Vegan Baked Tofu Cheese Finger (Oven & Air Fryer)

 

Looking for nutritious movie treat or appetizer or side? This is a perfect one that is full of protein, Baked tofu Cheese sticks. With only so little oil used, this is super low in fat. This can be eaten by itself by dipping in sauce, or as filing for sandwiches or alongside with salad. The list is endless! I have tried Airfrying potato wedges, so I thought why not try tofu, and here it is!

 

Nutritional yeast which is high in Vitamin B12 is used to replace the diary cheese to give that cheesy taste, this is a ingredient not to be omitted. Once you have tried nutritional yeast, you will fall in love with it! Click here on where to buy.

Dietary: Vegetarian, Vegan.
Allergen Information: Free from dairy, egg, corn, palm oil and nut.

Serve 2-4

 

Ingredients

 400g firm tofu

(A)
 1/2 cup Japanese panko bread crumbs

 2 tsp garlic powder
 2 tsp onion powder

 1 Tbsp dried basil

 1 Tbsp dried oregano

 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper

 1/2 tsp salt

 2 tsp dried parsley flakes (optional)

 1 tsp cayenne/chilli powder (optional)
 2 tsp canola oil, for frying
 

 60ml non-dairy milk (I use soy milk)

 4 Tbsp nutritional yeast

Method

1. Drain firm tofu well and cut into 1.5cm thickness strips.

2. Heat up oil in a sauté pan in low heat. Add all ingredients in (A) until well combined and for about 2 minutes. Remove from heat, keep in the pan and set aside.  

 

3. Place the milk and nutritional yeast into two separate wide shallow bowls.

4. Dip tofu strips into milk bowl then coat lightly in nutritional yeast bowl, and roll into mixture (A).

 

5. Bake it:

☼ Using Oven:

Preheat the oven to 180℃.  Evenly spread tofu strips on a baking tray with parchment paper. Using a oven thermometer, ensure it is at the right temperature 180℃.  Pop the strips into the oven for about 25 minutes, turning once until golden brown.

 

☼ Using Airfryer:
Preheat the Airfryer to 170℃ for 3 minutes. Evenly spread tofu strips in the fryer basket and slide the basket into the Airfryer. Set the timer to 20 minutes, turning once until golden brown.

 

6. Dip in tomato sauce, Asian chilli sauce or vegan cheese dip alongside your favourite salad greens. Or use this as filling for your sandwiches or soft buns. Enjoy!

 

 

☼ Note

After baking, the tofu fingers can be refrigerated or frozen. Simply reheat in an oven or Airfyer for about 5 minutes at 170℃.  Place parchment papers between layers to prevent sticking.

Step 3: Rolling Good Time

Step 4: Before baking in Airfryer

 

Vegetarian Fresh Spring Roll Popiah (薄餅) - With Vegan 'Egg'

 

 

 

Popiah aka 薄餅 is non-fried fresh spring roll that is common in Asia countries like Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand. The Popiah skin is soft, thin paper-like crepe made from wheat flour, and wrapped with a wet savoury dough, and accompanied with condiments like sweet bean sauce, soy sauce or hoisin sauce and hot chilli sauce before fillings are being laid.

 

The filling comprises of mainly finely grated steamed or stir-fried turnip, jicama or bangkuang with a combination of other ingredients such as bean sprouts, lettuce leaves, carrots, chopped fried tofu, Chinese sausage peanuts powder, fried shallots and scrambled eggs. The list is simply endless! Here, this is the vegan/vegetarian variation. To mimic the scrambled eggs, I used fried tofu, it tastes so real especially with the natural yellow colour from turmeric and the black salt which gives a sulphuric taste and smell of eggs. We vegetarians can have an awesome Popiah party too! Click here for vegan scrambled egg.

All these shredding of veggies sound tedious, isn't it? I can totally understand and it puts me off on making this dish. Thus, I got myself a food processor (I'm using this) to ease my jobs in the kitchen. Where to buy fresh Popiah skins? Refer below.

 

Dietary: Vegetarian, Vegan.

