Easy Crispy Tofu Salad
Crispy, tender deep-fried tofu, mixed in with fresh herbs and coated with sweet, sour and slightly spicy Chicken Chilli Sauce. It’s a fully vegetarian dish (the sauce is chicken-less, despite its name) that has both tanginess and freshness in every bite.
Taking only 15 minutes from start to finish, this Sour and Spicy Tofu Salad is perfect as a side dish for the family, or a party.
Serves 5 adults.
Ingredients
Firm tofu, which is the main protein. Soft and silken tofu are not recommended for use as they are too delicate to work with, especially during coating with flour and deep frying.
Crispy Flour, which is homemade. Tempura flour works well too. A light coating adds crispiness to the exterior, and surface area for the dressing to cling to the tofu.
Cooking oil, to deep fry the tofu. I used a Canola blend, but any unscented cooking oil works well too.
Thai Chicken Chilli Sauce, which is homemade from 2 types of chilli, white vinegar, garlic, sugar, and salt. It is also known as Thai Sweet Chilli Sauce and is available commercially too. Sweet, sour and mildly spicy, most of the flavour comes from this sauce as it’s the dressing for the Sour and Spicy Tofu Salad.
Some fresh vegetables and herbs:
- cucumbers, for a touch of coolness
- red onions, for a herbal freshness
- parsley, for freshness
- spring onions
- red chillies, for a touch of spiciness
Steps
Here are the brief steps to make this Crispy Tofu Salad:
- Prepare the ingredients.
- Heat the oil.
- Coat tofu with crispy flour.
- Deep fry tofu for 6 minutes.
- Remove crispy tofu from the wok.
- Mix all the herbs together.
- Add tofu and chicken chilli sauce.
- Toss and serve.
Tips
- Use firm tofu for this recipe. Silken/ soft tofu is too soft to be coated with flour and deep-fried.
- Chicken Chilli Sauce is made in advance/ bought from the shop and drizzled as a dressing. Despite its name, it does not have any trace of chicken. It is a sweet, vinegar chilli sauce meant to be enjoyed with chicken or other deep-fried foods.
- Make sure to watch the full video to see how I made it exactly!
Storage Instructions
This Sour and Spicy Tofu Salad is best enjoyed immediately after cooking. As the tofu was deep-fried, it is not recommended to keep it in the fridge or freezer overnight as the crispy texture would be lost.
Furthermore, as fresh vegetables and herbs were used in this recipe, their moisture will cause them to lose their freshness rapidly.
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- Braised Clay Pot Vegetables with Tofu
- Khao Yum – Rainbow Rice Salad
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Easy Crispy Tofu Salad Recipe
Equipment
- Sharp Kitchen Knife
- Chopping Board
- Wok
- Strainer
- Wooden Chopsticks
- Mixing Bowl
Ingredients
- 500 ml cooking oil, unscented
- 3 block firm tofu
- 50 g crispy flour, substitute with tempura flour
- 100 g cucumber, cut into 2-inch strips
- 50 g red onion, cut thinly
- 20 g parsley, cut into 1-inch strips
- 10 g spring onions, cut into 1-inch strips
- 12 g red chilli, seeds removed and cut into 1-inch strips
- 3 tbsp Thai Chicken Chilli Sauce, aka, Sweet Chilli Sauce
Instructions
- Prepare the ingredients. Cut the cucumber into thin strips. Slice the red onions thinly. Chop the parsley and spring onions into 1-inch strips. Slice the chilli into half and carefully scrape off the seeds. Cut the chilli into strips. Set all the herbs aside.
- Heat the cooking oil in a wok over medium-heat for 6-8 minutes.Cut the tofu into half horizontally, before cutting them into 3 parts. Turn the tofu 90 degrees, and cut again into half to get 12 pieces. Repeat for the other 2 blocks of tofu.
- Sprinkle the crispy flour all over the tofu pieces. Gently mix to coat them evenly. Dust the excess flour with a strainer over a plate, and set them aside.
- Dip a pair of wooden cooking chopsticks into the oil. If bubbles form at the tips, the oil is ready for deep frying.
- Carefully add the coated tofu into the oil, being careful not to let any of them overlap. Avoid stirring the tofu for about 3 minutes, or until they have separated from the bottom of the wok.
- After 3 minutes, use the wooden cooking chopsticks, or a turner, to carefully separate the tofu that are stuck to each other. Turn the tofu to cook them evenly. Continue cooking for another 3 minutes or until golden brown.
- After 3 minutes, remove the tofu from the hot oil with a strainer, shaking it slightly to drip off excess oil.
- In a mixing bowl, add the cucumber strips, red onions, parsley, spring onions and red chilli. Give them a toss until combined. Then, add the crispy tofu and Chicken Chilli Sauce and mix until the sauce has covered all the ingredients.
- Serve immediately.
Video
Notes
- Use firm tofu for this recipe. Silk/ soft tofu is too soft to be coated with flour and deep-fried.
- Chicken Chilli Sauce is made in advance/ bought from the shop and drizzled as a dressing. Despite its name, it does not have any trace of chicken. It is a sweet, vinegar chilli sauce meant to be enjoyed with chicken or other deep-fried foods.
- Make sure to watch the video to see exactly how I made it!