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Nori-Wrapped Crispy Tofu Bites with Dipping Sauce

Prep Time28 minutes
Cook Time8 minutes
Total Time36 minutes
Course: Appetizer
Cuisine: Asian
Keyword: cilantro, cornstarch, dark brown sugar, extra firm tofu, fresh ginger, freshly ground pepper, garlic, gluten free, gluten free soy sauce, kosher salt, nori sheets, peanut oil, rice wine vinegar, scallions, sriracha, worcestershire sauce
Servings: 4 people
Author: GFchow @ gfchow.com

Ingredients

Tofu

  • 1 block tofu 12oz, firm or extra firm
  • 2 sheets Nori cut vertically to fit the length of the tofu block
  • 1/2 cup cornstarch
  • 1/4 teaspoon each of kosher salt and ground pepper to season the cornstarch
  • 1/2 cup peanut oil
  • 1-2 scallions top ends trimmed and cut into rounds for garnish
  • 1 tablespoon cilantro leaves rough chopped for garnish, optional

Sauce

  • 2 teaspoons fresh ginger grated or minced (2 cubes of Trader Joe’s frozen ginger can be used)
  • 2 cloves garlic minced or grated
  • 2 teaspoons dark brown sugar more for a sweeter sauce
  • 1/2 teaspoon Sriracha adjust according to preferred level of spice
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
  • 1/4 cup gluten free soy sauce I use San-J
  • 1/4 cup rice wine vinegar (red wine vinegar can also be used)

Instructions

Sauce

  • Mix ginger, garlic, brown sugar, Sriracha, Worcestershire, gf soy sauce and rice wine vinegar together in a medium sized bowl. Transfer sauce to small pot or pan and simmer for 3-5 minutes, until sauce has thickened and sugar has dissolved. Set aside and reheat when ready to serve tofu.

Tofu

  • Cut block of tofu in half vertically and wrap in paper towels to remove as much liquid as possible. You may need to do this 2-3 times!
  • Then wrap each half of tofu with nori. The nori will stick to itself, no water or egg wash needed.
  • Place cornstarch on a large plate and season with kosher salt and ground pepper. Mix together with a fork or your hands. Then dredge tofu squares in cornstarch, covering all sides.
  • Heat oil in a large pan over medium high heat. While oil is heating, slice wrapped tofu log into squares using a serrated knife. Once oil is hot (but not smoking), carefully place the tofu squares into the oil and cook until both sides are browned and crispy, approximately 5 mins on first side and then flip and cook until browned on the other side, approximately another 2-3 mins, Total cooking time is 7 - 8 mins.
  • Arrange tofu squares on a platter and drizzle with sauce, scallions and cilantro. Serve any extra sauce on the side in a dipping bowl.

Notes

Almost any sauce would taste great with these tofu squares. Experiment. If you want to use a bottled sauce, that’s perfectly fine too.
It’s best to serve the tofu immediately for optimal crispiness. Interestingly, they’ll stay crispy for almost an hour.
The easiest way to reheat the tofu squares is to put them in an air fryer at 350 degrees. Cook for 5-7 minutes, or until they reach the desired crispiness.
If you’ve never worked with nori sheets before, don’t be intimidated. They’re easier to work with than you may think. With that said, if you want to omit the nori, you’ll still have a delicious dish to serve and devour!