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Spiced Tofu Fingers



A step-by-step photo guide & recipe for making spiced vegetable fingers, a great vegan substitute for fish fingers. 

golden spiced tofu fingers with a bowl of ketchup


Cooking and baking with kids is so important. It helps them to learn about food and encourages them to try new things as well as developing new skills.

I usually bake with Cooper, but I do take him into the kitchen to help prepare meals too.  He was a great help making these spiced tofu fingers. In fact if you scroll down you will see step-by-step photos of him making this dish.


Spiced Tofu Fingers

Spiced Tofu Fingers


Today Cooper made some Spiced Tofu Fingers. 

They are a bit like breaded mozzarella in taste and texture, but they are dairy free and packed with protein. 

He used bought golden breadcrumbs that were sitting in my store cupboard staring at me petulantly. I usually make fresh breadcrumbs, but these were perfect for this dish and I perked them up with spices. 

Make sure you use regular tofu and not silken tofu, which won't work for this recipe, it's just too soft and better for creamy sauces and desserts.

How to prepare tofu

step one

How to prepare tofu step one - drain tofu
Drain the tofu.


step two

How to prepare tofu step two - Wrap in kitchen paper and tea towels.
Wrap in kitchen paper and tea towels.


step three

How to prepare tofu step three - Wrap in kitchen paper and tea towels and weight down with heavy books

Wrap in kitchen paper and tea towels and weigh down with heavy books.

step four

How to prepare tofu step four - After the moisture has drained out, slice tofu into fingers.
After the moisture has drained out, slice tofu into fingers.


step five

How to prepare tofu step five - Roll the fingers in spiced breadcrumbs.
Roll the fingers in spiced breadcrumbs.

step six

Bake or lightly fry in a little rapeseed oil until golden and crispy (mummy can help with this).



step 7

Vegan Spiced Tofu Fingers

Serve with ketchup for dunking and enjoy!


Enjoying Spiced Tofu Fingers




tofu, how to prepare tofu, preparing tofu, vegan fish fingers, vegan mozzarella fingers, breaded tofu, spiced tofu
lunch
vegan
Yield: 4
spiced tofu fingers

Spiced Tofu Fingers

A step-b-step guide to preparing tofu and making spiced breaded tofu fingers.
prep time: 30 minscook time: 10 minstotal time: 40 mins

ingredients

  • 2 x 396g blocks tofu
  • ½ cup golden breadcrumbs
  • 3 tsp onion powder
  • 1½ tsp ground cumin
  • 1 tsp ground coriander
  • 1 tsp chilli powder
  • a good grinding of black pepper
  • a little rapeseed oil for frying

instructions

  1. Drain the tofu, then wrap it in kitchen paper and tea towels. Weight with heavy books and leave for half an hour to drain the excess liquid from the tofu.
  2. Unwrap the tofu and slice into fingers.
  3. Mix the breadcrumbs with the spices and pour onto a plate. Dip the tofu fingers in the breadcrumbs until well coated.
  4. Bake or fry in a little oil until golden and crunchy.
  5. Serve with ketchup for dipping.
  6. Enjoy!
calories
168
fat (grams)
8.7
sat. fat (grams)
1.2
carbs (grams)
14.2
protein (grams)
10.4
sugar (grams)
1.5
Created using The Recipes Generator



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A step-by-step photo guide & recipe for making spiced vegetable fingers, a great vegan substitute for fish fingers. #tofu #howtopreparetofu #tofufingers #vegansnack #veganlunch #breadedtofu


How good are they?


Tofu Fingers
I love them this much!



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58 comments

  1. This is so adorable! Such a deliciously simple recipe too, can't wait too to try it out - with some help from my kids!

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    Replies
    1. Thanks Katherine. I really is an easy one, but delicious. My hubby has asked f we can make more soon. He loved them!

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  2. OMG he is SO cute! Alas, despite eating it when she was smaller, my daughter is resolutely anti-tofu (to the point of preferring to be hungry when they serve it at her nursery). But I could so easily wolf down all of these myself...

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    Replies
    1. Ahhh that is a shame. She may not notice that it is tofu with this recipe as it tastes very like breaded mozzarella sticks.

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  3. I love tofu and these look delicious. Lovely pictures, your son is adorable and looks like he is having a lot of fun in the kitchen.

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    Replies
    1. Thanks Tina, I think so too, but then I am biased. He loves helping to cook and bake.

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  4. These look lovely! I adore tofu, one of my favourite foods.

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  5. Please can I send mini chef over to come help Cooper cook?

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  6. My kids love tofu and things in breadcrumbs, so this is a win-win recipe for this house. Love that you don't have to dip the tofu in sticky egg either - much less messy than the goujons we make here :-)

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    Replies
    1. Well I guessed it might be wet enough still to stick and it worked perfectly. It meant that Graham could have them too as he is vegan.

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  7. How fab do these look? Can't believe I've never thought of doing this to tofu and MUST try.

