• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Shaking My Tofu

Plant-based health and wellness with ease.

  • Home
  • Lifestyle
  • Contact
  • Recipes
  • Resources
  • Start Here

Healthy, crispy, filling: Black pepper tofu recipe

August 24, 2020 by Ivy Chan

Share this...
Share on facebook
Facebook
Share on pinterest
Pinterest
Share on twitter
Twitter
Share on linkedin
Linkedin

I have shared with you “modified” versions of my grandma’s recipes before, but this one will be a stretch.

When I was little, I LOVED staying at my grandma’s house. She had all kinds of amazing things going on for us kids. She knew how to make a kiddo happy. The most delicious chocolate cakes, the best games, fun outings. I was her favourite (don’t worry, everyone knew that. I’m not outing a secret here); and she used to make my favourite meal every time I visited her: Her “crispy chicken”, and potato crisps on the side. Hey, I was not born vegan!

I decided to take her recipe as a base, but modify it to make it vegan, gluten-free, and much healthier.  I think she’d have approved.

A small but mighty ingredient: Black pepper

peppercorns in a bowl, on a wooden table

In this recipe, I’m using only a quarter teaspoon of black pepper because my sweetheart doesn’t like it so much. It is a shame because pepper has amazing benefits, especially during this time of a novel pandemic, devastating fires in California, and toxic environment in general. This small but mighty spice is a warming metabolism and digestion booster. It is one of the ingredients in Trikatu, the supplement traditionally used in Ayurveda to increase metabolism. Along with cumin and coriander, it increases the bioavailability of zinc, which everyone seems to be talking about, in relation to Covid. It provides relief from sinusitis and nasal congestion; and, especially important for us living close to the fires, and breathing in smoke, black peppercorns (black pepper and pipali, or long pepper, which is even more miraculous, if you ask me- too bad it’s not as popular in the West) are long-term lung tissue builders and powerful detoxifiers, which is why they are the preeminent herbs for asthma.

Please have a look at the notes at the end of the article for substitutes.

crispy tofu in a bowl with chopsticks. two small bowls (for sesame seeds and sauce) on the side.

Ingredients

  • 1 block organic extra-firm tofu (If you’re in the US, we REALLY love Hodo brand, though it is pricey, so we save it for special occasions!).
  • 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil.
  • 1 tablespoon gluten-free tamari or soy sauce.
  • 1 heaping tablespoon cornstarch.
  • 1/4 tsp ground black pepper (or to taste).

INSTRUCTIONS

  1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit and prep an oven-safe baking tray- I love my Pyrex– by oil-spraying it.
  2. To prepare the tofu: Drain the tofu and gently squeeze out some of the water, either use your palms or use a cutting board. If you make tofu quite often, I recommend investing in a tofu press. This helps drain the tofu so you get a crispy result every time. Anywho, after draining, let the tofu rest for around 10-15 minutes.
  3. In the meantime, prepare the sauce. In a bowl, mix the cornstarch, oil, tamari and black pepper. Blend well so that there is no starch piece left visible.
  4. You’ll love this part: Pour this mixture, along with the drained and cubed tofu pieces, in a zip lock bag. Zip it and give it a good shake until the tofu pieces are coated with the mixture.
  5. Pour the coated tofu pieces over onto your prepared baking tray. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until the tofu is golden on the edges. You might want to give it a toss after the first 15 minutes and then continue baking.
  6. If the tray is broiler-safe, I recommend broiling for a few minutes just to get even more crunch!
  7. Ta-daaa. Your tofu is ready. You can use it as is, as a side dish, in salads, in stir-fries, and so on.

crispy tofu with stir fry vegetables

Alternatives/subs:

  1. When I want a sweet and sticky sauce, instead of black pepper, this is what I do: I mix soy sauce and coconut sugar to taste (usually 1/4 cup soy sauce and 4 tbsp coconut sugar is good). I boil this mixture until it gets a syrup-like consistency. Let this cool down and add to the ziplock bag with other ingredients.
  2. If you like turmeric, and/or want a nice golden colour to your tofu, consider adding Your super Golden Mellow mix. This is a mixture of turmeric, ashwagandha, ginger, cinnamon, lucuma, and pepper (you mostly taste the turmeric and pepper). You’ll have the benefits of these ingredients, and it will give your tofu a nice golden colour).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Editor’s note: The information in this article is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health providers with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition and before undertaking any diet, supplement, fitness, or other health programme.