Make about 12 rolls

 

Ingredients

 12-16 pcs fresh popiah skins
 

Filling

 4 cloves garlic, chopped  

 800g turnip/jicama/bangkuang or daikon radish, shredded

 120g carrot (about 1 medium carrot), shredded

 100g green cabbage, shredded  
 3 stalks fresh shiitake mushrooms, sliced 
 150ml water

 1 Tbsp soy sauce or Braggs Liquid Aminos

 1 Tbsp vegetarian mushroom oyster sauce
 1 tsp sugar
 1 tsp sesame oil
 White pepper, to taste

 Canola oil, for stir-frying

Paste
 4 Tbsp sweet soy sauce

 2 garlic, finely minced

 Vegetarian sambal chilli (optional)

Garnish

 16 small lettuce leaves

 80g beansprouts, blanched

 100g cucumber, shredded  

 

Optional Garnish

 100g grounded peanut
 Fresh coriander sprig

 Fried shallot
 Vegan tofu scrambled ‘egg’ (click for recipe)

 

Method

To prepare filling

1. Heat up oil in a large skillet or wok. Sauté the garlic until aromatic.

2. Add turnip, carrot, cabbage and mushrooms and sauté for 2 minutes. Then season with soy sauce, mushroom sauce and sugar. Add water.

 

3. Stir occasionally and simmer for 15 minutes or until the veggies are tender and sauce is slightly dry. Season with sesame oil and pepper. Set aside and keep warm.

To wrap popiah

1. With the back of a teaspoon, brush Pophiah skin with soy sauce, minced garlic and chilli paste. Place a lettuce leaf over it.

 

2. Place a little filling mixture lengthways over the lettuce, then beansprouts and cucumber. Sprinkle the optional garnish.

 

3. Roll the bottom up, then fold the left and right sides in, creating an envelope. Now keep rolling up, into a firm tight roll. Repeat with the remaining ingredients. With a sharp knife, slice each roll into 3-4 pieces and serve.

Before wrapping



Popiah filling

How to make vegan tofu scrambled 'egg'?

 

☆ Where to buy fresh Popiah skins?

☼ Singapore

To the best of my knowledge, there are no fresh Popiah skins available at the supermarkets in Singapore. All of which are meant for frying, not for wrapping fresh Popiah. Do not attempt to use those for wrapping this filling, it will tear when wrapped and it will not taste good because it is doughy and meant to be fried.

 

I got my Popiah skins from a Popiah stall near my place, about 10 cents per piece, so cheap! Many stalls do not sell the skins especially small quantity, thus it takes some time and techniques to make them sell you the skins. For me, I patronise them often, smile to them every time I walk past, and when the rapport is built, I ask them if you can buy the skin from them, viola, LOL! 

 

 

☼ In Malaysia

RM4.99 for 20 pcs popiah skin
(Equivalent to SGD2.00)

Available at Tesco.











☼ Do it yourself
If it is not possible to get at your local stores, why not do it yourself? Check out this video.

Make about 25 pcs (8 inch)
Ingredients
 400 g all-purpose flour, sifted
 1/2 tsp sea salt
 400 ml Water

Method

Combine all the ingredients in a stand mixer bowl. Stir the batter with a wooden spatula, wrap with a cling film and let it rest for at least 3 hours. Beat the batter for about 15 minutes, or until the batter is smooth and elastic. Place the griddle or a flat cast-iron pan on a medium heat. Once the pan is hot, lower the heat slightly. Using one hand, coat the batter and rub onto the pan. Then use the other hand to peel off the wrapper when it is cooked.

 

Vegan 'Egg' Fried Rice

Using brown rice
I used some balanced Vegan Bak Kwa from Chinese New Year ;)

 

Using unpolished red rice

 

 

Fried rice is a simple dish of steamed rice stir-fried in a Chinese wok, usually mixed with ingredients like eggs, vegetables, and meat. This is a vegan variation which is eggless, and meatless of course.

 

Recently I blogged about the Vegan Tofu Scrambled 'Egg', today let me share with you how to incorporate the tofu scrambled 'egg' into a fried rice dish. I only eat unpolished whole-grain brown or red rice for better health, you may use white rice if you prefer. This recipe happens to be one of my all-time favourite fried rice because it is simple to make, healthy and delicious. And most importantly, no animals were harmed during the process.

 

Dietary: Vegetarian, Vegan.

Serve 2

Ingredients

 1 block or 200g firm tofu, drained & pressed
 1/4 tsp turmeric powder

 2 tsp black salt / kala namak *

 1/2 tsp sesame oil

 1 medium onion or 1 tsp ginger, chopped

 Canola oil, for frying

 3 cups cooked brown rice, warm or overnight

Vegetable (optional)
 1/4 cup carrot, chopped 
 2 fresh shiitake mushrooms, chopped
 1/4 vegetarian sausage/ham, chopped 

Seasoning
 1/2 tsp soy sauce or Braggs Liquid Aminos, or to taste
 1/2 tsp vegetarian mushroom oyster sauce
 1 tsp sesame oil
  Pinch of white pepper
  
Garnish (optional)
 Parsley

 Spring onions
 Fried shallots
 Pickled green chilli
 Vegetarian sambal chilli

Method
1. Using a food processor or potato masher (or simply hands), mash the drained tofu into small pieces like scrambled egg size, but not too grainy. 

