Deep Fried Coconut Tofu w/Chili Coconut Sauce

This recipe is originally from the Cafe Flora cookbook. My version is a bit different.

My local Thai restaurant has deep fried tofu in a sweet-spicy sauce. It is my favorite thing on the menu. This recipe is very similar and very delicious. I just made this a couple days ago and we are craving it already. You can serve this is an appetizer type dish, or as a main course with rice and maybe some stir-fried veggies.

I did not make the sauce that was in the original recipe but instead just made up my own sauce with things I had on hand. The sauce is basically sweet chili sauce (or you can use sweet and sour sauce), coconut milk, hot sauce, and salt. Make the sauce according to your own taste, just mix everthing together.

Before the tofu is cooked it is marinated for 8-12 hours. As a marinade, I used teriyaki sauce, mixed with a little hot sauce, some sweet chili sauce, a splash of rice wine vinegar, and a splash of tamari.

1 block firm tofu, pressed
about 1 cup of marinade
3/4 cup coconut flour (or just use regular flour)
3/4 regular flour
about 1/3 can coconut milk (use the rest to make dipping sauce)
3 to 4 cups vegetable oil or peanut oil for frying

First- Press the tofu. Put the block of tofu on a flat plate, cover with plastic wrap, and then place another plate or cutting board on top of it. Weight it further with some cans or more plates, up to three pounds. Place the whole setup in the fridge for about an hour. Discard the water that has been removed from the tofu. Note- I almost always press tofu when I'm using it for baking or frying.

Second- Marinate. Cut the tofu into 1 1/2 inch cubes. Cover the tofu cubes with marinade and let marinate in the fridge for 8-12 hours.

Third- Coat the tofu. Place each of the flours and the coconut milk in separate bowls. Roll each piece of tofu in the regular flour, then dip into the coconut milk, and then coat with coconut flour. Repeat the process until all the tofu is coated.

Fourth- Fry. Put the oil in a wok or heavy pan. Heat the oil until it reaches 350F. Gently drop a few pieces of tofu into the hot oil. Be very careful not to get splattered with oil! Gently turn the tofu a couple times with a slotted spoon. When they are golden brown remove the tofu cubes from the oil and drain on paper towels. Continue cooking the tofu, a few pieces at a time.

Fifth- Serve with the dipping sauce. Enjoy!