Crispy Salt and Pepper Tofu

My version of a restaurant favorite - crispy salt and pepper tofu.

Scroll to the end for a recipe card.

Crispy salt and pepper tofu is one of my favorite Asian restaurant dishes to order when I can find it. I’m sure someone will jump on and correct me about calling it Asian, but I’m not sure which cuisine it really originated from. I’ve had it at Chinese, Japanese, and Vietnamese restaurants.

We don’t eat out much these days, so when I’m craving a favorite restaurant dish I have to figure out how to make it myself. I’ve been working on this one for years and have finally gotten it to how my family and I absolutely love - it’s crispy and salty on the outside, and still soft and moist on the inside. It’s messy to fry but otherwise very easy to make.

Read on to find out how I make this restaurant favorite dish at home, and scroll to the end of you want a printable recipe card.

What you need to make Crispy Salt and Pepper Tofu:

The recipe below has approximate quantities for making 1 package of tofu, but I usually double or even triple this because we devour it.

• Extra firm tofu

• Corn starch

• Kosher salt (or a somewhat coarse salt of your choice)

• Pepper - we like either white pepper or szechuan pepper

• Alternatively you can replace the separate salt and pepper with this blend which is my favorite.

• Oil for frying - I use a coconut-safflower-avocado blend, with a few dashes of toasted sesame oil for extra flavor.

• Fresh garlic (optional)

• Green onions (optional)

• Extra salt & pepper for garnish

• Oyster sauce (optional)

How to make it:

The first thing you need to do is get a bit of the water out of your tofu. I like to slice the block of tofu in half lengthwise and layer it between a few dishtowels with some kind of weight on top, ideally for at least an hour.

While the tofu is pressing you can mix your corn starch, salt, and pepper. The quantities I have given you in the recipe card below are approximate. I recommend you season the corn starch and then dip a finger in and taste it. You should taste the salt and pepper. Remember that tofu doesn’t have much flavor on it’s own, so your seasoning needs to do all the flavor heavy lifting here.

Next you want to cut your tofu into bite sized cubes. These can be any size you like.

Then toss the cubes of tofu in the seasoned corn starch mixture.

Now you are ready for frying. Heat your oil in a deep frying pan, about an inch deep. Test it with a drop of water to make sure it’s hot enough - the water should sizzle instantly when you drop it in. When the oil is hot enough start adding the tofu cubes and fry them. Do this in batches so they stay spread out and don’t crowed each other. You want them to get nice and crispy on all sides.

Remove the fried tofu cubes from the pan and sprinkle a little extra salt and pepper over the top.

When all the tofu is fried I like to make the little extra garnish of fried garlic and onion. A tablespoon or two of diced or sliced fresh garlic and green onion in the hot oil and stir them around and fry until they get golden, and immediately strain them out and sprinkle over the tofu.

We like to serve ours with a little Chinese style oyster sauce for dipping. One of my favorite ways the have this is with a seared ahi tuna bowl - I make this easy seared ahi tuna, and serve it with steamed rice, salad greens, edamame, cucumber salad, tomatoes, and the crispy tofu. Delicious.

Author: Lisa Marsh - WhatLisaCooks.com

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Crispy Salt and Pepper Tofu

Wonderfully crispy seasoned tofu as good as a restaurant but easy to make at home.

Ingredients

• 1 package (usually about 1 pound) extra firm tofu
• 1/2 cup corn starch
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground white pepper
• oil for frying
• 2-3 cloves of minced garlic (optional)
• 1 bunch of green onions, chopped (optional)
• extra kosher or flake salt for garnish

Instructions

1. Drain and slice the block of tofu in half lengthwise. Layer the slices of tofu between some towels and put a weight on top (I usually put a cutting board or plate with a couple of cans). Let sit for at least an hour to squeeze much of the water out.
2. Combine corn starch, salt, and pepper in a bowl.
3. Cut tofu in bite sized cubes (about an inch) and toss in seasoned corn starch, coating well.
4. Pour oil in a hot pan. Quantity will depend on your pan size - I like to make it deep enough to come a bit up the sides of the tofu, but we're not full on deep frying here.
5. Fry tofu in batches so they have enough room to not be touching, turning occasionally until nicely golden brown on all sides. Remove with a slotted spoon to a serving dish.
6. Optional topping: when all the tofu is browned put the chopped garlic and green onion in the hot oil and fry until lightly browned, remove from pan with a slotted spoon at sprinkle over the top of the fried tofu.
7. Top with a little extra salt and pepper or a sezchuan pepper salt blend.

Notes

I almost always at least double this because we love it so much.

As with all of my recipes - I've given you quantities but they are approximate and really flexible. I don't usually measure when I make this. You can, and should, adjust ingredients to suit your tastes.

I usually use a neutral vegetable oil for frying, but sometimes it's nice to add a drizzle of toasted sesame oil to this for extra flavor.

We love these crispy tofu bites plain, but the garlic and onion topping puts them over the top if you have the extra time. We also like to serve some oyster sauce on the side for dipping.

The tofu tastes great left over. It won't retain the crispness, but the flavor is still delicious.

Recommended Products

Penzy's Szechuan Pepper Salt

Oyster Sauce

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