Recipe - Crunchy Tofu Tacos

In honor of National Taco Day last week (October 4th) and because it's what was in the fridge, we decided to make some tofu tacos instead of traditional ones. Of course, they needed to be crunchy in our opinion and when I thought of what to use to make it crunchy, panko jumped out at me. This snowballed into thoughts of a Japanese inspired taco which was easy enough with the creamy miso salad dressing in the fridge. Fast forward later, we were happily munching on tofu tacos with a bit of a yuzu and chile kick to it. Try out this recipe if you'd like!

Step 1: Ingredients (yields 8 tacos)

Slaw
• 1 cup bean sprouts, loose (~4 oz)
• 1 tbsp rice vinegar
• 2 tbsp sesame oil
• 1 tbsp sesame seeds
• 1 cup cabbage and carrots, shredded (similar to coleslaw)
• 1 tsp yuzu green chili sauce

Filling
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 tbsp black pepper
• 1 tbsp sea salt
• 1 tbsp sesame seeds
• 1 cup panko crumbs
• 1 package tofu, extra firm
• 8 corn tortillas
• creamy miso dressing

Step 2: Making slaw
Tofu takes a bit of time to press out the excess water so whether you are using a tofu press or pressing it between two cutting boards with a heavy object on top, start that process first. This will allow the tofu to absorb more of whatever you are coating it in, marinade or not. Keep this in mind for future tofu usage. Then you can start on the slaw which needs time to soak itself. Add all slaw ingredients together and mix thoroughly until all vegetable pieces are coated in sauce. Store in fridge until ready to eat.


Step 3: Prepping the tofu
There are two ways to handle the tofu - baking or frying. We did a combination of both just to make sure we got the desired crunchiness but you can choose to bake all the way or to fry the tofu strips. If going the oven route, preheat to 400°F. Slice tofu into eight thick strips. Set up an assembly line for coating your tofu with one bowl containing your beaten egg and a plate with the black pepper, sea salt, sesame seed, and panko crumbs mixed together. Dip tofu strips into egg before coating in panko mixture. Lay each on a foil-covered baking sheet. Bake for 10-15 minutes or until golden brown. If choosing to fry, thinly cover the bottom of a large skillet with oil on high heat; fry tofu accordingly.


Step 4: Finishing
Warm up corn tortillas and spread some yuzu green chile sauce on the bottom. Place tofu strip in the middle. Top with slaw. Drizzle on creamy miso dressing, and enjoy!


Photography by Duc Duong.