Tofu, or bean curd, tokwa to Pinoys, is a big part of Filipino and Asian cooking, particularly in Japanese and Chinese cuisine. I especially like it when my mother use tofu with sauteed vegetables, simple and tasty. It’s like comfort food to me.

Breaded tofu is a simple yet popular dish in Asian cooking

Not to mention that tofu is a very healthy alternative to meat because it has no fats but supplies the body with needed protein. This humble food ingredient, as you know, is made from soybeans that also used to make Miso and soy milk.

One particular and very simple way to cook tofu is to smother it with bread crumbs and deep fried. Breaded Tofu with accompanying sauce is great for appetizers, pulutan, and good enough to eat with rice for a full meal.

Here’s a simple Breaded Tofu recipe that you can do at home:

Ingredients:

1/4 cup breadcrumbs
2 Tbs. low fat milk
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 lb. tofu, cut into 1 inch slices
1/4 cup oil
salt & pepper

How To Cook:

Combine breadcrumbs, and salt and pepper to taste on a dish. Combine milk and egg in a shallow bowl and mix thoroughly. Dip tofu in milk mixture and dredge in breadcrumbs to coat thoroughly. Heat oil in a heavy nonstick skillet over medium high heat.

Sauté tofu 5-7 minutes per side, or until browned. Best served while hot.

Now for the sauce. You can use soy sauce, ketsup or Japanese kikoman sauce readily available in groceries. But why use these everyday condiments when you can make your own better tasting sauces?

Tofu Vietnamese Style Peanut Sauce:

2 tablespoon peanut butter (creamy or crunchy)
2 tablespoon soy sauce
water

Put the soy sauce and peanut butter in a small sauce pan. Add a bit of water and let it simmer over low heat until the sauce thickens. Pour in a dish and let it cool before serving.

Tofu Chili Sauce:

2 tomatoes chopped
2 cloves of garlic crushed
1/4 cup chili sauce (hot or sweet, your choice)
1/4 oz olive oil or vegetable oil
2 tbs white vinegar

Simply put the tomatoes, garlic, chilli sauce, oil and vinegar in a food processor or blender and process until smooth.

Tofu Barbecue Sauce:

1/2 cup tomato sauce
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tbsp molasses (available in groceries)
1 tbsp sugar
1 tsp ground ginger
2 cloves of garlic minced

Combine all the ingredients in a pan in low heat until smooth and bubbly.

There you go, three different sauces to choose from and your simple breaded tofu dish becomes a bit fancy.

Tags: Tofu Recipes, Breaded Tofu Recipe, tofu sauce recipe