Zucchini noodles, or zoodles, are a great low-carb alternative to regular noodles or pasta. This crispy tofu zoodles with recipe is both low-carb and vegan; a great combination for a healthy meal. Plus it’s extremely easy to make!
A few months ago, my lovely sister-in-law gave me this cute gadget to make noodle-like vegetable spirals as a present. I think the official name is a vegetable spiralizer. I love this gadget; it’s so handy and it elevates recipes using vegetables like zucchini and carrots to a whole new level. Plus, it satisfies that occasional craving for noodles and pasta on days when I’m trying to watch my carb intake. Zoodles seem to really work wonders in that regard!
I have yet to try my spiralizer with other vegetables; I’d like to try it out with sweet potato, carrots, and other suitable veggies. I haven’t yet tried it with hot recipes; most of the ones I’ve made so far have been salad-like dishes. But that just makes it all the more exciting; there are endless possibilities! And I will definitely write about them all.
As for tofu, it took me a while to actually like the stuff. When I first tried it, it was this white, rubbery, tasteless, and frankly disgusting addition to a soup of some sort. It put me off tofu for years afterward. That was until I tried crispy fried tofu, and that opened up a whole new world of flavour to me. I still don’t understand why anybody would eat tofu in its mushy, white, tasteless form; but to each their own.
I discovered that to make crispy tofu you need firm tofu. Then you have to press it to drain the excess liquid from it. Pressing tofu is quite simple: all you need is two small plates and a paper towel. You line the lower plate with the towel, place the firm tofu block on it, then put the other plate on top to provide a light weight. You can put something else on top of the plate to add more weight, but I found this to be sufficient. After that you can slice up your tofu and marinate it or season it. It soaks up flavours beautifully!
As for the zoodles, after spiralizing them I recommend sprinkling a little salt on them to both season the zoodles and soften them to a more pliable texture. That way they behave more like noodles. You can then roll them around onto your fork just like spaghetti without them breaking.
Ingredients
- 1 large zucchini
- 1 small block of firm tofu; approximately half a cup in size.
- 1/2 medium avocado
- 2 stalks of spring onions
- 1 cup shredded radicchio (you can use any other colourful leafy vegetable instead if radicchio is not available)
- 3 tablespoons dark soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons canola oil for frying the tofu.
- For the dressing: 2 tablespoons olive oil, juice from 1/2 medium lime, store-bought chilli-garlic sauce (or a mixture of minced garlic and fresh chillies), 1 teaspoon dark maple syrup or honey, salt to taste.
Method
- Press the tofu as described above for 10-15 minutes. After that slice into 1.5 cm thick slices and marinate in soy sauce while preparing the rest of the components.
- Make the zucchini noodles (zoodles) with the spiralizer
- Sprinkle a small pinch of salt onto the zoodles and let them stand at room temperature while you prepare the rest of the recipe.
- Heat the oil in a non-stick frying pan
- Add the tofu slices and fry on each side until crispy and browned all over.
- In the meantime, chop up the spring onions, radicchio, and avocado. Arrange around the zoodles on the serving plate or bowl.
- When the tofu slices are ready, arrange them as well on top of the zoodles.
- Whisk the dressing components in a small bowl until combined. Drizzle on top of the vegetables and tofu. Enjoy!
Do you make zoodles? Do you like tofu? If yes, how do you make it? Would love to hear more in the comments!
For other meat-free recipes, check out:
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