Hetty McKinnon's book To Asia with Love showcases the food and flavors she grew up with in a Cantonese family, living in Australia and now Brooklyn. A key tenet of her cooking is making dishes packed with flavor using just a few ordinary ingredients. These inventive crispy tofu bites, inspired by her experience eating fried tofu balls at Hong Kong's Kung Tak Lam Shanghai Vegetarian Cuisine restaurant, are a great example. Potato starch gives them a nice crispy finish.

EatingWell Magazine, May 2021

Gallery

Credit: Jason Donnelly

Recipe Summary

active:
55 mins
total:
55 mins
Servings:
5
Advertisement

Ingredients

Ingredient Checklist

Directions

Instructions Checklist
  • Heat oil in a small saucepan over medium-high heat until it reaches 350°F.

    Advertisement
  • Meanwhile, mash tofu with a fork in a large bowl. Add eggs, cilantro, scallions, ginger and ½ teaspoon five-spice powder; mix until well combined. Stir in potato starch (or cornstarch) and season with salt and pepper. Shape into 15 golf-ball-size balls.

  • Combine mayonnaise, Sriracha (or chile-garlic sauce), garlic and the remaining ½ teaspoon five-spice powder in a small bowl.

  • Carefully add 3 of the tofu balls to the oil. Fry, turning regularly, until golden brown, 5 to 7 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon to a paper-towel-lined plate. Repeat with the remaining tofu balls, letting the oil come back to 350° between batches. Serve the tofu balls with the sauce and lemon wedges, if desired.

Equipment

Thermometer

Nutrition Facts

3 tofu balls & 1 1/2 Tbsp. sauce
416 calories; fat 32g; cholesterol 84mg; sodium 434mg; carbohydrates 21g; dietary fiber 2g; protein 11g; sugars 1g; saturated fat 4g; vitamin a iu 353IU; potassium 84mg.
Advertisement