Tofu Nuggets

I don't know why it's taken me so long to write the recipe for these tofu nuggets because they're a firm family favourite and get enthusiastically wolfed down every time I make them! They're crispy on the outside, firm on the inside and full of flavour! I usually serve them up with potato wedges topped with pesto (recipe here) and homemade mayo on the side (recipe here), but I often put them in wraps with lettuce and mayo (and sometimes hoi sin sauce too), and occasionally I cut the tofu into strips instead of cubes and put them in tacos for a Mexican feast!

The key to these nuggets is to freeze the tofu for 24-48 hours before you use it. This totally changes the texture, making it a lot coarser and more satisfying to bite into.

Once the tofu has been thawed and drained, you can then marinade it in a flavour of your choice, if you wish. We mostly like it plain but I've marinaded the tofu in vegan chicken stock before, which gave it a lovely depth of flavour, and I've even marinaded it in teryaki sauce, for a completely different take.

They're also versatile at the breadcrumb stage. You can add any combination of herbs and spices into the breadcrumb mix to change the flavour. I often add cajun seasoning or Italian herbs; the possibilities are endless!

Here, I'm just going to outline the basic recipe I use and you can adapt it however you want. This recipe makes approximately 36 nuggets.

First:

Take three packets of extra firm tofu. Drain, press and put in the freezer for 24-48 hours.

24-48 hours later:

Defrost the tofu and press again to remove excess liquid.

Next:

Cut the tofu into cubes (you can also cut them into strips, or any other way you wish). I usually get 12 cubes out of one block.

Then put 3 mixing bowls out next to each other.

In the first bowl, combine the following:

1 cup wholewheat (or gluten free) flour

¼ cup corn flour

1 tsp salt

In the second bowl, add:

1 cup of plant milk

In the third bowl, combine the following:

1 cup of breadcrumbs (gluten free if preferred)

¼ cup nutritional yeast

2 tsp onion powder

2 tsp paprika

1 tsp garlic powder

Next, take a handful of the tofu (I usually do 6 cubes at a time) and dip them in the bowls as follows:

1. Dip them into the flour mix, until totally covered.

2. Dip them into the milk, until totally covered.

3. Dip them into the breadcrumb mixture until totally covered.

Then, place the nuggets on a baking tray lined with baking paper.

Continue in the same way with the remaining nuggets.

Then:

Drizzle olive oil over the nuggets if you like -I try to keep our oil consumption to a minimum. Adding oil does make the nuggets even crispier but, in my opinion, they're just as good without it!

Next:

Place the nuggets in a pre-heated oven at 200°.

Bake for 15 minutes, then turn each nugget over.

Bake for 15 minutes more.

Then serve and eat!

Enjoy!