These tofu puffs skewers are amazingly full of flavour and really easy to make. It is that kind of next level comfort food, the one that is so quick and fuss free to prepare and that you can fully enjoy.
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But what are tofu puffs and how to make puff tofu?
Tofu puffs are cubes (or triangles) of bean curd that have been deep fried.
After deep frying the tofu, its outside will result in crispy and crunchy and the inside will be soft and spongy.
To make tofu puffs you'll only need 2 ingredients: tofu block and vegetable oil.
1. First step is to press the tofu to remove the eccess of water. You can do this wrapping the block with some kitchen towels and put heavy items on top of it (I usually place a chopping board on the block and a few cans or heavy books on top of it).
2. After pressing the tofu for 15-30 minutes we need to cut it into about 1 inch cubes.
3. Now we have to heat the vegetable oil in a wok or deep pan on medium heat until the point where after putting a wooden stick in the pan lots of little bubbles will appear around the stick.
4. Last step: deep fry each tofu square until golden brown (this will take around 5 minutes or so).
They will naturally "puff" due to the high temperature of the oil.
Full tutorial for tofu puffs can be found in this post.
How to use tofu puffs?
Now that you have learned how to make tofu puffs with 2 simple ingredients, you may wonder how to cook and what to do with tofu puffs.
The answer is really simple and might sound a tad obvious: as you wish!
Tofu puffs are in fact such a very versatile ingredients that you can use in a variety of dishes, like stews, curries or stir fry in place of the main meat protein, or even tofu itself.
Thanks to their spongy texture, they tend to absorb the liquid they are cooked in, resulting in little bites that literally burst with flavour!
How to store tofu puffs?
If you have prepared more puffs than you actually need or you just want to make a good batch of these tasty clouds, you can store the cooked puffs in an airtight container in the fridge up to 1 week or in the freezer for a few months.
Where to buy tofu puffs?
If you don't feel like making tofu puffs from scratch because you don't have time for it or simply you don't want to have a smelly kitchen, you can buy already made puff tofu.
Since it's a product largely used in Chinese cuisine, you can typically find these puffs in an Asian shop, both online or in a supermarket, in the chilled section.
The price range here in the U.K. typically varies from 2£ to 4£ for 200 grams of product.
Are tofu puffs healthy?
Some might wonder if these gorgeous puffs of tofu are good for our health.
Well, they as you might have noticed yourself they are pieces of tofu that have been deep fried.
And like every food that has been deep fried, we cannot really talk about it being the healthiest thing in the world.
But eating fried food is also far away from being the worst thing in the world. The key is again: moderation.
This is where your conscience comes in. You can ask yourself a couple of questions to be aware of the amount of fried food you are consuming:
What was the last time I ate fried food?
Do I plan to exercise later?
Eating fried food once of twice every couple of weeks is not the end of the world, especially if you do pair an hearty meal with the right amount of exercise! As little as 30 minutes walk a day can prevent gaining few extra pounds when indulging with food.
And for a person that loves food, this sounds like the right compromise, am I right?
Please note: even though I am a certified nutritionist (not practising at the moment), I want to stress out that you should only acknowledge my healthy tips but still talk to an expert in the field before following any new diet or lifestyle. Please keep in mind that every person is different and requires different treatments/diet requirements. Thanks.
...About the recipe
These skewers are made with marinated puff tofu in plant based yogurt and spices and alternated on a long wooden skewer with mushrooms and peppers. (Note: I choose these veggies, but the choice is completely up to you! Go wild and use your favourite ones and don't forget to tag @avegtastefromatoz on Instagram or Facebook so I can appreciate and share your attempts to the recipes I share!)
Then they are oven baked until the veggies are crispy and tender. Alternatively you can cook these on the barbecue, if that's what you are going to do make sure to soak the wooden skewers in some water before assembling as this will prevent them to burn on the grill!
I served these tofu skewers with some fragrant saffron rice, roasted pepper hummus and a mixed salad.
These tofu puffs skewers are perfect for:
- parties
- barbecues
- last minute meals
- home freezing
Five reasons why you should make these tofu puffs skewers:
- they are easy to make
- they are full of flavour
- they will wow your guests (especially non-vegans!)
- they are ready in no time
- they are simply gorgeous!
Tofu Puffs Skewers Recipe
Ingredients:
200 gr Tofu Puffs
200 gr Closed Cup Mushrooms
1 Green Pepper (Red or Yellow)
1 cup Greek-Style Vegan Yogurt (240 ml)
1 tablespoon Tomato Puré
1 ½ teaspoon Smoked Paprika
1 teaspoon Sumac (optional)
Salt
Pepper
Method:
1. Prepare the marinate. In a large bowl combine yogurt, tomato puré, smoked paprika and sumac.
2. Add the tofu puffs and stir well until every cube is well coated. Allow to marinate for 30 minutes.
3. Cut the bell pepper into squares, clean the mushrooms and trim off the last 5 mm of the stalk (if too big divide the mushroom in two).
4. Assemble the skewers. Thread 5 pieces of tofu on a single skewer alternating each tofu puff with pieces of pepper and mushrooms. Arrange on a baking tray covered with parchment paper and season with salt and pepper.
5. Preheat the oven at 180°C (350°F) and cook the skewers for 20 to 30 minutes. Halfway turn the skewers and brush with the remaining marinate.
If you like this recipes check out these other ideas on how to use tofu: my famous Tofu "Ribs" with Homemade Spicy BBQ Sauce, this amazing Tofu Makhani, this delicious Tofu Parmesan or this scrumpious Sweet and Sour Pineapple Tofu.
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