To make your stews, ragouts, sauces, curries and other lovely vegan dishes extra yummy, it is very important to marinate and fry tofu, seitan and tempeh properly in advance. Prepared this way, each piece will soaks up the spices, and nice crunchy crust will form and the taste will not leak into the cooking liquid.

You will need:

290g / 2 cups  2cmx2cm cubes tofu/seitan/tempeh

4 teaspoons tamari soy sauce

1 teaspoon oil of choice (aromatic oils like olive or dark sesame work best)

2 teaspoons of water

2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

2 teaspoons of dry herbs/powdered spices of choice

2 garlic cloves, pressed

Flour (unbleached, millet, corn, etc.), for frying

200g/ 1 cup sunflower oil, for frying

 

Place tofu/seitan/tempeh cubes in a deep plate. Put all ingredients for the marinade in a small jar, close and shake. Pour over the cubes and mix well so that all the pieces are covered in the marinade. Cover with cling film and let sit on room temperature for at least 30 minutes. You can also do this a day in advance and let it sit in the fridge.

Put some flour in a bowl and roll each cube separately in it, until you coat all the sides. It’s important that the layer of flour is thin-  shake off any access  by gently rolling each cube between your palms.

Layer a tray/big plate with paper towels. I use a small pot and deep fry the prepared cubes in a couple of batches, but if you want you can fry them all at once in a big pan- just make sure you don’t over-crowd it! The oil is ready for frying when it starts bubbling once you drop a piece of tofu/seitan/tempeh in it. Fry for a minute or two, until golden brown, and drain on paper towels before using in other recipes. However, you could snack on these cubes as they are, add them to a salad instead of croutons or make quick kebabs adding pieces of raw/baked vegetables!