Monday, August 24, 2009

Tofish and Chips

While some see August as the worst month of the year, I see it as simply a prelude to the greatness that is fall in Dallas.

Yes, it’s still 90+ outside, but there are faint glimmers of what is soon to come in September. Cooler weather, regular season football, and fried foods.

I took inspiration from a recipe I found for cornmeal breaded tofu and made it into a meal even Big Tex would be proud of. If you ever liked fried catfish, this is definitely something to check out.

I used the same breading the recipe called for, however, the base of the “tofish” I thought needed some modification. The easy mock tuna-salad I make uses garbanzo beans as the base, which to me, has a slightly fishy flavor – so I felt that was the key in taking this recipe to the next level.

To-Fish

  • 1 package extra-firm tofu
  • 1 can garbanzo beans
  • 1 tbsp kelp granules
  • 1 tbsp flax seeds + 2 tbsp water
  • Soy-milk

Directions

  • Grind flax seeds into fine powder
  • Mix with water to make a sticky paste
  • In separate bowl, mash garbanzo beans well with a fork
  • Mix in crumbled well pressed tofu
  • Mix in kelp granules
  • Mix in flax seed paste
  • Form into bite-sized nuggets
  • dredge in soy-milk
  • coat in cornmeal mixture

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Cornmeal Mixture

  • 2 tbsp nutritional yeast
  • 1/4 cup flour
  • 1/4 cup corn meal
  • 1 tsp cajun spice (or chili powder)
  • 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1/4 tsp pepper
  • salt to taste (after frying)

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Fry these up in some canola oil, and you have yourself some tasty tofish bites that rivals any of the fried food the State Fair dishes out.

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Enjoy these with some vegan tarter sauce, fries, and a cold British ale, and you have yourself one happy reminder of the great times ahead in September and beyond!

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6 comments:

Jen said...

i believe this will be on my fried foods cravings list the next time i get a hankerin'. thanks for the muse!

Eddie G said...

These look amazing, Jamey!

Jamey said...

Yeah Jen, they were definitely good for a fried indulgence - especially if you like cornmeal-based fried goodies (I should have experiemented with vegan hush-puppies, come to think of it!).

Oh, and BTW - if you don't want to use all of the 'tofish' for frying, it made a great base for mock tuna-salad that I've enjoyed the past couple of days as well!

Anonymous said...

I've made similar, only I was good and baked them instead of fried. ;) The recipe I used was from the Vegan Lunchbox cookbook: http://shmooedfood.blogspot.com/2006/01/tofu-fish-sticks.html

Kit Chen said...

Is Harp vegan? I found one list that says it is, but by most accounts Guinness (its parent brewer) is not a vegan-friendly outfit.

Monique a.k.a. Mo said...

Woah. That cornmeal batter looks killer!