Pan Seared Tofu

crisp, golden, and delicious

This is such a fast and easy way to add a ton of flavor into neutral tofu.  I first found this recipe on the Daily Garnish and have tweaked it to include my favorite flavors.  I love tofu, but so many of my recipes take time to marinate, and then bake, and I don’t always have that much time.  This recipe takes about 10 minutes to put together, and is super satisfying with a simple salad, or my Dinosaur Greens!  Play with the spices to customize the recipe to suit your family’s tastes, or tailor the flavors to fit the cuisine you are pairing the tofu with (oregano and basil with an Italian dish, cumin and coriander with a Middle Eastern dish, etc.)!

Pan Seared Tofu
3 T corn starch
1 tsp garlic
1 tsp onion
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp ginger
1 tsp black pepper
1 tsp salt

1/3 c soy sauce
1 T sesame oil
splash of sriracha

1 large block of super firm tofu (I like Wildwood Super Firm SpouTofu)

Remove tofu from wrapper and wrap in 2 paper towels.  Place between two plates and place a heavy object on top to press as much water out as possible.  Cut into desired shapes.  I like to slice in half creating two large rectangles, and then slice each rectangle into 4-6 more pieces.

the more water you press out of the tofu, the more flavor it can absorb

Preheat skillet with a splash of canola oil to coat pan.  Mix all dry ingredients in shallow bowl, and all wet ingredients in separate shallow bowl.

set up a work station to streamline the process

Place 4-6 pieces of tofu into the soy sauce mixture.  Let sit for 2 minutes, then flip.  Let sit 2 minutes more.

soaking up flavor

Remove from marinade and dip into dry mix and coat on 2 sides.  Shake/tap to remove excess.  Place into pan, 1 coated side down.  The pan should sizzle like crazy…if it doesn’t it hasn’t preheated enough!  Continue this process, marinating the tofu and coating with powder.  Using tongs, turn the tofu pieces in the skillet so that each side sears and gets dark and crisp.  Remove from pan and let cool on plate.  You will need to continue to add oil to pan as you do each batch.  Enjoy!

ready to serve with your favorite side dish