Popcorn Tofu (Gluten-Free Recipe)
Is anyone else excited for NIGHTMARKETS to be back again?
Here is my super easy Night market-style Popcorn Tofu!
Crispy on the outside, JUICY on the inside, and the batter is GLUTEN-FREE.
If you love Taiwanese Popcorn Chicken, this popcorn tofu recipe is made for you.
Get a nice glass of ice-cold beer ready because you need to give my Popcorn Tofu a try this weekend!
Popcorn Tofu is inspired by two of my favorite night market dishes – Popcorn Chicken and Stinky Tofu.
The key to making EXTRA CRISPY Popcorn Tofu is letting the tofu rest in salt water for at least 20 minutes.
Not only does this help draw out the water, which makes the tofu crispy, but the salt also seasons the tofu as well.
Stinky Tofu has a distinct texture where it is crispy on the outside but still juicy and soft on the inside.
Letting it rest in saltwater and then coated with rice flour helps replicate the Stinky Tofu texture you find at night markets.
The key to a delicious Taiwanese Popcorn Tofu is the addicting umami seasoning.
Like Popcorn Chicken seasoning, there is a mixture of chili powder, paprika, five-spice powder, white pepper, garlic powder, and salt.
Depending on how spicy, salty, and garlic you want, you can adjust these seasonings to your liking.
You can either deep-fry or pan-fry the tofu.
I recommend using Tapioca Starch (HIGHLY Recommend Sunrise Brand); however, the secret to making it stick is always to let the starch sit for 5 minutes before frying.
This extra step will prevent the starch from falling off and ensure the tofu is EXTRA crispy.
I like using Tapioca Starch since it replicates the authentic fried tofu at night markets, but if you don’t have Tapioca Starch, you can also use Sweet Potato Flour, Corn starch, or tempura powder.
Do you want more VEGETARIAN recipes? Here are some of my go-to Vegetarian Recipes that you will LOVE!
- Ginger Glazed Oyster Mushroom (15 Minutes)
- Spicy Garlic Bok Choy (10 Minutes ONLY!)
- Scallion Oil Noodles (Easy & Vegetarian)
- Spicy Garlic Noodle (10 Minutes Only!)
Ingredients
- 1 pack of Medium Firm Tofu (cut into bite-sized pieces)
- 2 tbsp of Salt
- 1.5 cups of Tapioca Starch
- 0.5 tsp of White Pepper
- ⅔ tbsp of Five Spice Powder
- Pinch of salt
Seasoning Powder
- 1/2 tsp of Chili powder
- 1 tsp of Paprika
- 1 tbsp of Five-spice powder
- 0.5 tbsp of White pepper
- 3/4 tsp of Garlic Powder
- 1-2 tsp of Mushroom Powder (optional)
- A pinch of salt
- Soak the tofu in 2 tbsp of salt and 2 cups of water. Make sure all the tofu is soaked in the water for at least 20 minutes.
- Mix tapioca starch, white pepper, five-spice powder, and salt.
- Coat the tofu in tapioca starch mixture. Let the tofu rest in the tapioca starch for 5 minutes while you heat the oil.
- In a pan, add oil, and turn the heat up to medium-high. Once the oil is hot, add tofu and let it fry for 7-8 minutes until crispy and golden brown.
- Remove and set aside, optional but highly recommended, turn the heat up to high, and double fry for another 1 minute to make it EXTRA crispy!
- Season with seasoning mix and enjoy!
Popcorn Tofu
By Tiffy Cooks
Ingredients
- 1 pack Medium Firm Tofu cut into bite-sized pieces
- 2 tbsp Salt
- 1.5 cups Tapioca Starch
- 0.5 tsp White Pepper
- ⅔ tbsp Five-Spice Powder
- 1 pinch Salt
Seasoning Powder
- 1/2 tsp Chili powder
- 1 tsp Paprika
- 1 tbsp Five-Spice Powder
- 0.5 tbsp White Pepper
- 3/4 tsp Garlic Powder
- 1-2 tsp Mushroom Powder optional
- 1 pinch salt
Instructions
- Soak the tofu in 2 tbsp of salt and 2 cups of water. Make sure all the tofu is soaked in the water for at least 20 minutes.
- Mix tapioca starch, white pepper, five-spice powder, and salt.
- Coat the tofu in tapioca starch mixture. Let the tofu rest in the tapioca starch for 5 minutes while you heat the oil.
- In a pan, add oil, and turn the heat up to medium-high. Once the oil is hot, add tofu and let it fry for 7-8 minutes until crispy and golden brown.
- Remove and set aside, optional but highly recommended, turn the heat up to high, and double fry for another 1 minute to make it EXTRA crispy!
- Season with seasoning mix and enjoy!
Great recipe, tofu turned out golden and crispy. Had it with some thai peanut dipping sauce and it was delicious.
One thing I’d like to note – when covering tofu with tapioca starch and leaving it to rest, tapioca will turn translucent and a little “gooey” (as tapioca does). I have limited experience with tapioca so this made me worried that the frying won’t get the tofu crispy and that it will turn out weird. Fortunately, the starch going translucent is perfectly fine, so no need to worry. 🙂
This is an absolute KEEPER of a recipe! The tofu came out so incredibly crunchy and moist, everyone in my house loved them!
This is an absolute KEEPER of a recipe, and I didn’t even have everything to follow out correctly lol. I used corn starch because I couldn’t find tapioca near me, or 5 spice, so I used berbere which has many of the same spices.
The tofu came out so incredibly crunchy and moist, everyone in my house loved them. I’ll have to do more than 1 block of tofu next time!