Tofu Steak

Tofu steak is a tofu dish made with frying the freshest tofu after coating with garlic powder, black pepper, corn starch, and then coated in a sweet and savoury sauce made with minced onion, garlic, soy sauce, oyster sauce, black pepper, calamansi juice and sugar. It is topped with a lot of fresh onion rings. Finally did the vegan shift but you’re missing your favorite bistek? The tofu steak recipe is the answer! This tofu steak is best eaten as a snack or with some hot steaming rice. Yum!

TOFU STEAK RECIPE

Ingredients:

• 4 pieces tofu
• ⅓ cup of soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons of oyster sauce
• 2 tablespoons of calamansi juice
• 1 white onion (cut into rings)
• 2 cloves of garlic (minced)
• Ground black pepper
• Salt to taste
• 2 teaspoons of sugar
• ¼ cup of water
• Cornstarch (for coating)
• Slurry (½ tablespoon)
• ⅓ cup of water

Directions:

1. Prepare the tofu and slice them into serving pieces.
2. In a wide plate, add the cornstarch. Season this with some garlic powder, black pepper and salt. Mix well.
3. Coat all the tofu slices with the seasoned cornstarch.
4. Heat a lot of oil in the pan. Deep fry the tofu pieces until golden brown. Flip to cook the other side. Set aside.
5. Heat some oil in another pan. Add the garlic and onions and then saute for a few minutes. Add the soy sauce, oyster sauce, black pepper, calamansi juice and sugar. Mix well. Then, add more onion rings.
6. Add a cup of water then the slurry. When the sauce thickens, add the fried tofu and toss gently to coat them well with the sauce.
7. Transfer the tofu steak to a serving plate. Enjoy this as an appetizer or a savoury ulam to your big bowl of hot steaming rice. Yum!

WHAT IS TOFU?

Tofu is one of the most common meat alternatives. Since a lot of people are trying to eat healthier, tofu, as a plant-based product, is usually used as the ulam or meat. But did you know what exactly tofu is?

Tofu is soy bean curd. It is made by processing dried soy beans by boiling and crushing which results to soy milk. Some chemicals, such as calcium and magnesium chlorides are added to the  milk to separate the whey from the curds. These curds are then pressed, until they form the tofu.

The two types of tofu are the soft and firm tofu. Their only difference is that the firm tofu is less pressed, making it hold more liquids. For this tofu steak recipe, we will be using the firm tofu.

TOFU STEAK

Many of us are trying to make a shift in our diet to be healthier. Two of the most common diet trends are veganism and vegetarianism. These diets avoid meat and their products, and sticks with vegetable options. I partially tried this shift for a few weeks just to reduce my saturated fat intake.

As time goes by, I am slowly missing my meaty dishes (HAHA). As a fan of onion rings, I specially craved for bistek. I tried eating some onion rings from my veggie salad but the onion rings on top of the bistek is quite different.

Since tofu is one of the best meat alternatives, I always have them in my fridge. This tofu steak is super life changing and delicious. My meat cravings lessened much and  I still enjoy my food. Still hoping that I can extend this healthy diet!

If you also wanna make a shift and want to know how to make some tofu steak, read and follow the simple steps below. Happy cooking!

HOW TO MAKE TOFU STEAK

Making tofu steak is super simple and straightforward. If you have tried making bistek dish in the past, then the following steps would be easy for you.

Start by preparing the tofu. You can cut them however you like. They cook well when they are medium in size. Super small cuts make them absorb too  much oil when fried, and large cuts makes the center slightly uncooked. Coat them first in seasoned cornstarch to prevent oil splattering and to have a tasty crust. Set them aside when golden brown.

The most important part of this dish is the steak sauce. The bistek is known for its classic toyomansi combination. Start with sauteing the aromatics and then add the remaining ingredients.  You can add some extra sugar to make it sweeter. Add some slurry to make the sauce thick enough to coat the tofu. Toss the tofu to coat with the sauce. Add a lot of onion rings on top then it’s ready!

The first bite of this tofu steak is truly heaven. Make sure to have a bite of the fresh onions to have the complete bistek experience! Best partnered with a big bowl of hot steaming rice. Yum!

Tofu Steak Recipe (TAGALOG)

Mga Sangkap:

• 4 pirasong tokwa
• ⅓ tasang toyo
• 2 kutsarang oyster sauce
• 2 kutsarang calamansi juice
• 1 puting sibuyas (hiniwa na pa-rings)
• 2 butil ng bawang (hiniwa nang pino)
• Pamintang durog
• asin
• 2 kutsarang asukal
• ¼ tasang tubig
• Cornstarch (pang coating)
• Slurry (½ kutsara)
• ⅓ tasang tubig

Paano Lutuin:

1. Ihanda ang tokwa at hiwain ito sa tamang laki.
2. Maglagay ng cornstarch sa malaking plato. Timplahan ito ng garlic powder, paminta at asin. Haluing mabuti.
3. Balutan ng ginawang tinimplahang cornstarch ang bawat piraso ng tokwa.
4. Magpainit ng mantika sa kawali. I-deep fry ang mga tokwa hanggang maging golden brown. Baliktarin para maluto nang maigi. Isantabi pagkatapos.
5. Sa bagong kawali, magpainit muli ng mantika at igisa ang bawang at sibuyas. Dagdagan ng toyo, oyster sauce, paminta, kalamansi juice at asukal at haluing mabuti. Dagdagan ng onion rings.
6. Magdagdag ng isang tasang tubig at slurry. Kapag lumapot na ang sauce, idagdag ang tokwa at bahagyang haluin para mabalot ng sauce ang tokwa.
7. Yum! Ilipat ang tofu steak sa isang serving plate. Enjoyin ito bilang apetizer o iulam sa mainit init na kanin. Yum!