2. Marinate the scrambled tofu with turmeric, black salt and sesame oil. Set aside for about 5 minutes.

3. Heat up oil in a large skillet or wok. Stir-fry the onion or ginger until aromatic.

4. Add scrambled tofu and cook for about 2 minutes, then add vegetables (if using). Stir the mixture for until almost cooked.

5. Stir in the rice until well combined. Add in seasoning and stir for another 2 minutes.

6. Plate and garnish, serve hot!

Notes

☼ Where to buy black salt in Singapore and Online, click here for more details.  

Vegan Tofu Scrambled 'Egg'



Scrambled 'egg' with turmeric powder added.





Without turmeric powder.

 

This vegan tofu scrambled 'egg' is as good as real, no joke. Black salt is used to give that sulphuric taste and smell of egg, this is almost like a must-have for this recipe. Where to buy? Please refer to below note. If you really couldn't get, you can use the sea salt in your pantry too. The turmeric powder gives that natural beautiful yellow colour of scrambled egg.

This recipe makes a perfect breakfast dish, and can also be used with recipes like Vegan Fried 'Egg' Rice and Fresh Spring Roll Popiah. This is so easy to do and within a few minutes. Taste awesome and nutritious too! You can serve this tofu scrambled eggs with baked beans, hash brown for that full English breakfast set. How nice, what a great way to start the day!

 

Dietary: Vegetarian, Vegan.

Serve 1

 
Ingredients

 1 block or 200g firm tofu, drained & pressed
 1/4 tsp turmeric powder

 1 tsp black salt / kala namak *

 1/2 tsp sesame oil

 1 small onion or 1 tsp ginger, chopped

 1 stalk fresh shiitake mushroom, chopped (optional)

 1/4 cup vegetarian sausage/ham, chopped (optional)

 Canola oil, for frying

 Soy sauce or Braggs Liquid Aminos, to taste

 Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Garnish
 Spring onions
 Fried shallots

Method

1. Using a food processor or potato masher (or simply hands), mash the drained tofu into small pieces like scrambled egg size, but not too grainy. 

2. Marinate the scrambled tofu with turmeric, black salt and sesame oil. Set aside for about 5 minutes.

3. Heat up oil in a large skillet or wok. Stir-fry the onion or ginger until aromatic.

4. Add scrambled tofu and cook for about 2 minutes, then add mushroom and sausage/ham and stir well. Season with soy sauce and pepper to taste. Stir the mixture for about 3-4 minutes or until brown and cooked.

5. Plate, and garnish, serve hot!

Notes

☼ Where to buy black salt in Singapore and Online, click here for more details.

 

☆ You may also like

                 Vegan 'Egg' Fried Brown Rice




Vegetarian Fresh Spring Roll Popiah (薄餅)
- With Vegan 'Egg'

 
 



 

 

 

Vegan Grape Pots De Crème

 

My guests and family members simply love my healthy Vegan Chocolate Pots De Crème so much and they do not even realise the presence of silken tofu even after eating the whole cup! Thus I decided to venture into a new flavour, and here we go! This make a perfect dessert for home entertaining, because while I'm frantically preparing soup, starter and main course, table setting and decoration etc, this dessert comes in so handy as I can prepare one day before and throw all the ingredients into the blender, pop into the fridge and viola.. a group of impressed guests!
 

Dietary: Vegetarian, Vegan.

Make 3 ramekins

Ingredients
 115g semi-sweet white chocolate (compound or chips), chopped
 1/2 tsp instant espresso/coffee powder
 1/4 tsp Himalaya or sea salt
 40g fresh grape
 225g silken tofu (extra soft silken tofu will be even better)
 1/4 tsp violet colouring, optional
 1 Tbsp castor sugar, optional
 
Toppings (choose one or more!)
 Grapes
 Chocolate Curls
 Fruits
 Nuts

Method

1. Create your own double boiler method to melt the chocolate, click to see how.

 

2. Heat until chocolate is almost completely melted, remove from heat. Add coffee powder and salt, mix well. Let cool for about 3 minutes.

