In my opinion, tofu tastes best when served golden brown and crispy. This notorious crisp is often achieved with a deep-frying method, but today we’re making it using our own two hands and an air fryer!
I know what you’re thinking, there’s no way you can get tofu THAT crispy in an air fryer. Well, the rumors are true. It is possible. I find that pressing my tofu is the best way to get a crispy end result. Pressing tofu can be done using a dish towel, paper towels, or this handy dandy tofu press.
In the past, I pressed my tofu with paper towels, but this quickly became unsustainable. I would literally need 20 pieces of paper to get all of the moisture out. A dish towel would work too, but I personally don’t always have clean dish towels lying around. Enter, tofu press. This tool presses out all of the liquid in your block of tofu and doesn’t require any additional towels. I’m not affiliated in any way with this brand, but I genuinely love the product.
This bowl is the perfect lunch or dinner recipe, and it feeds two! So, you can either be extra generous and share it with a friend or save it for tomorrow’s lunch! Both are great options.
This recipe can easily be made vegan by omitting the fried egg and replacing it with rice, lentils, chickpeas, or a plethora of other veggies. Without further ado, let’s get into the recipe, shall we?
Crispy GF & Vegetarian Tofu Bowl
Equipment
- Air Fryer
- Tinfoil
- Tongs
- Tofu press (optional)
- Knife & cutting board
- Whisk
Ingredients
Tofu Bowl Ingredients
- 1 pack Firm or extra firm tofu
- 3-4 cups Shredded kale
- 1 large Bell pepper (optional)
- 1-2 Eggs
Tofu Marinade
- 1/4 cup Toasted sesame oil
- 1/4 cup Olive oil
- 2 tsp Hot sauce (optional)
- 2 tsp Brown sugar
- 1/4 cup Rice vinegar
- 2-3 tsp Garlic powder
- 1-2 pinches Red chili flakes (optional)
- Salt & pepper (to taste)
Instructions
- Press the tofu in advance for around 1-3 hours using a tofu press, dish towel, or some paper towels. This step is not necessary, but it ensures the tofu will be crispy when it's done cooking.
- Whisk all of the marinade ingredients together.
- Cut the pressed tofu into even squares and place into a bowl. Pour marinade over the tofu and cover each piece of tofu in it evenly.
- Line an air fryer basket with foil and cook at 375-380F° for 20-24 minutes, flipping each piece halfway.
- While the tofu is cooking, place kale in a separate bowl, drizzle it with olive oil, and massage it for 1-2 mins.
- Slice the bell pepper into thin strips.
- Pan fry the egg(s) on a non-stick pan over medium heat and season with salt and pepper.
- Once the tofu is ready, it's time to start plating! Put the tofu on top of the kale, add bell peppers, and finish off with the fried egg.
