Theluli Tofu (spice fried tofu)

 

There is one beloved dish, a side dish that my mother often makes and even my mother in law makes almost every dish to serve with the rest of the dishes for lunch. That is theluli mas. I wondered what I can use to make this dish. I tried using root vegetables but decided to try with some tofu after realising that vegans and vegetarians need to consume more protein compared to non vegetarians. 

To be honest, I was not a fan of tofu until I discovered a few vegan YouTubers who showed me how to prepare tofu. So I followed the instructions to the T. The result was this crispy spicy tofu which was pretty good and went really well with my jackfruit pilaf. 

Recipe : theluli tofu ( spice-fried tofu)

for 2

Ingredients:

• 150g extra firm tofu ( half a block of tofu)
• 1/4 tsp ground cumin
• 3/4 to 1 tsp ground dried red chilli 
• 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• salt
• 3tbsp vegetable oil
• 1/2 a lime

Directions

1. To prepare the tofu, drain all the water from the container. Then, press the tofu with a kitchen towel to remove excess moisture. Once pressed, place the tofu back in the container and freeze it, preferably overnight. 
   
   
2. The next day, thaw the tofu and press it again with a kitchen towel to remove any remaining moisture. Cut the tofu into thick slices, about half a centimetre thick. 
   
   
3. Next, make the spice rub by mixing salt with your choice of ground spices. Rub the mixture generously onto the tofu slices and set them aside to marinate for about an hour. 
   
   
4. Heat some oil in a non-stick frying pan and add the marinated tofu slices. Pan-fry the slices until they are lightly colored on both sides. Finally, squeeze a little lemon juice over the tofu pieces and enjoy them with some jackfruit pilaf.