 

AFFILIATE DISCLOSURE: SOME OF THE INFO IN THIS BLOG MAY CONTAIN AFFILIATE LINKS.  IF YOU PURCHASE SOMETHING THROUGH ONE OF THOSE LINKS, YOUR COSTS WILL BE THE SAME BUT SMT WILL RECEIVE A SMALL COMMISSION, WHICH HELPS KEEP OUR BLOG RUNNING SMOOTHLY. I APPRECIATE YOUR SUPPORT!
Share this...
Share on facebook
Facebook
Share on pinterest
Pinterest
Share on twitter
Twitter
Share on linkedin
Linkedin

Filed Under: Recipes Tagged With: dinner, lunch, tofu recipe, vegan protein

Recent Comments

  • Ivy Chan on Warm, tummy-friendly smoothies for when you can’t do frozen bananas anymore
  • Ashley McEldowney on Warm, tummy-friendly smoothies for when you can’t do frozen bananas anymore
  • Ivy Chan on Coconut mon amour: Two sweets, one tangy, all yummy coconut recipes
  • Ivy Chan on Coconut mon amour: Two sweets, one tangy, all yummy coconut recipes
  • Ashley McEldowney on Coconut mon amour: Two sweets, one tangy, all yummy coconut recipes
Previous Post: « Healthy, 4-ingredient chocolate rice crispy treats with superfoods!
Next Post: 5 brands that are making life easier for this busy mama bee »

Primary Sidebar

HELLO REAL LIFE!

Welcome! My name is Ivy. I am an academic by training and a foodie at heart, in a small but mighty body. Classical with a twist, married to the love of my life, a proud mum of two little lions, and one little human. We have recently moved to the gorgeous state of Washington. I am back to a 4-year school to study Ayurvedic nutrition and Traditional Chinese Medicine. When I have time from school and our two-year-old, I like to read, write, bake, and consume more Medjool dates and dried figs than anyone I know.

Shakingmytofu aims to make plant-based life convenient, affordable, and adaptable for everyone. I will be happy if I can bring a little more light, health, and peace to the daily life. Feel free to spend time, have a look at the recipes, lists of plant-based sources (from snacks to clothing), images and articles. Contact me anytime with queries, suggestions, and collaboration ideas at shakingmytofu@gmail.com or simply by filling out the form below. Look forward to hearing from you!

About SMT →

Join the community


Search this site

Recent Posts

Granola in glass jar, next to 1/2 an orange

Ginger Orange Granola with “Super-Foods”

Intuitive eating: Ditch the diet by following these principles

A bicycle parked in front of a plate that says "follow that dream"

10 Quotes for Motivation

Mother playing with son

4 Foods to Free Your Natural Energy

banoffee-parfaits

5 Gut-friendly breakfast recipes: Ditch that sugar-coated cereal with these yummy alternatives

Archives

  • November 2022
  • September 2022
  • April 2022
  • February 2022
  • January 2022
  • December 2021
  • October 2021
  • June 2021
  • April 2021
  • February 2021
  • January 2021
  • December 2020
  • November 2020
  • October 2020
  • September 2020
  • August 2020
  • July 2020
  • June 2020
  • May 2020
  • April 2020
  • March 2020
  • February 2020
  • January 2020
  • October 2019
  • September 2019
  • August 2019
  • April 2019
  • March 2019
  • January 2019
  • December 2018
  • September 2018
  • August 2018
  • June 2018
  • May 2018
  • April 2018
  • March 2018
  • February 2018

Categories

  • adaptogenic
  • detoxing
  • gut health
  • health and wellness
  • hormone health
  • Lifestyle
  • parenting
  • Recipes
  • skin health
  • Sources on plant-based living
  • sweets
  • Uncategorized

Newsletter


Footer

About the author

I am an academic by training and a foodie at heart, in a small but mighty body. I am married to the love of my life, and a proud “furry-mum” of two little lions. Want to collaborate? Contact me→

  • Email
  • Instagram
  • Twitter

Recipes

Granola in glass jar, next to 1/2 an orange
banoffee-parfaits