This recipe is a breath of fresh air for those people who wants a break from their usual chicken and beef dishes. This vegan dish I’ve tested 4 times and served to about 30 people, and they won’t believe it was actually tofu. They said it tastes like chicken. The secret to this is the quick marinade in the soy sauce and maple syrup mix alongside the flour, water process. Its crispiness on the outside and the soft texture on the insides makes it feel like you’re biting into your usual lemon chicken. This is hands down one of those recipes you want to keep in your arsenal if you want to have a change of pace for protein dishes (or if you’re a vegan and you want to surprise your non-vegan friends). 

Ingredients:

1 pound extra firm tofu, medium crumble

1 tablespoon light soy sauce

1 tablespoon maple syrup

2 cups + 1 cup flour

2 cups + 2 tablespoons water

½ cup + 2 tablespoon olive oil

2 tablespoons garlic, minced

½ cup lemon juice or the juice of 2 lemons & zest

2 tablespoons cane sugar

1 tablespoon turmeric

1 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon cornstarch

Green onions or black sesame seeds for garnish

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350F

Break apart tofu into bite-sized pieces and place in a bowl. Add tamari, maple syrup, and sesame oil. Gently tossed to coat and set aside 

Set up two mixing bowls: 

• One dry station with 4 ½  cups of flour 
• One wet station: 1 ½ cup flour with 3 cups water 

Add tofu to the dry station and coat. Then transfer into the wet station to coat. Then back to dry station to coat. 

Once done coating, add in ½ cup olive oil and mix. Bake in the oven for 20-30 minutes until golden born and crispy 

While tofu is baking, start making the sauce. In a frying pan, add the remaining olive oil. Add garlic and cook for about 1 minute. Add in the cane sugar, turmeric, salt, and cook for another 1 minute. Add in lemon juice and give a pan a good stir. Make a slurry by combining cornstarch and the remaining water. Pour the slurry into the pan and keep stirring until a smooth consistency.  

In a large mixing bowl, add in tofu and sauce until the tofu is fully coated. Plate and garnish with black sesame seeds and green onions