Salt and Pepper Tofu
Our slimming-friendly Salt and Pepper Tofu is a great way to liven up a meal, and perfect if you're counting calories or following Weight Watchers!
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NutritionPer Serving
- Calories135
- Carbs17g
- Protein9g
- Fat5g
- Saturates1g
- Sugars8g
Tofu, or bean curd, is a great source of protein, and is made by curdling soy milk and then pressing the curds into soft, white blocks. It’s a very similar way that cheese is made from milk.
Tofu can be a bit tricky (mainly because it has the characteristics and the personality of a dense sponge) but once you get the hang of cooking it, it’s a great ingredient to liven up a meal, and perfect for serving to vegetarian and vegan guests at a dinner party.
All you need is a couple of tricks, and you can turn your dense sponge Tofu into something really quite tasty!
What diets is this Salt and Pepper Tofu suitable for?
This Salt and Pepper Tofu recipe is suitable for vegetarian, vegan, gluten free and dairy free diets.
Please make sure to double or triple check all of your ingredients if you’re cooking for people with allergies – especially spice blends for gluten free diets, including the Chinese 5 Spice in this recipe.
Do you need any special ingredients to make Salt and Pepper Tofu?
There are no special ingredients needed for Salt and Pepper Tofu.
However, there are a few preparation tricks for getting a great tofu texture.
Drain and press your tofu well between pieces of absorbent kitchen towel for at least 40 minutes. This will make the tofu drier, and will be worth the extra time spent when you have nice and springy tofu bites!
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How many calories are in this Salt and Pepper Tofu?
There are 135 Calories per portion in this Salt and Pepper Tofu, which means it falls into our Everyday Light category.
To cut down the amount of calories even more, you can simply halve the portion size and serve with a healthy accompaniment.
This Salt and Pepper Tofu is perfect if you’re following a calorie controlled diet, and fits well with any one of the major diet plans such as Weight Watchers.
As a guide, an average man needs around 2,500kcal (10,500kJ) a day to maintain a healthy body weight. For an average woman, that figure is around 2,000kcal (8,400kJ) a day. Obviously, if your goal is to lose weight then you might want to adjust these slightly! You can read more about these recommendations on the NHS website.
Step 1
A bit of prep work for the tofu to start with. Chop it into reasonably sized cubes, and place on a plate lined with tissue paper. Put more tissue paper on top and place something heavy across the plate. This will gently squeeze the water out, creating a much drier tofu to work with. This may take up to 40 minutes or so. Remember to change the tissue paper periodically.
Step 2
Once the water is drained, place the tofu into a dry bowl and add the salt and pepper, Chinese 5 spice and garlic salt. Make sure all the cubes of tofu are generously coated. If you need to add a bit more dry ingredients then do, we won’t tell.
Step 3
Place the bowl of tofu in the fridge to firm it up a bit more. Ideally for as long as you can afford, but half an hour is fine if you’re in a bit of a rush.
Step 4
For the stir fry, simply chop the onion and pepper finely and add to a frying pan with the chilli, garlic and ginger. Fry this mixture up in Low calorie cooking spray until its nice and cooked.
Step 5
Put this mixture aside and use the same frying pan to fry the tofu. Using plenty of Low calorie cooking spray, cook the tofu on each side on a steady but not raging heat (otherwise it will burn easily). Cook until golden and crispy on all sides.
Step 6
Combine the tofu and the stir fry vegetables together with the fresh coriander, and serve. Beautiful with a dash of soy sauce and Sriracha. Enjoy!
What could I serve with this Salt and Pepper Tofu?
How do you know when this Salt and Pepper Tofu is cooked?
Use plenty of low calorie cooking spray, and fry the veg until fully cooked through.
You should cook this Salt and Pepper Tofu until the tofu is golden and crispy on all sides, on a steady but not raging heat (otherwise it will burn easily).
Standard advice here in the UK is to cook food until it has reached 70°C and stayed at that temperature for 2 minutes. This is to keep your family safe.
How long can you keep Salt and Pepper Tofu in the fridge?
Once you’ve put it out, ideally you should eat it within 4 hours. Tofu loses its heat quickly though, so if you want to enjoy this dish hot, get to it straight away!
If you allow any leftovers to cool, make sure to refrigerate in a container with a lid and chill. You can keep leftovers of Salt and Pepper Tofu in the fridge for approximately 3 days or so.
Can I freeze this Salt and Pepper Tofu?
Yes you can! This recipe can be frozen, but please remember to do the following;
- Freeze it as soon as it is cold enough.
- Use a container or bag that is suitable for freezing.
Don’t forget to add a label with what it is, and on what date you put it in the freezer!
How do I reheat this Salt and Pepper Tofu?
From chilled: Heat on a hob for 4-7 minutes until piping hot.
From frozen: Allow to defrost, and cook on a hob for for a further 5-7 minutes until piping hot.
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Salt and Pepper Tofu
Our slimming friendly Salt and Pepper Tofu is a great way to liven up a meal, and perfect if you’re counting calories or following Weight Watchers!
-
Prep Time
1 HR 20
-
Cook Time
15 MINS
- KCals 135
- Carbs 17G
Instructions
- A bit of prep work for the tofu to start with. Chop it into reasonably sized cubes, and place on a plate lined with tissue paper. Put more tissue paper on top and place something heavy across the plate. This will gently squeeze the water out, creating a much drier tofu to work with. This may take up to 40 minutes or so. Remember to change the tissue paper periodically.
- Once the water is drained, place the tofu into a dry bowl and add the salt & pepper, Chinese 5 spice and garlic salt. Make sure all the cubes of tofu are generously coated. If you need to add a bit more dry ingredients then do, we won't tell.
- Place the bowl of tofu in the fridge to firm it up a bit more. Ideally for as long as you can afford, but half an hour is fine if you're in a bit of a rush.
- For the stir fry, simply chop the onion and pepper finely and add to a frying pan with the chilli, garlic and ginger. Fry this mixture up in Low calorie cooking spray until its nice and cooked.
- Put this mixture aside and use the same frying pan to fry the tofu. Using plenty of Low calorie cooking spray, cook the tofu on each side on a steady but not raging heat (otherwise it will burn easily). Cook until golden and crispy on all sides.
- Combine the tofu and the stir fry vegetables together with the fresh coriander, and serve. Beautiful with a dash of soy sauce and Sriracha. Enjoy!
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6 comments
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CharlotteSunday 22nd May 2022
What do you serve with it please?
HollyMonday 23rd May 2022
Hey Charlotte, this tofu is great served with noodles, rice or some stir fried veg! Hope that helps!
JoanneTuesday 10th January 2023
What accompaniment is shown in the photo attached to this recipe there is a rice dish. Is that in your books or on here?
HollyMonday 16th January 2023
Hey Joanne, I’m not too sure which recipe is in the photo alongside the tofu but it looks like some kind of fried rice, have a look HERE for some inspiration, hope that helps!
MartinMonday 24th June 2019
Made this dish last night and my wife and I thoroughly enjoyed it. We plan to make it again soon. Thanks for the recipe.
mariaTuesday 14th March 2017
sounds tasty, will be trying this tonight. thanks you
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