Korean-style Popcorn Tofu

• total time: 45 minutes

Ingredients

Crispy tofu

400 g extra-firm tofu, drained and pressed

1 tbsp reduced-salt soy sauce

Freshly cracked black pepper

2 tbsp cornflour

Olive oil spray

Korean-style sauce

1 tbsp tomato paste

1½ tbsp gochujang (reduce to 1 tbsp if you prefer less heat)

20 ml reduced-salt soy sauce

30 ml water

½ tbsp apple cider vinegar

8 g brown sugar

1 tbsp maple syrup

1 tsp garlic powder

Grain base (per portion)

60 g basmati rice

30 g white quinoa

30 g green lentils

To serve

Pan-fried tenderstem broccoli (about 100 g per portion)

White sesame seeds

Directions

Tear the pressed tofu into bite-sized pieces, or cut into cubes if you prefer a neater shape, and place in a bowl. Season with the reduced-salt soy sauce and a generous crack of black pepper. Sprinkle over the cornflour and toss until all the tofu is evenly coated.

Transfer the tofu to an air fryer basket, spray lightly with olive oil, and cook at 200°C for 15 minutes, shaking the basket a couple of times during cooking to ensure even crisping. If baking instead, spread the tofu on a lined baking tray and bake at 200°C fan for about 30 minutes, flipping halfway through, until golden and crisp.

While the tofu cooks, prepare the sauce. Add the tomato paste, gochujang, soy sauce, water, apple cider vinegar, brown sugar, maple syrup and garlic powder to a small pan. Heat gently over a low to medium heat, stirring, until the sauce warms through and begins to thicken slightly.

Once the tofu is crispy, add it straight to the pan with the sauce and toss well until every piece is evenly coated and sticky. Remove from the heat.

Rinse the basmati rice, quinoa and lentils well, then cook them together in a rice cooker or in a pan with water until tender. Divide between two bowls, top with the sticky popcorn tofu, add the pan-fried tenderstem broccoli and finish with a sprinkle of white sesame seeds.

Original recipe by @panaceapalm

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