If you fancy a taste of the sea, but don't want to eat fish, try this for an indulgent treat. Serve it with wedges of lemon, and make more of a meal of it with a lightly cooked green vegetable.
Ingredients
- Canola oil, for deep-frying
- 14 oz block of tofu
- 1 sheet of nori
- Lemon wedges, to serve
- For the batter
- Scant 1/2 cup (2 oz) all-purpose flour
- 3/4 cup (3 1/2, oz) cornstarch
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
- About 1 cup (7 fl oz) sparkling water
Directions
1. Half-fill one or two woks, deep-frying pans or large heavy saucepans with canola oil. Heat until a small cube of bread sizzles and rises to the surface immediately and browns in 1 minute.
2. While the oil is heating, mix the batter: put the flour, cornstarch, salt, and baking powder into a bowl, add the sparkling water and mix quickly using a fork or chopstick; it needs to remain a bit lumpy and some bits of flour don't matter. You need a thickish batter that will cling to the tofu when you dip it in: you can add a bit more water or cornstarch to adjust if necessary.
3. Drain the tofu but don't dry it. Cut crosswise into slices about 1/4-inch thick so that you get about 12 from the block. Cut the nori into similar-sized rectangles: you should get 12 from a sheet.
4. When the oil is hot, lay a piece of nori on one side of a piece of tofu, dip in the batter, being careful not to dislodge the nori, let any excess batter drip off, then gently drop the battered tofu into the oil. Let it cook for about 3-4 minutes, or until it is golden brown (not too dark), and crisp, then carefully lift it out with a slotted spoon and drain it on paper towels. You can add more while the first is cooking, but make sure you attach the nori and dip the tofu in the batter immediately before frying, so the nori doesn't get soggy.
5. Serve with lemon wedges.
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Submitted 4/4/13.
Source: Rose Elliot's 30-Minute Vegetarian
Submitted By: b smith
Deep-fried Tofu with Lemon