze it already in slices, for future recipes!)
1 starchy potato
Vegetable or peanut oil
Cornstarch
Chickpea flour (or regular if that’s all you have—chickpea flour adds an extra flavor element)
Tandoori powder (or really any spices you want!)
A skillet or heavy non-stick pan
A big bowl
Method:
Defrost and/or press your tofu well. Rip the slices into four nugget-sized chunks each (8 total).
Chop up your potato into super thin, french-fry style slices, and pat with a paper towel.
Put the tofu in a bowl, and add salt, pepper, and tandoori powder. Coat the pieces by tossing the bowl (and thereby the tofu inside it).
Add some cornstarch and toss again until all the sides are coated.
Add the chickpea flour and toss, again coating the sides.
Heat up some oil in the skillet, and add the potatoes (in batches if needed). I know deep-frying is scary—you don’t need much oil at all, just enough to cover the potatoes! When they’re crispy and the edges have browned, transfer to a paper towel and add salt and pepper.
Heat a little more oil if necessary, then add in the tofu in batches. Fry on one side for a couple minutes until crispy, then flip. They should be browned and crisped! You want the oil to be super hot, so the outside cooks through without overcooking the inside.
Enjoy with some honey mustard, or ketchup, or sweet and sour sauce!