Pan-Fried Vegan Tofu Karaage (Wafu Curry Flavor)
Here's a recipe for Pan-Fried Vegan Tofu Karaage (vegan Japanese fried chicken), made with frozen firm tofu that's got a texture just like chicken. It's so well-seasoned with Japanese curry flavor that it tastes great even when cold, making it perfect for bento boxes.
Equipment
- deep-dish
- cooking tray
- frying pan
- cooking chopsticks
- paper towel
Ingredients
- 1 block Frozen firm tofu about 400g
Seasoning
- 5 teaspoon Soy Sauce
- 3 teaspoon mirin
- 4 g grated ginger Best to use only the juice
Coating
- 1 teaspoon curry powder S&B Curry Powder Oriental
- 11/2 tablespoon potato starch
Pan-Frying
- 2 teaspoon oil
Instructions
- Thawing: First, defrost the frozen tofu. You may use either natural thawing or a microwave. If using a microwave, defrost it thoroughly in the middle at 600W for around 7 minutes. *When defrosting in the microwave, allow it to cool completely. Be careful since tofu can easily crumble when warm.1 block Frozen firm tofu
- Remove excess moisture: Place the tofu on a flat dish or cooking tray. Press down with your palm to press out the moisture, then discard the water. Repeat "pressing → discarding water" until no moisture remains. After carefully squeezing the water, use a paper towel to remove any surface moisture.*Press lightly to avoid crumbling.
- Soak: Place the seasoning in a tray and stir it. Then, add the pressed frozen tofu and let it absorb the flavor. Flip it halfway to allow the taste to soak in from the other side. Finally, softly press the tofu with your palms from above several times to ensure the flavor is thoroughly absorbed.*For best results, use solely grated ginger juice.5 teaspoon Soy Sauce, 3 teaspoon mirin, 4 g grated ginger
- Tear: Once the seasoning is evenly distributed over the tofu, tear it into bite-sized pieces.*Dividing it into six pieces is recommended to prevent the tofu from crumbling.
- Coat with curry powder: Spread the curry powder on another tray. Arrange the torn tofu and gently cover it with curry powder.*If you tap the tray on the table, the curry powder will spread more easily across the entire tray.1 teaspoon curry powder
- Dust with potato starch: Apply potato starch to the surface in the same way as the previous step. Do it fast and go to the next step.*For crispy deep-frying in plenty of oil instead of pan-frying, use more potato starch and coat the entire surface.11/2 tablespoon potato starch
- Coat with oil: Put the required quantity of oil into the frying pan (without turning on the heat yet). One by one, add the tofu pieces to the pan, making sure to cover the whole surface with oil.*The key is to work quickly. *For steps 6 and 7, coat one piece of tofu at a time with oil in the pan, starting with the piece that was just coated with potato starch. This will prevent the potato starch from absorbing the seasoning and sticking to the tray.2 teaspoon oil
- Frying: Place the frying pan over low heat and cook until the surface is well browned. Once the entire surface has been equally browned, transfer to a plate and serve.*If oil is not enough for cooking, add little quantities.