Kitchen Supper: Panko-Crusted Tofu Bites with Yuzu Dressing
Do-able meals, recipes + strategies for inviting people into our lives.
This recipe is one of my kids favorite dishes. I made it as one of the appetizers for Robata Thanksgiving and the kids kept coming in and stealing pieces, so I made them again for a dinner a week later.
This dish would make a great Kitchen Supper if you are having any omnivore over, vegetarians or vegans, although this is obviously not gluten-free. Still, it mostly satisfies all the cravings. This recipe is adapted from Silla Bjerrum’s Robata: Japanese Home Grilling. No grill is needed for this.
I deep fry the chunks of tofu until they are deeply brown and crunchy, but if you are anti-frying (stinks up the house, too much bother, too much clean up, health reasons, fear of death by boiling oil, etc.) they are almost as good if you pop them in the air fryer. Two packages of tofu will make enough for our sweet spot number of 6-8 people. You can serve the tofu chunks without the yuzu dressing, but man, the citrusy pop of the yuzu makes this dish so much lighter and bright. You can order yuzu from Amazon or buy it from your local Japanese grocery.
Panko-Crusted Tofu Bites with Yuzu Dressing
Tofu:
2 packs, firm tofu, drained, patted dry with a paper towel, cut into cubes
6 eggs, more or less
1 package, panko breadcrumbs, plain
3 cups, frying oil (unless you want to air fry)
Salt until happy
MSG (optional, but not for me)
Heat your oil in a pot to 350-ish. Or heat up the air fryer.
This is going to be a standard dredge. Fill a pie pan with panko and the reserved lemon zest And another with eggs, whisked together. Dredge the tofu cubes into the egg and then the panko and set on a platter. Do the same with all the chunks until they are the same.
When the oil is very hot and working in batches, drop tofu cubes in the oil and fry until golden brown. Drain on paper towels. If you are air frying, set the temp to 400F for about 15-20 minutes, you can spritz them with a little oil, flip them once to brown all sides. Check to make sure you aren’t burning them (every fryer feels different to me).
Dressing:
1/4 cup, yuzu juice
2 tablespoons, honey
2 tablespoons, mirin
1 lemon, juice and peel
oil (your favorite for dressings)
In a bowl, add half of the yuzu, and all the honey and mirin. Peel half the lemon and cut the peel into slivers for garnish and set aside. Zest the other half of the lemon on a microplane grater and set aside. Add all the juice from all the lemon into the bowl. Set aside the dressing for plating.
To Serve:
Pile the tofu cubes onto a platter, sprinkle with the slivers of lemon peel, salt and MSG (optional, but why should it be?) Right before serving, give it a spritz (or ten) of the yuzu dressing. A salad and a simple vegetable side, like this bok choy recipe or a simple bowl of rice, and you have a meal fit for friends. It’s about being with people, not making fancy food. Bring any leftover dressing right to the table. One of your guests will be dipping tofu straight into the dressing.
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END NOTES:
This is my oldest daughter, Lucy (18) and her boyfriend Carlos (20), and his motorcycle.
When I was a little older than Lucy, I rode with the Hells Angels for a stretch. So, this is full-circle-parent-karma smacking me in the face. I love them both so much. But this is why I hid things from my mother. :)
Breathe, Kim. Breathe.
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This is part of a for-now-free, Kitchen Suppers section. If you end up making any of the dishes here, tag me here or on IG, I’d love to see them.
Essays on Thursdays! Join me every Sunday for a new, easy-enough recipe worthy of inviting people over. Let’s start sitting around over simple food and feeling more connected and less lonely.
Thank you, as always, for cooking with me. xo Kim