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  8. Oooh I have not had tofu in ages, loved it deep fried but not very healthy - shallow frying is a better idea! They look really crispy and delicious!

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  9. Oh, I haven't done this in ages - we usually cut the drained tofu lengthwise, so it's not super thick, and then cut it out into shapes - that's how we did "fish" sticks - we just got a couple of fish-shaped cookie cutters. Sometimes we freeze them after they're cut, and they puff when fried - more like croquettes.

    Good call on frying with rapeside - we're switching entirely to rapeseed for on-the-hob stuff - it just holds up so much better to heat, and I've read you keep the good nutrients in olive oil more if you eat it cool, like a bread dip - which sounds better to me, anyway. ☺

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    Replies
    1. You are right about the rapeseed oil Tanita, it can be heated to a much higher temperature and is even healthier than olive oil, but you cannot beat a good olive oil with balsamic vinegar for dipping.

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  10. These look exceptionally yummy Jac, and well done Cooper for all your hard work! Lovely spice mix in the coating. Thanks so much for my Eat Your Veg mention, delighted!

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  11. I know I can always rely on you Jac to get me out of a ''what do I do with...' fix. I've got a pack of Tofu sat on my kitchen counter in hopes of motivating me to do something with it. It's been there for 3 months and is about a week from it's expiry date. E will love making these too as he's in super helpful 2 yr old mode :o)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Haha, that is great timing. I am so glad. Have fun making them and enjoy :)

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  12. what a lovely idea Jac. My 24 month old loves crispy textures so I will try this out with him..no egg needed either in your recipe, bonus! x

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    Replies
    1. I know, it was a gamble, but I am so glad it worked. I do like Graham to be able to enjoy the treats I (or Cooper) make :)

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  13. I really love tofu and have only just started cooking with it at home. Talking of oils to cook with we quite like groundnut too.

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  14. What a great use of tofu and Cooper looks like he loves cooking and enjoying the fruit of his labors!!
    Mary x

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    Replies
    1. He really did enjoy both the cooking and the eating :)

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  15. I'll have to try these with my little girl. I don't use tofu very often but they sound really tasty.

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  16. Fantastic post Jac, although I was a little concerned that Cooper's fingers had gone into the mix - that top photo is a little disconcerting at first glance.

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    Replies
    1. Haha, I see what you mean. He was just finding it awkward to pick out of the packet.

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  17. A great recipe and really unusual. Lovely to see Cooper having a good go at his own dinner. Will try it with my little ones x

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  18. Well done to Cooper for being fantastic in the kitchen again :) isn't he cute!

    These lok like they aren't just fab for kids, but also for fussy boyfriends! I feel like my blog has practically become veggie after moving in with Jon so its great to find another way of cooking tofu!

    Thanks for sharing x

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    Replies
    1. Yes I know what you mean. I am doing a lot more vegan and a lot less cheese now I am cooking for a vegan husband.

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  19. Love how he's taking his job so seriously!
    Janie x

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  20. I love tofu but as yet the kids haven't tried it. now they will be trying it this way first. Thanks for the inspired idea Jac!

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  21. great photos - he looks so pleased with himself - I still give sylvia plastic plates so am impressed at the pretty dipping bowl for cooper's sauce. I know the bit Sylvia would really want to do it the frying. tonight she finished dinner quickly enough to help make bikkies for school and loved it.

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    Replies
    1. That's brilliant Johanna. It's so worth taking them into the kitchen. I have to admit Cooper usually gets plastic plates, but not always.

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  22. The star of the show is of course........COOPER Jac!! LOVELY post! Karen xxx

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  23. Cooper is looking SO grown up! What a cutie. And well done for getting him to like tofu and vegetables so early in life. Because of my job I really am so happy to see plant-based eating starting early - circumvents a lot of trouble later in life. Great job, as a Mum and as a recipe developer.

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    Replies
    1. Thanks Kellie, I shan't tell you that he can be quite picky and he won't eat all veg, just a few. I try to make it up with fruit and smoothies.

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  24. Awesome to see Cooper! And very well done on this recipe!

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  25. I made these beauties but spiced up the outer layer a bit with smoked spiced paprika too! xx Cooper is loving it indeed, who wouldn't ??? x
    I also love the new look of your cool blog! xx

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  26. He is sooo ADORABLE! The cutest chef I've ever seen :)

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  27. I can never seem to find tasty tofu recipes my family enjoy but this looks the business. If that boy of yours is not on junior master chef by the time he can reach the knife rack then there is no justice.

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    Replies
    1. Hehe, I know what you mean. He does love it and I bought him a green lettuce knife for chopping. Lou over at eat your veg has one for her tot.

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  28. It's always such a pleasure to see Cooper Cooking recipes, he is such a star.

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  29. Could you have this as a main? What would you serve it with?

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I love reading comments, so thank you for taking the time to leave one. Unfortunately, I'm bombarded with spam, so I've turned on comment moderation. I'll publish your comments as soon as I can and respond to them. Don't panic, they will disappear when you hit publish. Jac x