Crispy tandoori tofu bites, battered and fried to make a crispy high protein vegan meal. Serve with chips as a nugget alternative, pop in a wrap or add to a salad.
The ones shown in this recipe are fried, however, I’m sure you could make these in an air fryer if you want to try and make a healthier alternative.
I’ve made some here with just batter, and some are battered and then dipped in breadcrumbs. Battered is obviously a little quicker but pick whichever method you’d prefer. If you’re following this recipe using GF breadcrumbs, it’s important that you either bake your breadcrumbs before you begin prepping this recipe or purchase a breadcrumb that’s already crispy – they don’t turn out too well using standard GF breadcrumbs.
My favourite gluten free breadcrumbs are the Esgir ones, they always crisp perfectly and work well on everything, and they shorten your prep time as they’re good to go straight from the packet.
NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION
How many this serves is a tricky one because it varies so much depending on what you want to do with them. Obviously, if you’re just sitting there with a bowl of them and a dip, you’re going to get fewer servings than if you’re dishing them up in a wrap, but the following information is based on four servings per recipe as a rough guide.
Each serving, without the optional breadcrumbs, contains 1.5g of fibre, 10g of protein and 169 calories, along with 20% of the recommended daily amount of B5 and 30% of your daily calcium.
HOW TO STORE, REHEAT AND DOES IT KEEP?
If you have any leftovers, make sure they’ve had time to fully cool before you store them away, you don’t want that batter getting soggy! Once cool, store leftovers in an airtight container for 2-3 days in the fridge. Reheat on a baking tray in the oven at 175°c for 10-15 minutes.
TANDOORI TOFU BITES RECIPE
This tandoori tofu bites recipe is easy to make with simple ingredients and is great to serve as a vegan starter or part of a main. Marinated and covered in a thick batter, and then deep fried for a wonderfully crispy bite full of flavour.
This recipe is gluten free, dairy free, nut free and vegan. It does contain soy.
Tandoori Tofu Bites Recipe
This tandoori tofu bites recipe is easy to make with simple ingredients and is great to serve as a vegan starter or part of a main. Marinated and covered in a thick batter, and then deep fried for a wonderfully crispy bite full of flavour.
Course Main Course, Side Dish
Cuisine American, Indian
Keyword Tofu Bites
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 5 minutes
Plus Marinade Time 30 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes
Servings 4
Calories 169 kcal
Ingredients
- 350 g extra firm tofu pressed and drained
Marinade
- Pinch black pepper
- ½ tablespoon crushed hot chilis
- 1 clove garlic minced
- ½ tbsp tandoori masala
Batter
- 1 cup flour 120g
- 1 ¼ cup water
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- Pinch of ginger
Breading
- ¾ cup crispy breadcrumbs if using
- Oil for frying
Instructions
- Mix the marinade ingredients in a bowl.
- Chop the tofu into chunky small squares, place in the marinade and use a spoon to coat. Let marinade for at least 30 minutes.
- Whisk together the ingredients for the batter and place the breadcrumbs in a large bowl small bowl.
- Dredge each piece of tofu in the batter and then cover in breadcrumbs (if using). Place on a foil lined tray and repeat until all the tofu is coated.
- Heat a good amount of oil, enough to cover the cubes, in a large, high sided pan on a high heat. Test if the oil is hot enough by dropping some breadcrumbs or a very small tofu bite in. If it sizzles and bubbles you are ready to cook.
- Place roughly six battered/ breaded cubes in the oil at a time and cook on all sides until golden brown. Once cooked, place on kitchen towel to drain.
- Repeat with the rest of the tofu, taking care not to overcrowd the pot and adjusting the heat if needed. Keep a surplus of the batter ingredients on standby just in case you need to top up at any stage.