 

3. In a blender or processor, add the grapes to process until the skins are mashed. Pour in the tofu, melted chocolate and food colouring (optional). Process until completely smooth, pausing the machine to scrape down the sides and under the blade, if necessary. Taste if the mixture is your preferred sweetness because some semisweet chocolate can be quite sweet, for me I did not add any more sugar. If it is not sweet enough for you, add sugar. Stir until smooth. The mixture may look runny now, no worries.  
 

4. Pour the mixture into ramekins or small jars, and refrigerate to chill until set for at least 3-4 hours.  Serve chilled, and top with chocolate curls or your favourite toppings.

Tips

☼ How to Make Chocolate Curls? Click.



Vegan Indian Tofu Potato Curry

 

If you love Indian food, you probably need no introduction to this curry. This is the first Indian curry that I added yogurt, it turns out to be so good! I think I am starting to get the hang of Indian curry, LOL. The tofu and potato are pan-fried or baked beforehand to give a flavourful crunch.

 
Dietary: Vegetarian, Vegan.
Serve 2
Slightly adapted from this book.
 
Ingredients
 1 medium onion, roughly chopped
 5 cloves garlic, peeled
 2 tsp size ginger, chopped
 1 fresh tomato, roughly chopped
 2 chilli, seeds removed

 1/2 cup or 120ml plain soy yogurt
 2 tsp garam masala
 1 tsp dried fenugreek seeds
 1 tsp chilli or cayenne powder
 1/2 - 1 tsp sea salt

 Canola oil for frying
 1.5 tsp garam masala (if baking)
 300g extra firm tofu, cubed
 1 medium potato, cubed

 1/2 tsp mustard seeds
 1/2 tsp asafoetida
 2 green cardamom pods
 1 tsp cumin seeds
 1 tsp turmeric powder

 1/2 cup or 120ml water
 2 Tbsp cilantro, chopped
 

Method

1. In a food processor, process the onion, garlic, ginger, tomato and chilli until completely smooth, pausing the processor to scrape down the sides and under the blade, if necessary.

 

2. Stir in yogurt, garam masala, fenugreek and chilli/cayenne powder and salt until well-combined.

 

3. For panfrying: Heat oil to about 1 inch in wok or large skillet over medium-high heat. Add in tofu and potato turning occasionally until they are golden brown and crisp. Drain on paper towels, set aside. For baking: Preheat oven to 180℃. Season with garam masala on the tofu and potato. Line them on the prepared baking pan, and baked for 15 minutes. Remove pan from oven, set aside.

 

4. Heat up oil in the same wok/skillet. Add mustard seeds, and once crackling, add asafoetida. Add cardamoms, cumin seeds and turmeric. Cook for 30 seconds or until seeds sizzle.

 

5. Add yogurt mixture and water. Bring to a boil, place the lid on the pan, simmer for 10-15 minutes until mixture thickens.

 

6. Pour in tofu and potato, simmer for another 5 minutes. Garnish with cilantro and serve hot with brown basmati rice or naan.

 

Vegan Chocolate Pots De Creme

 

 

This quick and super delicious dessert is so rich and creamy that you will not even realise the missing of heavy cream and egg yolk in most traditional recipes. This is a healthier version that is dairy-free and uses silken tofu, I can guarantee you that no one can tell the taste of soy, let alone tofu! Talk no more, get your blender out and this awfully healthy treats will be ready in no time! Check out another flavour of mousse I have created: Vegan Grape Pots De Crème.

Dietary: Vegetarian, Vegan.

Make 3 ramekins

Ingredients
 115g semi-sweet non-diary dark chocolate (compound or chips), chopped
 1/2 tsp instant espresso/coffee powder
 1/4 tsp Himalaya or sea salt
 225g silken tofu (extra soft silken tofu will be even better)
 1 Tbsp castor sugar or agave nectar, optional
 
Toppings (choose one)
 Chocolate Curls
 Fruits
 Icing powder
 Nuts

Method

1. Create your own double boiler method to melt the chocolate, click to see how.

 

2. Heat until chocolate is almost completely melted, remove from heat. Add coffee powder and salt, mix well. Let cool for about 3 minutes.

 

3. In a blender or processor, pour in the tofu and melted chocolate. Process until completely smooth, pausing the machine to scrape down the sides and under the blade, if necessary. Taste if the mixture is your preferred sweetness because some semisweet chocolate can be quite sweet, I did not add any more sugar. If it is not sweet enough for you, add sugar. Stir until smooth. The mixture may look runny now, no worries.  
 

