Crisp Tofu Katsu With Lemon-Tahini Sauce Recipe (2024)

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Cooking Notes

Leah Macpherson

So the cauliflower goes into the dish raw?

Christina

▫️Roast the cauliflower until golden and crisped on the edges. ▫️Fry the pads of tofu after breading until golden and crunchy▫️sauté mushrooms until golden and fragrant ▫️1/2 water for sauce is plenty▫️little extra lemon and tahini, watch- garlic is potent

Ann Robinson

I made this tonight. Roasted the cauliflower with the mushrooms. I did not have anchovy paste and couldn't find shiitakes, so used regular mushrooms. Even, so, it was so delicious. The lemon and soy with garlic really gave the whole thing a bright flavor, and the panko crumbs added texture.I can't wait to try it with the anchovy paste and shiitakes !

Anonymous

Easy to veganize this recipe by replacing the egg with a dip made with 1/2 cup Soy combined with a teaspoon of mustard. The mustard will curdle the soy milk, yielding a buttermilk-textured liquid for dipping the tofu.

Max

We’re gluten free as well. Our go to substitute for pinko is crushed white corn tortilla chips.

Rachel

I was shocked at the nutritional value of this vegan recipe...for 1000 calories I’d just as soon eat pork tonkatsu. But the recipe looked interesting so I used cooking spray to roast the mushrooms, cauliflower (seemed strange to keep it raw), cut back the bread crumbs to 1/2 cup, used the recommended amount of tahini but just 1 T of oil for the dressing. It’s delicious! Tofu is wonderfully flavored and I could stick to my healthy eating plan.

silvia rennie

Are the cauliflower florets to be used raw?

Don

Perhaps a little more information will help people make up their own minds about canola oil:https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/oil-of-oleacute/

Paige

Canola oil is just fine for you in the amounts you would use it for cooking. https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/oil-of-oleacute/

JEnny Schmidt

Instead of calling the tofu 'slabs', can we call it 'fillets'?

patrice

You've ruined the recipe by using canola oil. This oil has no place in the new healthy recipe lexicon

Gail

The serving size appears to be "four servings," which implies that the nutritional info is for the entire dish. Per serving, it would be 16.5 grams of fat.

Robin

Would it be better to blot the sliced tofu with paper towels? I often do this to get rid of excess water. Haven't made the dish yet, but will soon!

Don

Made as instructed. The quinoa salad is very tasty. The sauce/dressing does not really need as much of the oil as called for. And next time I would increase the tahini and reduce the dijon a couple of teaspoons each. Be careful with the tofu, as it can (and did) dry out in the oven; I will fry it next time.

Erin

This is a good method for tofu katsu, and it’s quick. I seasoned the tofu with s&p and garlic powder before all of the dipping steps and added some soy sauce, fish sauce, and sesame oil to the eggs, because I had a feeling it would need something extra. I made the tonkatsu sauce from the nytimes chicken katsu recipe.

Eb

We weren't big fans of the sauce...I was hoping for more of a sweet sesame dressing taste and it is definitely lemon forward, kind of bitter and tangy. But the texture of the crispy tofu was amazing, will be adapting to abetter sauce. Also I roasted the cauli really quick after a toss in olive oil and garlic salt.

Tess

Made this with a few tweaks (roasted the cauliflower, pan-fried the tofu so it didn’t dry out, and served the sauce and tahini separately) and it was delicious! And for everybody worried about the calories or fat: leave out the tahini.

Deborah

What could I use instead of eggs? I'm vegan.

Ruth's notes

Has anyone made just the quinoa without mushrooms and cauliflower? I am looking for an easy quinoa dish that is flavorful but not much prep work.

Melissa

One of my all time favorites. I love using pearl couscous instead of quinoa and always cook the cauliflower.

Richard

Is there a viable substitute for cornstarch, such as flour or something else? Thanks.

Ray Furse

Can we make an effort to reduce the jargon in cookery?, like oddly naming this dish a variant katsu, which is simply the shortened Japanese term for cutlet (full form katsuretsu, カツレツ) from the French côtelette, which in any case is always meat and deep-fried. This dish is just slices of tofu prepared and served in an interesting but totally non-Japanese way.

Patricia Fisher

If you toast that panko (after tossing it with the oil) on the stove for a couple of minutes, your resulting tofu katsu will have more of the toasty flavor of deep-fried. This trick comes from Nami, the mastermind behind "Just One Cook." Also, if you bake the breaded tofu on a baking rack, both sides will get toasty with no effort and no flipping.

D

About to make this for the first time and the recipe doesn't say anything about pressing the tofu first - i'd love some guidance for next time!

Suz in Portland

Excellent! Family said it was a nice change of pace. As recommended, I roasted the mushrooms and cauliflower together. I used a mix of of three types of mushrooms and pressed the water out of the tofu. To the dressing I added about two tablespoons of white miso. Sesame oil would be a nice touch. Start cooking the quinoa about 10 minutes before everything goes in the oven. Lemon juice is a must. This is time-consuming to make but worth the effort. Next time I may do the veggie prep a day ahead.

Esther

The sauce feels unbalanced, overly sour, too much water.

Madeline

I made 2 modifications and had enjoyable recipe. First I substituted the Just Egg vegan product (egg allergy). I also had the plain off-white quinoa so I balanced the colors in this recipe by using steamed baby carrots instead of cauliflower. I think it add a nice sweetness to the dish.

