Tofu Fries with Sesame Honey Garlic

meat free recipes sides snacks

Tofu Fries with Sesame Honey Garlic

March 26, 2015 • 15 comments

Do you guys ever google people you know? This morning I went on a little indulgent google search for people that I’ve lost touch with (okay fine, I was really googling my and Mike’s exes for fun). Five minutes later I came up with nothing, and got bored, but then I started freaking out because my life is basically an open book on the internet…

It’s funny because even though I’m conscious of these posts going out into the world, I still kind of sort of treat them a little like a personal journal. Sure, I mean, I’m not completely open about everything, but that’s because I don’t think people would be interested in the fact that I painted my toenails hot pink yesterday. Ugh, funny-not-funny story though: my left foot stepped on my right while the polish was still wet and then I stepped on the floor, leaving a tiny hot pink spot behind. I did what I thought was natural – that is, I used some nail polish remover to take the polish off and um, oops, let it be known that you’re not supposed to use acetone to clean hardwood floors. Luckily it’s just a tiny spot and I think (I hope!) no one will notice.
Rambling aside, isn’t the internet a funny thing? Just the other day Mike and I were discussing how people born today will have essentially their whole lives documented on the internet. Parents put up photos of their kids and 2 year olds know how to play iPhone games better than I do.
All this has nothing to do with tofu fries, so let’s just talk about those for a second. Deep-fried tofu is amazing. Even shallow, pan-fried tofu is amazing. If you love texture contrasts, this is a dish for you. The crusty, crunchy outsides give way to a soft, yielding creamy soft centre. Toss those crispy guys up with sesame honey garlic sauce and a drizzle of sriracha and you’re got yourself an indulgent snack. So good.

Sesame Tofu Fries
serves 2
prep time: 5 minutes
cook time: 20 minutes
total time: 25 minutes

• 1 block tofu (I used medium silken tofu)
  oil, to fry
  2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 teaspoons minced ginger
  2 tablespoons brown sugar or honey
  1 tablespoon dark soy sauce
  1 tablespoon rice vinegar
  2 tablespoons water
  toasted sesame seeds, to garnish
  sliced green onions, to garnish
  sriracha, to taste if desired

Cut tofu into fry shapes. I usually cut the block in half, and then each half into four, which will give you 8 slabs of tofu. Then I cut each slab equally into 4. You end up with 32 sticks of tofu. Let the sticks drain on paper towels for 10-15 minutes, switching out the paper towels once or twice.
While the tofu is draining, make the sauce. Heat up the garlic, honey, soy sauce, vinegar, and water in a small sauce pan. Bring up to a gentle simmer and reduce slightly. Taste and adjust flavours if needed. Keep warm on very low heat.
Heat up a generous amount of oil in a non-stick pan or a heavy bottomed cast iron pan. In batches, fry the sticks over medium to medium-high heat, flipping so all sides fry up, until golden brown and crunchy, about 10-15 minutes total. Let drain on a wire rack or paper towels.
Throw the fries into a bowl and drizzle on the sauce and sriracha (if using) to taste. Enjoy hot!