Bean
Pistachio- and Pecan-Crusted Tofu
- Serves 4 as a side
Author Notes
Loosely inspired by chicken fingers, the only food I actually missed when I became a vegetarian. It's infinitely adaptable—swap out pistachios for pecans, pumpkin seeds, cashews, or almonds, use a medley of Italian spices or a curry blend. This grown-up tofu finger will happily accommodate your every whim. —Claire S
Test Kitchen Notes
The recipe's result? Really good. But, getting there was more challenging than it needed to be. All in all I really liked this recipe, but I found the cutting of the tofu into the triangles unnecessarily difficult. The same effect could have come from slicing a different way. These tofu triangles are best just after baking (with a little cooling of course). Just for grins I let some fully cool down and their crunchiness disappeared. It may "reappear" after a reheating. (I didn't try that, but someone should.) I plan to add it my recipe list and play with it some. —Brian Cohen
Ingredients
-
1 packet
extra-firm tofu
-
1 handful
shelled pistachios, [Editors' note: We used about 1/4 cup.] chopped
-
1 handful
pecans, toasted [Editors' note: We used about 1/4 cup.] and chopped
-
1/3 cup
breadcrumbs (optional)
-
1 tablespoon
mixed spices
-
1/4 cup
flour
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1/3 cup
non-dairy milk (or an egg beaten with water, if non-vegan)
Directions
- Heat oven to 400° F. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper or nonstick cooking spray.
- Prepare tofu: Cut the pressed tofu into 4 slabs: Cut it in half down the middle on the smaller, rectangular side. Then proceed to cut those 2 slabs in half in the same manner. You should end up with 4 big squares of tofu that are about 1/2 inch thick, the same size as the original package if looking down from above, just thinner. Cut each of these slabs in half through the long side, then each of these pieces into triangles. You should end up with 16, although if your tofu block is sized differently, cut into triangles approximately the size of a triangle drawn from your extended pointer finger and thumb.
- Prepare your setup with three shallow, wide bowls: In one, mix flour with a dash of salt and pepper. In the next, your liquid: either non-dairy milk or the egg wash. Finally, the nut mixture.
- Assemble: Press a triangle of tofu into the flour mixture, coating on all sides. Dredge in liquid, allowing excess to drip off, then toss in nut mixture, pressing the tofu into the bowl to ensure the coating sticks and covering all sides. Transfer to baking sheet and repeat with remaining triangles.
- Bake for 15 minutes or until golden brown. Serve with a sauce accompanying your seasoning pick—marinara, chimichurri, teriyaki, chutney, peanut sauce—either on the side to dip or drizzled on top, or add to rice bowls or salads to round out a meal.
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