Dinner

Crispy Peanut Tofu

Name: Crispy Peanut Tofu
Total time: 45 min
Yield: 2 portions
Ingredients: 400 g Firm tofu; 4 tbsp Cornstarch (potatismjöl works too); 1 tbsp Wheat flour; 1 tsp Salt; 1 tsp White pepper; 1 dl Neutral oil, for frying; 3 tbsp Peanut butter, unsweetened, smooth; 3 tbsp Rice vinegar; 2 tbsp Soy sauce; 2 tsp Honey; 2 Garlic cloves, grated; 1 tsp Chili flakes or sambal; 4 tbsp Water; 3 tbsp Roasted peanuts, roughly crushed; 2 Spring onions, sliced thin; 1 tbsp Rice vinegar, for the end

Craggy shards of tofu fried until they rattle in the pan, then tossed in a peanut glaze that is sharp with vinegar rather than sweet

By Sebastian·13 September 2026

Placeholder illustration for crispy peanut tofu

Hands on: 30 minutes
Total time: 45 minutes with pressing
Makes: 2 portions

Popcorn shrimp is the reference here, but the sweet chilli mayo is gone. Instead the tofu gets a glaze built on peanut butter and rice vinegar, salty and sour with only enough honey to stop the vinegar biting. The crust comes from two things people usually skip: pressing the water out, and tearing the tofu instead of cutting it. Torn faces are rough, and rough faces catch starch and oil and turn into the crunchy edges you actually want. This is a frying pan recipe, no deep fryer, no oven.

Ingredients

Tofu

Firm tofu400 g
Cornstarch (potatismjöl works too)4 tbsp
Wheat flour1 tbsp
Salt1 tsp
White pepper1 tsp
Neutral oil, for frying1 dl

Peanut glaze

Peanut butter, unsweetened, smooth3 tbsp
Rice vinegar3 tbsp
Soy sauce2 tbsp
Honey2 tsp
Garlic cloves, grated2
Chili flakes or sambal1 tsp
Water4 tbsp

To finish

Roasted peanuts, roughly crushed3 tbsp
Spring onions, sliced thin2
Rice vinegar, for the end1 tbsp

Method

Press the tofu. Wrap the block in a kitchen towel, put it on a plate, put something heavy on top and leave it 20-30 minutes. Water is the enemy of crust, and this is the step that decides whether the recipe works.
Tear, do not cut. Break the pressed block into bite-sized pieces with your hands. They should look ragged and uneven, roughly the size of a walnut. Those torn faces are where the crunch comes from.
Whisk the glaze in a bowl: peanut butter, rice vinegar, soy, honey, garlic, chili and water. It will look split at first, keep whisking and it comes together into something pourable, about the thickness of cream. Taste it. It should be aggressively sour and salty, because the tofu underneath is bland and will soften it.
Mix cornstarch, flour, salt and white pepper in a second bowl. Add the tofu and toss until every piece is dusted, dry and a bit chalky. Shake off the loose excess, it only burns in the pan.
Heat the oil in a wide frying pan over medium-high until a dropped crumb sizzles immediately. Lay the tofu out in one layer, not touching. Now leave it alone for 3-4 minutes. Poking it is how you lose the crust. Turn each piece and repeat until golden and hard on most sides, 10-12 minutes in total. Work in two batches if the pan is crowded.
Lift the tofu onto a rack or kitchen paper. Pour off almost all the oil, leaving maybe a teaspoon, and drop the heat to low. Pour in the glaze. It will bubble and thicken within 30-60 seconds.
Kill the heat, return the tofu and toss fast, 15 seconds, just until every piece is coated. Longer and the glaze soaks in and the crust goes. Add the last tablespoon of vinegar off the heat, then the peanuts and spring onion, and serve straight away.

One thing that helps. Two failure modes. Soggy means either the tofu was still wet or the pan was too cold, so press longer and wait for the sizzle. Dull and flat means the glaze reduced too far, sugar concentrated and vinegar boiled off, so keep the heat low and use the final splash of vinegar off the heat to wake it back up. If you like it hotter, sambal in the glaze is better than more chili flakes on top.