4. Pour the mixture into ramekins or small jars, and refrigerate to chill until set for at least 3-4 hours.  Serve chilled, and top with chocolate curls or your favourite toppings.

Tips

☼ How to Make Chocolate Curls? Click.



Vegetarian Dry Wonton Noodles (Tofu Mushroom Filling) 干捞云吞麵

 

 

 

A wonton (also spelled as wanton) is a small round dumpling with a savoury filling, usually boiled in soup or sometimes fried. These wontons are made of tofu and mushroom, and it tastes awesome! Ironically, wanton is define in dictionary as sexually immodest or promiscuous of woman especially. But in Singapore and rather almost all Asian countries, you can see this wanton noodles all around at our eateries, LOL. No time to wrap the dumpling and still want to have this noodles for dinner, check out this quick and easy dish in 15 minutes, Dry Chinese Noodles (Gan Lao Mian 干捞面). Where to buy the best raw eggless wonton mee in Singapore? Click here.

 

Dietary: Vegetarian, Vegan. 

Serve 2

Ingredients

For the Wonton Filling
 1 (200g) firm tofu, mashed
 5 fresh shiitake mushrooms, chopped finely
 1/2 carrot, chopped finely
 1 Tbsp spring onions or coriander leaves, chopped
 1 Tbsp self-raising or tempura flour
 1 Tbsp corn starch/flour
 1 tsp sesame oil
 1 tsp salt, to taste
 Sugar, to taste
 White pepper, to taste
-
 1 pack (25pcs) eggless wonton wrapper
 Canola oil, for frying

For the Wonton Noodles
 2 pcs (150g) fresh eggless wonton noodles

 Water, for boiling

Seasoning

 2 tsp vegetarian mushroom oyster sauce

 1/2 tsp dark soy sauce

 2 tsp light soy sauce or Braggs Liquid Aminos, or to taste

 1 tsp sesame oil
 2 tsp tomato sauce
 Pinch of white pepper

 1 Tbsp vegetarian sambal chilli (optional)
 1 Tbsp water

 

Garnish
 Spring onions, chopped
 Coriander, chopped
 Fried shallots
 Cut red chillies
 Vegetarian sambal shrimp bites 

 

For the Wonton Soup

 2 cup or 480ml water

 1 Tbsp light soy sauce or Braggs Liquid Aminos
 2 Tbsp vegetarian mushroom oyster sauce
 1 tsp sesame oil
 Pinch of white pepper 

-

 2 fresh shiitake mushrooms, sliced (optional)

 1/4 cup carrots, and sliced (optional)

 1/2 cup bok choy, sliced

 Leftover of wonton filling after wrapping wonton

 Spring onion, for garnish

 

Method
☼ Wrapping Wonton:

1. Combine all ingredients for wonton filling and seasonings, and mix until well combined. Chill the mixture in the refrigerator for 15 minutes if you have time.

2. Lay a wrapper diagonally on your plate or board with one point facing you. Place a teaspoon of filling in the middle of the wonton. Dip your finger slightly in a bowl of water and coat the top ^ edges of the wonton. Bring the bottom V edges of the wonton up to the top point, and press down lightly to seal the edges. 

 

 

☼ Cooking Wonton:

Boiling 

1. Bring water in a stockpot to a boil. Add soy sauce, oyster sauce, sesame oil and pepper. Add mushrooms, carrots, and bok choy and wonton filling. Reduce to medium heat. Place wontons into the soup for about 3 minutes. Garnish with spring onions.

 

Frying

1. Heat oil to about 1 inch in wok or large skillet over medium-high heat to 375°F.  Add few wontons at a time, turning occasionally until they are golden brown and crisp, 2 to 3 minutes. Drain on paper towels.

 

 

☼ Cooking Wonton Noodles:

1. Lightly loosen the noodle and remove any excess flour coating. Place the noodles in boiling water and cook for 1-2 minutes maximum, do not overcook. Drain in a colander. If the noodles become to sticky and starchy, rinse over water a few times before proceeding to next step.

2. Pour drained noodles into wok, then add all seasonings. Use a pair of chopsticks, toss until all ingredients are coated evenly. If you prefer your noodles to be a bit wet, add water to reach your desired consistency.

3. Transfer noodles to individual serving dish, then top with crispy fried or boiled wontons, and some vegetarian Char Sao (roasted meat) if desired. Garnish and serve immediately.