Vegan Fried “Chicken” and Gravy
Yes, vegan fried "chicken" and gravy made with tofu! Crispy battered pieces of pre-frozen tofu fried to a crisp and dipped in some homemade gravy. My sister's exact words were "This is so good, I can live with this forever"--and this is coming from my omnivorous sister who loves her share of meat.
Ingredients
Ingredients
- 500 g extra firm tofu , frozen overnight and thawed (I used two 250g blocks)
- Neutral oil for frying
Flour Mixture
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour or sub gluten-free flour
- 1 tbsp + 2 tsp cornstarch or tapioca, potato, arrowroot starch
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp smoked paprika or 1/4 tsp ground pepper
- 1 tsp garlic powder or minced garlic
Flax Egg
- 2 tbsp ground flax seed or flax seed meal
- 6 tbsp cold or room temperature water
- 1/4 tsp black salt or regular salt* see notes
Breadcrumb Mix
- 1/2 cup breadcrumbs (I used Japanese breadcrumbs), added to leftover flour--ad more bread crumbs as needed
Easy Vegan Gravy (Makes 2 cups)
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 tbsp vegan butter or olive oil
- 2 cups vegetable broth or water* see notes
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- Salt to taste
Instructions
Freezing the Tofu
- Freeze the blocks of tofu at least overnight. I removed my tofu from the container with water that I usually store it in and simply placed them on a freezer-safe tray.No need to press or drain the excess liquid from the tofu since you'll be freezing it and it's the water that'll create the layers in between when the water freezes.
- You can basically opt to do one of the following to freeze your tofu:(1) Poke some holes on the tofu container and drain out the excess liquid OR (2) Remove the water from the container, run it though some water (just to make sure to wash off any smell especially if it’s been soaking in that liquid for a while), before placing it back on the tray.I prefer the latter (2nd option).
After Freezing
- After freezing it, thaw the blocks for a few hours in room temperature. Squeeze out the liquid using two flat surfaces. Ensure that the liquid is drained out really well. You can also opt to use a tofu press.
Vegan Fried “Chicken”
- Prepare the flax egg by mixing the water, flax meal, and salt. Set aside and refrigerate for 10-15 minutes until thick.
- Slowly break apart the pieces using a knife or your hands. You can follow the natural breaks of the tofu. There will be small pieces that you can clump together so don’t worry, nothing will go to waste!You can see more photos in the blog post above.
- Afterwards, roll and coat each piece in the flour mixture. For the smaller pieces, you will need to clump and squeeze them together before and after rolling them into the flour mixture for them to stick together.
- After coating each piece into the flour, add 1/2 cup breadcrumbs into the leftover flour mixture. Mix well.
- Dip each piece of tofu into the flax egg mixture.
- Transfer onto the breadcrumb and flour mixture then coat well.
- Repeat this step for the rest of the pieces until all pieces are coated and breaded.
Cooking the Tofu
- See notes below for the baking option.Heat a large pan with the oil. I used a cast iron pan and added enough oil to submerge at least half of the pieces in oil. Once very hot and the oil has small bubbles, slowly add in the tofu pieces.
- The pieces of tofu should immediately and rapidly sizle when placed in the oil. Fry the tofu in high heat until golden brown and crisp, turning each piece halfway through. Once golden brown, remove from the oil and transfer into a strainer to drain any excess oil. Turn off the heat.
- Enjoy while hot with some gravy (recipe below) or your favourite dipping sauce!
- Note: the small pieces of tofu that were clumped together will naturally have layers of flour inside, but its still very good!
Gravy
- In a small sauce pan pan, heat the oil or butter. Add in the flour and mix until a paste is formed.
- While mixing, add in the water/vegetable broth until the paste has dissolved. Afterwards, add in the onion powder, pepper, soy sauce, and salt, to taste.
- Mix well and simmer for 5-10 minutes over medium heat until thick and smooth. You can opt to use an immersion blender to easily dissolve the lumps of flour that can form.
- Taste the gravy and feel free to season with more salt, if needed. This is best enjoyed while hot!You can also store this in the refrigerator once completely cooled, then just heat it up again when ready to use. Can last up to 3 days in the refrigerator. Note that it will thicken up when cold, but will return to its regular consistency when heated.
Notes
Black salt: adds that 'egg'-like smell from the sulfur but regular salt works too!
Baking option: Heat your oven to 350F. Place the coated tofu on a lined baking tray. I like to use parchment paper to prevent it from sticking. Brush or spray a generous amount of oil to coat the tofu pieces. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, flipping halfway through, or until lightly brown and crisp. Note that they won't be as golden brown and crisp as when fried.
For the Gravy:
If using water, season the gravy more or add a vegetable cube/bouilion.
You can opt to use an immersion blender to easily dissolve the lumps of flour that can form
You can opt to use an immersion blender to easily dissolve the lumps of flour that can form
NUTRITIONAL INFO
Serving: 1serving | Calories: 437kcal | Carbohydrates: 64g | Protein: 29g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 2817mg | Potassium: 572mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 249IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 147mg | Iron: 7mg
DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE?Please leave a rating or comment and share a photo on Instagram, and tag me @thefoodietakesflight or use #thefoodietakesflight :)