Neonata

I left out the cauliflower and definitely didn’t miss it. Used baby-Bella’s ‘regular’ quinoa that’s what we had and it was fantastic. I freeze my tofu (buy it in bulk) which makes it much spongier and it worked beautifully in this recipe- very crispy. We even copied the tofu method for another dish the same week.

Katie

Does it really take only 15 minutes to make the tofu? Tofu has always taken me 25-30 in the oven at 425

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Crisp Tofu Katsu With Lemon-Tahini Sauce Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What not to mix with tofu? ›

What to not serve with tofu? According to studies, a high volume consumption of tofu and spinach together can increase your risk of kidney stones. Tofu and spinach contain calcium and oxalic acid respectively and the combined can form kidney stones.

Why won t my tofu get crispy? ›

The key to crispy tofu is to heat the oil in your pan before adding tofu cubes. Coating the pan-fried tofu in corn flour helps create a crispy coating as the cubed tofu cooks in the oil. Another key to getting uber-crispy tofu is removing excess liquid/moisture from it before you cook tofu.

What is crispy tofu made of? ›

Ingredients needed (with substitutions)

Soy sauce – Or tamari for gluten free. Cornstarch – This is the secret to the most perfect fried tofu. Cornstarch forms a protective layer around each cube of tofu, which crisps up when added to heat. If you don't have cornstarch, arrowroot powder and tapioca starch also work.

What is the tastiest way to make tofu? ›

Press tofu and cube it. Coat it in garlic, black pepper, salt (plus more of your favourite seasonings), liquid aminos and some olive oil. Then mix it into some cornstarch and toss it all together, then bake for about 20 minutes. Cornstarch also helps to draw out excess moisture so it really gets the tofu crispy.

What is the downside of eating too much tofu? ›

The significant disadvantages of Tofu may cause allergies in some people. The symptoms of soy allergies include skin rash, inflammation, itching, fainting, breathing difficulty, abdominal pain and throat swelling. In rare scenarios, Tofu may cause osteoporosis and estrogen-related cancer.

Why can't you eat spinach with tofu? ›

- It is said that tofu cannot be eaten together with spinach at the same time. As tofu and spinach contain calcium and oxalic acid respectively, the combination of the two will form kidney stones. But in fact, only prolonged and volumionous consumption of tofu and spinach at the same time will pose this risk.

How unhealthy is fried tofu? ›

Frying tofu can give it a crispy texture, but comes at a cost – it can be high in calories, up to three times more than baked or air-fried tofu. This is because frying requires added oil as a heat conductor, which cooks the tofu evenly but also makes it absorb more oil, resulting in more fat and calories.

What is a substitute for cornstarch in crispy tofu? ›

If you prefer not to cook with cornstarch, you can try a substitute such as potato starch or arrowroot starch. Salt and pepper: You can also add additional seasonings like garlic and onion powder, paprika, nutritional yeast, etc.

Is fried tofu healthier than chicken? ›

Tofu nutrition. This meatless option is a staple for vegetarians, and rightfully so. It boasts more fiber, calcium, iron, magnesium, zinc and folate than chicken and contains fewer calories.

What should I season tofu with? ›

Tofu seasoning rub: Rub the pressed tofu with lots of spices like garlic or onion powder, salt and pepper, nutritional yeast or a spicy taco seasoning, KFC seasoning, Buffalo spice, etc. Tofu marinade: Soak the tofu cubes in your favorite chicken/meat marinade to infuse extra flavor.

Is it better to fry or bake tofu? ›

It sticks, and the crispy bits end up sticking to the pan, which is a tofu tragedy. Plus, it requires more oil, and you don't need to use a lot of oil to get crispy tofu. When you bake your tofu, you give it time to develop crispy edges and warm, pillowy insides. It's simply the best.

How do you get the best flavor in tofu? ›

Marinating really is the trick to making tofu delicious. A lot of recipes have you cook tofu then toss it in a sauce, and while this is good, it still leaves the middles of the tofu bland and under-seasoned. When you marinate tofu and then cook it, you get flavor inside and out. Cook It Any Way You Like.

Is tofu a high inflammatory food? ›

Tofu and tempeh.

Studies suggest people who eat soy-based foods have lower odds of inflammation-related diseases like heart disease, diabetes, and some cancers. Nuts and legumes, Tree nuts like almonds and walnuts, along with peanuts, are rich in unsaturated fats, along with anti-inflammatory vitamins and minerals.

Can we eat tofu and egg together? ›

Yes, you can eat eggs and soya chunks together. Both eggs and soya chunks are good sources of protein, and consuming them together can help meet your daily protein requirements. You can add boiled or scrambled eggs to your soya chunk curry or stir-fry for a balanced meal.

Can you eat tofu with fruits? ›

Cut tofu in 1/4 inch cubes. Drop into boiling water for 3 minutes, drain. Gently mix tofu, apple, oranges, grapes, sugar, and lemon juice. Top with walnuts, if desired.

What happens to your body when you eat tofu? ›

Soybeans and soy products like tofu are rich in isoflavones. These flavonoids (plant-based chemicals) help lower your blood pressure and offer other heart-protective benefits. A 2020 study found that people who ate a serving of tofu each week had an 18% lower risk of heart disease than those who didn't.

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