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« Surprise! Tofu with a Southern Touch |Main
August 08, 2013Chicken-Fried Tofu and Sriracha Pimento Cheese Sandwich RecipeHow’s that for an oxymoron? Tofu disguised as chicken in aSouthern favorite, deep-fried tofu with dairy, everything encased in an airybun. It’s a sandwich that may put off Southern purists, vegans, and healthfanatics but it’s one that tastes quite good. I didn’t think of the idea, onlyriffing from a sandwich created by chef Lee Gregory at The Roosevelt inRichmond, Virginia.
Chicken-fried steak is an old timey Southern dish thatinvolves a cubed beef steak coated and shallow or deep-fried like chicken.Wanting a vegetarian sandwich on his menu, Lee developed this meatless take onchicken-fried steak. I’ve been making a lot of pimento cheese and read aboutusing the spread for sandwiches.
You can see where I’m going here: What if you combined thetwo in a sandwich with sliced dill pickle? Well, it works deliciously well. A bit salty, rich, crisp and tangy. It tastes kind of bad but in a healthy, good way.
Toarrive at this recipe, I checked out two insightful books: Robb Walsh’s TexasEats and the SouthernFoodways Alliance Community Cookbook. I decided on a simple approach ofmarinating slabs of tofu in buttermilk, Korean ground chile (there’s a currentlove affair in the South with Korean foodways) and salt. Then I coated the tofuin seasoned flour before quickly deep-frying it.
I tried it out with super-firm and extra-firm tofu. I likedthe latter more for the tender insides but the coating didn’t stay as crisp aswith the super firm tofu, which has a heartier, slightly rubbery texture. The firmer the tofu, the better it is to grip onto the coating because of the the tofu's lower moisture content. That said, super-firm tofu is akin to overcooked chicken breast or pork loin.
Spread the Sriracha pimento cheese directly on the hot tofuif you want to melt the cheese a bit. Otherwise, spread it on the bread. Iadded extra Srirachato give a spicy hit to the sandwich.
Chicken fried steak goes by CFS in the South. I suppose thiswould be CFTS. It’s a fun sandwich tomake, especially if you have lots of Sriracha pimento cheese around like I dothese days.
RECIPE
Chicken-Fried Tofu and Sriracha Pimento Cheese Sandwiches
Yields: 3 or 4sandwiches
Ingredients
16 to 20 ounces (450 to 565 g) extra-firm or super-firmtofu1 cup buttermilk1 teaspoon Korean ground chile pepper(gochugaru), or 1/2 teaspoon cayenne1 1/2 teaspoons plus 1 teaspoon kosher salt1/2 teaspoon black pepper1 cup all-purpose flour or regular rice flourCanola oil for deep-frying4 hamburger buns or ciabatta rollsMayonnaise, optionalSriracha chile sauce (optional)SrirachaPimento Cheese 2 dill pickles, slicedInstructions
Cut the tofu into 1/2-inch (1.25 cm) slabs. Seton a dry dish towel or several layers of paper towel to drain for 10 to 15 minutes.Blot away excess moisture then set aside briefly.In a small glass container or zip-top plasticbag, combine the buttermilk with the ground chile and 1 1/2 teaspoons koshersalt. Add the tofu and turn to coat well. Refrigerate for 2 hours or as long as24 hours. Return to room temperature before frying.In a shallow bowl, combine the remaining 1teaspoon kosher salt with the black pepper and flour. Lift the tofu from thebuttermilk then coat well in the flour. Pat the tofu to ensure the floursticks. Set aside on a plate to let the flour and buttermilk turn into a batterof sorts. The tofu will darken a bit.Heat 1 inch of oil in a skillet or deep fryingpan to just above 350F. Meanwhile, toast the buns or rolls.In batches, deep-fry the tofu for about 2minutes, turning midway, until crisp and rich golden-brown like autumn leaves.Drain briefly on a rack.To assemble sandwiches, spread mayonnaise (and/or pimento cheese) on thebottom portion of the bread. Squirt or drizzle on some Sriracha, if you like.Add the pickle, tofu (If needed, cut the tofu so it fits into the bread). Spreadthe pimento cheese on the warm tofu or on the top portion of bread. Close andeat.Tip: You canreuse the buttermilk for another batch of tofu or maybe marinating catfishdestined for a fish fry. Don't want to deep-fry? Then just pan-fry the tofu; don't marinate it, just salt and pepper it. If you need an assist on buying and frying tofu, see the links on the Asian Tofu page.
Related posts:
SrirachaPimento CheeseSriracharound-up (links to homemade sriracha, sriracha taste offs, etc.)Surprise! Tofu with a Southern TouchPosted in Asian Tofu, Recipe: Sandwich, Recipes: All, Recipes: Appetizer and Snack, Recipes: Gluten-Free Adaptable, Recipes: soy | Permalink | |
| Comments Chicken-Fried Tofu and Sriracha Pimento Cheese Sandwich Recipe How’s that for an oxymoron? Tofu disguised as chicken in aSouthern favorite, deep-fried tofu with dairy, everything encased in an airybun. It’s a sandwich that may put off Southern purists, vegans, and healthfanatics but it’s one that tastes quite good. I didn’t think of the idea, onlyriffing from a sandwich created by chef Lee Gregory at The Roosevelt inRichmond, Virginia.
Chicken-fried steak is an old timey Southern dish thatinvolves a cubed beef steak coated and shallow or deep-fried like chicken.Wanting a vegetarian sandwich on his menu, Lee developed this meatless take onchicken-fried steak. I’ve been making a lot of pimento cheese and read aboutusing the spread for sandwiches.
You can see where I’m going here: What if you combined thetwo in a sandwich with sliced dill pickle? Well, it works deliciously well. A bit salty, rich, crisp and tangy. It tastes kind of bad but in a healthy, good way.
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