Asian Inspired Tofu Bites

Quick and simple to prepare, I often whizz up these flavourful tofu bites for my lunch. In the short time it takes my air-fryer to heat up, they're ready to cook. Whilst cooking, there's ample time to prepare a salad. I call my recipe Asian inspired as I used a bit of this and a bit of that of my various Asian flavourings, trying several variations, until I ended up with this combo which works really well.

Served today on a salad with my own dressing, I've also air-fried some little cubes of vegan haloumi. I'm not at all sure if the vegan haloumi is anything like my memory of the real thing, but in small cubes it does add a bit of interest to dishes.

Tip

When I buy a block of ready pressed tofu I cut it into cubes, storing in water in an airtight container in the fridge. I can then lift out the cubes with a slotted spoon as required.

Ingredients

Gluten free breadcrumbs

for Coating sauce

(enough for 6-8 tofu cubes)

In a small bowl, mix together a generous teaspoon of each of the following;

Sweet chilli sauce

Tahini

Dark agave syrup

Sesame Togarashi spice mix (Wickd - found in spice aisle, Tesco)

Sesame oil

Red chilli flakes - optional if you like a zingy heat kick like me

If you prefer you can make the sauce ahead of time (earlier in morning or night before) and marinade the tofu cubes, covered in the fridge. It's not required for the flavour but can save time at lunch.

Preparation

Sprinkle breadcrumbs in a 2nd small dish. Dip each nugget into sauce and coat well. Pop onto breadcrumbs and use a teaspoon to coat nugget with the crumbs. Turning gently with fingers, coat thoroughly, then air-fry for approx. 10 minutes. I've no doubt these would also shallow fry and would probably taste divine if fried in sesame or stir fry oil. I haven't tried it as I avoid frying unless absolutely necessary. Now I've typed that I can imagine the smell of them frying - it's divine!

Salad dressing

Whilst waiting for tofu to cook, I added to the remaining sauce to make a complimentary salad dressing. I add a drizzle of lemon infused olive oil, a sprinkle of sea salt and a liberal dash of lime juice (bottled). It was lovely.

I added to my ready prepared tub of Edamame bean rainbow salad (Tesco) with my usual suspects;

Dried cranberries

Toasted flaked almonds

Crunchy salad topper

Sesame seeds

I poured over my dressing and topped with the piping hot tofu bites and haloumi.

I gave the dish a final flourish with a drizzle of vegan salad cream and sweet chilli sauce.

Yummy!

Alternative accompaniments

Gluten free pitta bread. I keep in freezer and take out as required. Pop into toaster to heat through and slather with hummus, before topping with the bites.

A handful of oven chips air-fry in the same time as the bites and fall right into that air-fryer - sometimes you just have to!