Freezing tofu turns tofu into a completely different thing. The texture you can achieve from freezing it is a lot more meaty, spongy and it helps absorb more flavour. Once frozen and defrosted you can use in many different ways, in stir fries, hot pots or you can coat it in breadcrumbs and fry it like I did here.

Freezing tofu is actually very common in Asian countries, you can find already frozen tofu in supermarkets.

It's often added to stews and hot pots.

Ingredients

• 250g Tofu, here I used soft, any can be used, regular, extra firm..

• Batter

• 4 tbsp flour

• Salt, pepper to taste

• A pinch of garlic powder

• Mixed herbs to taste

• 7 tbsp soy milk unsweetened

Coating: breadcrumbs mixed with salt, pepper, paprika, mixed herbs

Oil for frying

Method

Cut the tofu in slices, cubes, depending on how you want to use it. It’s not necessary to pat it dry. Put it in the freezer until completely frozen, it will be yellow, that’s fine. Defrost it, by leaving it in the fridge util defrosted or for a quicker way, pour hot water on it, or use the microwave settings for defrosting.

Once defrosted squeeze out as much water as you can. Now you can use it for your favourite dishes.

For the batter: mix flour with salt, pepper, garlic powder and mixed herbs, then add in milk and mix until the batter is smooth, the consistency should be like a pancake batter.

Prepare the breadcrumbs on another plate/bowl, mixing it with salt, pepper, paprika, herbs.

Dip the tofu in the batter, coating it on both sides, then place it in the breadcrumbs mixture and coat it well. Now it’s ready for frying, or you can cook it in the airfryer or oven. Frying it will give it the crispier texture.