Crispy Chia Tofu

Reprinted from Life In Balance by Donna Hay © 2016 by Donna Hay, used with permission from Fourth Estate, a division of HarperCollins publishers. Images by Chris Court, William Meppem. Cover by William Meppem.

• Servings: 4.

This recipe is from Donna Hay's latest cookbook, Life In Balance: A Fresher Approach To Eating.  By using chia seeds and quinoa flakes, she gives tofu -- what she calls a "power protein" -- a delicate and crispy crumbed surface.  She serves it with cucumber salad, watercress, and a soy dipping sauce, but I would equally use the crispy tofu in tacos. 

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup (50g) white chia seeds
• 2/3 cup (70g) quinoa flakes
• 2/3 cup (50g) panko (Japanese) breadcrumbs
• Sea salt and cracked black pepper
• 2 egg whites
• 600g firm tofu, drained and thickly sliced
• 1/4 cup (60 ml) mirin (Japanese rice wine)
• 2 teaspoons finely grated ginger
• 250g baby cucumbers, sliced
• 1 cup mint leaves
• 4 cups (100g) baby (micro) watercress sprigs (optional), to serve
• Dipping Sauce:
• 2 tablespoons light soy sauce
• 1 small red chilli, finely chopped

Directions

1. To make the dipping sauce, place the soy sauce and chilli in a small bowl. Mix to combine and set aside.
2. Place the chia seeds, quinoa flakes, breadcrumbs, salt, and pepper in a bowl and mix to combine.
3. Place the egg whites in a bowl and whisk until fluffy.
4. Dip the tofu in the egg white and press into the chia mixture to coat.
5. Heat the vegetable oil in a large non-stick frying pan over high heat. Cook the tofu, in batches, for 1-2 minutes each side or until golden and crisp. Drain on paper towels and keep warm.
6. Place the sesame oil, mirin and ginger in a medium bowl and whisk to combine. Add the cucumber and mint and toss to combine.
7. Serve the tofu with the cucumber salad, watercress and the dipping sauce.