Since coming back from our holiday trip New Year’s day we haven’t quite settled into our usual routine.  Between the kids being off from school for holiday break and not having time to do my usual post-holiday house cleaning I’m craving routine ☺️.Today’s post, the more I think about it, is my attempt to return to normalcy in our household 🙂. Since the kids absolutely love baked or pan-fried tofu, I decided to channel my tofu prowess (lol) and create a new variation on some of our favourite tofu recipes. Today I’m sharing our recipe for Crispy Baked Tofu with Cumin Lime Baked Potato Chips.

Just before the holidays I posted our recipe for Sweet & Savoury Tofu – baked tofu strips marinated in a tantalizing blend of fresh garlic, fresh cilantro, dill weed, maple syrup and Himalyan pink salt. The flavour is as close as you can get to a salmon fillet baked in the same marinade. I also recently shared our recipe for Crispy Pan Fried Tofu Strips – my recipe for traditional pan-fried tofu (see our Tofu Parmigiana) with some heat added. This recipe is great for those weeknight dinners or when you feel like pub-style food without the grease! Today’s recipe features a deliciously simple marinade that calls for fresh ginger, cilantro, tamari sauce, cane sugar and lime juice. Instead of dipping the marinated tofu strips in an “egg” wash (such as aquafaba) followed by flour and a panko-based coating, this recipe omits aquafaba (or similar egg replacer) and instead calls for a gentle toss in some grapeseed oil. To help the panko coating stick to the tofu I’ve added corn starch to the mixture (sesame seeds would also be a great addition to the coating!) These tofu strips were a huge hit with everyone – notably the crispy, crunchy outer coating and the sweet heat on the inside (thanks to the delightful pairing of fresh ginger and lime juice).

These Cumin Lime Baked Potato Chips are the perfect complement to these Crispy Baked Tofu Strips. This potato chip recipe calls for a delicious blend of chili powder, smoked paprika, cumin lime juice and Himalayan pink salt. If you have a mandolin slicer handy I urge you to use it – the ultra-thin potato slices are key to creating a potato chip-like texture. These potato chips definitely have a spicy kick to them – if you prefer less spice you could adjust the seasonings for a milder result (eg. subsitute sweet paprika for the smoked paprika; omit the chili powder). These chips are very versatile and I can see them as a great companion to our Tofu Scramble. Watch your kids with these chips – Janik and I had to divide and conquer to get our hands on these! 😁

Enjoy~

Crispy Baked Tofu

I recommend letting the tofu marinade for at least 1 hour so plan ahead to ensure best results with this recipe~

Preparation

Preheat oven to 450F/232C

Tofu Marinade Ingredients

• 2 packages (350g each) extra-firm tofu, sliced into 1/4″ strips (rinsed and pressed to remove moisture)
• 2 Tbsp fresh ginger, grated (30g) (Note: If you need to grate your ginger root simply use the Thermomix: Chop 5 sec/Speed 7)
• Fresh cilantro leaves (5g)
• 1/2 cup tamari sauce (125 g)
• 1/2 cup cane sugar (115g)
• 2 Tbsp lime juice  (10g)

Tofu Marinade Instructions

• 1/Add the ginger root and cilantro to your Thermomix mixing bowl. Chop 5 sec/Speed 7.
  Note: Insert the butterfly whisk attachment to the mixing blade before starting Step 2.
• 2/Add the tamari sauce and sugar to the Thermomix mixing bowl.  Whisk 1 min/90C/Speed 2.
• 3/Add lime juice to the TM bowl. Whisk 15 sec/Speed 3.
  Note: Remove the butterfly whisk attachment to the mixing blade after Step 3.
• 4/Place the tofu strips in a shallow baking dish. They should be in a single layer (ideally not touching). Coat the tofu strips with marinade and refrigerate for at least 1 hour (Note: Flip the pieces half-way through for best results)
  
  

Assembly Ingredients

• 2 packages (350g each) extra-firm tofu (thinly sliced, marinated & coated) (recipe above)
• 2/3 cup panko
• 2 Tbsp cornstarch (    g)
• Pinch of Himalayan pink salt
• 1/3 cup grapeseed oil
• Ginger dipping sauce (optional)

Assembly Instructions

• 1/Add panko, cornstarch and salt to a medium size prep bowl; pour grapeseed oil in an separate (second) prep bowl.
• 2/Remove the tofu from the marinade and press with paper towel to remove any excess marinade.
• 3/Add tofu strips to the oil and toss gently to coat. Place oil-covered tofu strips into the prep bowl with panko-cornstarch-salt mixture to coat thoroughly.   
• 4/Transfer the prepared tofu strips to a parchment paper-lined baking tray. Bake the tofu at 450F for 20 minutes. Remove from oven and lightly drizzle some olive oil over the strips (you can also dust with salt if desired).  Return baking tray to the oven and bake for final 15 minutes. When finished, the edges should be golden and crispy.

Product Recommendations

Edward & Sons™ Organic Panko
The Ginger People Sweet Ginger Chili Sauce

Cumin Lime Baked Potato Chips

Preparation

Preheat oven to 400F/205C

Ingredients

• 5-6  large potatoes, washed & thinly sliced (I used red-skinned potatoes)
• 2 Tbsp grapeseed oil (canola or avocado would also work well)
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp chili powder
• 1 tsp smoked paprika powder
• 2 tsp ground cumin
• 4 tsp corn starch
• 2 tsp Himalayan pink salt
• 2 Tbsp lime juice

Instructions

• 1/In a large mixing bowl combine potatoes, grapeseed oil, olive oil, chili powder, smoked paprika, ground cumin, corn starch, salt and lime juice. Toss to combine.
• 2/Arrange potato slices on two parchment paper-lined baking sheets. Bake at 400F for 15 minutes; use tongs to flip each potato slice. Bake for another 10 minutes or until the chips begin to curl up on the sides.
  Note: Bake in batches for best results….you want the potato slices arranged to prevent overlapping~
• 3/Let cool on a wire rack. Adjust seasonings if required. Repeat with the second batch.

Note: This recipe was made using a Thermomix appliance, however it can easily be adapted using similar food prep tools (e.g. mutli-function processor, immersion blender etc).