Five-Spice Crispy Tofu Cutlets with Smashed Cucumber Salad
Five-spice, panko-crusted tofu cutlets with a hot honey glaze paired with a refreshing and bright smashed cucumber salad create the perfect summer meal
Servings 3 people
Ingredients
Smashed Cucumber Noodle Salad
- 3 tablespoons gluten-free tamari
- 3 tablespoons sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
- 2 teaspoons sambal oelek
- 1/2 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
- A pinch of sea salt
- 210 grams gluten-free brown rice ramen noodles*
- 1 cup shelled frozen edamame
- 3 Persian cucumbers
- 1/2 cup mixed basil, mint, and cilantro, roughly chopped
- 2 green onions
Five-Spice Crispy Tofu Cutlets
- 1 block extra firm tofu
- 1 cup gluten-free panko breadcrumbs*
- 2 tablespoons sesame seeds
- 1/8 teaspoon sea salt
- 1½ teaspoons five-spice powder, divided
- 3/4 teaspoon garlic powder, divided
- 1/4 cup gluten-free all-purpose flour*
- 1 cup neutral oil, for frying
Hot Honey
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 teaspoon sambal oelek
Instructions
Press the Tofu
- Slice the block of tofu lengthwise into three even cutlets. Lay a piece of clean paper towel over the sliced tofu, then place a baking sheet on top. Add a couple cookbooks or plates to the baking sheet to create a weight. Leave the tofu to press for 10 to 15 minutes while you prep the smashed cucumber noodle salad.
Prepare the Smashed Cucumber Noodle Salad
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the tamari, sesame oil, rice vinegar, maple syrup, sambal oelek, grated ginger, and a pinch of salt.
- Rinse the cucumbers, then pat dry. Now this is the fun part! To smash the cucumbers, lay the flat side of your knife's blade against the top of the cucumber. Using your hand, hit the knife's flat side to smash the cucumber under the blade. Repeat with the remaining two cucumbers.
- Roughly chop the smashed cucumbers into bite-size chunks. Transfer to the prepared marinade. Toss well to coat in the dressing, then set aside.
- Cook the ramen noodles according to package instructions. In the last three minutes of cooking, add the edamame. Strain the noodles and edamame, then run them under cold water.
- Transfer the noodles and edamame to the bowl with the marinated cucumbers. Toss well so the dressing coats the noodles. Roughly chop the basil, mint, and cilantro. Thinly slice the green onions on a diagonal. Transfer all of these to the bowl with the noodle salad and toss again. Set the noodle salad aside to marinate while you prepare the five-spice crispy tofu cutlets.
Bread the Five-Spice Crispy Tofu Cutlets
- To bread the tofu cutlets, you will need three shallow dishes: one for the flour, one for the egg, and one for the panko. Measure the gluten-free all-purpose flour into the first shallow dish. Whisk in the sesame seeds, sea salt, 3/4 teaspoon of five-spice powder, and 1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder. Crack the egg into the second shallow dish and whisk well. Add the gluten-free panko to the third dish along with the remaining 3/4 teaspoon of five-spice powder and 1/4 teaspoon of garlic powder.
- Remove the weight from your tofu cutlets. Dip the first cutlet in the flour mixture, making sure to get a light coating on all sides of the cutlet. Next, dip it in the egg, making sure each side of the cutlet is lightly coated. Lastly, dip the cutlet in the panko mixture, rotating to make sure each side is covered. Repeat with the remaining two cutlets.
Fry the Five Spice Crispy Tofu Cutlets
- Heat the oil to between 350°F and 375°F in a pan over medium heat. Once the oil has reached the appropriate temperature, add the first breaded cutlet. Fry until golden brown on all sides, about 3 minutes per side.
- Transfer the fried cutlet to a plate with a clean piece of paper towel to absorb the excess oil. Repeat with the remaining two cutlets.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the honey and sambal oelek. Drizzle the hot honey mixture over the warm five-spice crispy tofu cutlets.
Assemble & Serve
- To serve, divide the smashed cucumber noodle salad between three bowls. To each bowl, add a tofu cutlet. Garnish with more herbs, green onions, or sesame seeds.
Notes
* The gluten-free ingredients in this recipe can be substituted one-for-one with their non-gluten-free counterparts