Oven Baked Crispy Tofu Nuggets • The Healthy Foodie

These Oven Baked Crispy Tofu Nuggets are so tremendous yummy and versatile, too! You’ll wish to stuff them in a wrap or sandwich, pile them on prime of your favourite salad, make them the star of your subsequent Buddha bowl, or simply plain pop ’em like popcorn, together with your favourite dipping sauce!

It’s no secret that I’m a giant fan of tofu… heck, it was one of many issues that I missed probably the most whereas in Costa Rica, and positively a kind of issues that I should discover a solution to get my palms on if I ever go and stay there full time!

If you, nevertheless, aren’t that large a fan however nonetheless wish to discover a solution to embrace it in your food regimen, effectively, this recipe is simply the factor for you. Indeed, these Crispy Tofu Nuggets are tremendous scrumptious and really paying homage to hen nuggets. Their tasty, “meaty” inside is firm and chewy whereas their gentle breading offers the nuggets a pleasant little crunch that’ll hold you coming again for extra!

You can completely eat these as is, very like you’ll “popcorn chicken”, together with your favourite dipping sauce. But they’re additionally incredible as a part of a wrap or sandwich, as a salad topper, or piled generously over your favourite Buddha bowl!

Also too, these nuggets reheat tremendous effectively in a skillet with a little bit little bit of oil, over medium-high warmth; in actual fact, they get even crunchier as soon as reheated like this! So don’t hesitate to make a double batch and avoid wasting for later…  

For this recipe, I strongly advocate that you just press your tofu, to take away as a lot extra moisture as doable from it, which is able to assist tremendously in making your nuggets that a lot crispier.

With that in thoughts, your first plan of action ought to be to empty and press your block of extra-firm tofu for about 1 hour.

If you didn’t personal a tofu press, don’t go running to the shop simply to get one… You can in a short time arrange a little bit rig that’ll work simply pretty much as good. Grab a cooling rack and place it over a container of some sort, to gather all of the liquids that’ll drip. I selected to make use of a glass loaf pan, however virtually any container will do!

Next, place your block of tofu onto that cooling rack after which place a small plate or different flat object proper over that block of tofu… 

Finally, place a heavy object, resembling a big e-book or a forged iron skillet, over that plate or flat object. Now merely put that complete rig apart and let your tofu slowly drip away for about an hour. 

When your tofu is completed dripping, preheat your oven to 400°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Then, in a big bowl, break the tofu into chunk dimension items utilizing your fingers; no want for the items to be all the identical dimension. Irregular is sweet, right here; this fashion you get a wide range of textures: the smaller items will get a lot crunchier whereas the bigger nuggets will retain extra of a tender chunk to them.

Add the extra-virgin olive oil, apple cider vinegar, tamari sauce and maple syrup and stir delicately till all of the items of tofu are effectively coated and all of the liquid has been absorbed by the tofu.

In a separate bowl, mix the components for the breading and blend till effectively mixed, then throw that proper into the bowl with the chunks of tofu.

Stir delicately together with your fingers or a big spoon, till all of the items are effectively and evenly coated.

Spread the items evenly throughout the ready baking sheet, ensuring to depart ample room for air to flow into across the nuggets. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or till the nuggets are deliciously golden brown and seem crispy on the outside.

Remove the pan from the oven and permit the tofu nuggets to cool for about 5 minutes; this can assist make them firmer and crispier!

And voilà, you’re all finished! You ought to now serve your nuggets with out additional delay…

Like I stated, these nuggets are scrumptious simply as is, served together with your favourite dipping sauce — plain ol’ Frank’s in my case — however they might be beautiful stuffed in a sandwich or wrap, piled over your favourite salad, as a part of a megalicious Buddha bowl!