Tofu and boneless, skinless chicken breast are different in many ways. But one of the ways they are similar is that on their own, they are both pretty plain tasting. For both, though, that can flavourfully change if you sauce them up.
One of the ways do that for chicken breast is to slice, batter, fry, plate and top it with a beguiling Chinese-style lemon sauce. The end result is the type of lemon chicken you might get served in a North American Chinese restaurant.
If you were wondering if that dish could be made with tofu instead of chicken, the answer is yes. I prepared it the other night and the tofu I used did a fine job of replacing the chicken, working equally as well with the tangy sauce.
To make it, I started by preparing the lemon sauce, and that was not difficult. In a pot, you combine fresh lemon juice, broth, chopped ginger, honey, soy sauce and cornstarch. The sauce is simmered a short while, until lightly thickened, and is then set aside until needed for the tofu.
To prepare the tofu, I cut a one pound (454 gram) piece of medium-firm tofu, widthwise, into eight slices. I then patted the slices of tofu dry with paper towel to remove the excess moisture on them.
The next step was to make a simple batter for the tofu by combining a beaten egg with some water, soy sauce, cornstarch and rice flour. Powdery rice flour is made from finely ground rice. It’s sold at Asian food stores, bulk food stores and in the Asian foods aisle of some grocery stores.
When the batter was made, I poured a half-inch of oil into a large skillet and set it over medium-high heat. When the oil was hot, the sliced tofu was coated in the batter and then, in two batches, fried in the oil until rich golden and piping hot.
When all the tofu was fried, the lemon sauce was made hot again. The tofu was arranged on a platter and the lemon sauce was spooned over it. The last step was to sprinkle the tofu with sliced green onion and roasted sesame seeds, furthering enhancing its flavour.
The end result is a very appealing way to prepare and enjoy tofu. Make a meal of the saucy tofu by serving it with steamed rice and steamed green vegetable, such as baby bok choy.
Chinese-style Lemon Tofu with Honey, Ginger and Sesame
Slices of tofu are lightly coated in a batter, fried until golden and drained before being topped with a tangy, Chinese-style lemon sauce.
Preparation time: 25 minutes
Cooking time: About 12 minutes
Makes: two to four servings
For the sauce
1 tsp finely grated zest
1/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (see Note 1)
1/2 cup vegetable or chicken broth
1 Tbsp + 1 tsp honey, plus more if needed (see Eric’s options)
2 tsp soy sauce
1 tsp finely chopped fresh ginger
2 tsp cornstarch
Place sauce ingredients in a small pot and whisk to combine. Set over medium-high heat and bring to a simmer. Simmer one minute, until lightly thickened, and then remove from heat. Taste sauce and a bit more honey, if you find too tart. Cover sauce and set aside until needed below.
For the tofu and to serve
1 (454-gram) tub medium-firm tofu, drained well (see Note 2)
1 large egg
1 Tbsp soy sauce
1 Tbsp water
3 Tbsp rice flour
2 Tbsp cornstarch
• ground white pepper, to taste
• vegetable or peanut oil, for frying
• lemon slices, for garnish
1 green onion, very thinly sliced
1 to 2 tsp roasted sesame seeds (see Note 3)
Set tofu on a cutting board and cut, widthwise, into eight, roughly equally thick, slices. Carefully pat each slice of tofu dry with paper towel.
Place the egg, soy sauce and water in a shallow, wide dish or pie plate and beat until well combined. Add the rice flour, cornstarch and white pepper and whisk until a smooth, not overly thick, batter is created.
Preheat oven to 200 F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Pour 1/2 inch of oil into a large skillet set over medium-high heat (my skillet was 10 inches wide). Set four of the slices of tofu in the batter and carefully turn each slice to lightly coat them with the batter.
When oil is hot, carefully set the battered pieces of tofu in the skillet, not touching each other. Fry the tofu, about two minutes per side, or until rich golden. Drain the tofu on paper towel, and then set on the baking sheet and keep warm in the oven. Batter and fry the other four slices of tofu as you did the first four (see Note 4). Drain them on paper towel and set in the oven with the other slices of tofu.
Uncover sauce, set back over medium-high heat and bring to a simmer. Remove the tofu from the oven and arrange on a platter. Spoon the lemon sauce over the tofu, garnish with lemon slices, sprinkle with green onions and sesames seeds, and serve.
Note 1: One and half medium to large lemons, when squeezed, should yield the 1/3 cup of juice needed here.
Note 2: I used Sunrise brand medium-firm tofu when testing this recipe. It’s sold at most grocery stores.
Note 3: Rich golden-coloured roasted sesame seeds are sold in the Asian foods aisle of most grocery stores. If you wanted to toast your own sesame seeds, place raw sesame seeds in a non-stick skillet set over medium heat. Cook the seeds, swirl the pan from time to time, until lightly toasted and golden, about three to four minutes.
Note 4: After frying the tofu and letting the oil in the skillet cool, you could strain the oil through a fine sieve into a bowl. Now transfer the oil to a jar and seal. Refrigerate the oil and use it the next time you need to fry or sauté something.
Eric’s options: Instead of honey, try an equal amount of brown sugar in the sauce.
