Quintessential British, the nation's favourite, has a vegan makeover. Presenting, Tofish & Chips. Marinated tofu, wrapped in crispy seaweed reminiscent of the sea and shallow fried in a crispy and golden beer batter. Served with crispy homemade chips and minted mushy peas. Tofish and Chips is the perfect vegan comfort food.
Ingredients
For the Tofish
1 Block Extra Firm Tofu
2 Tbsp Caper Brine
2 Tbsp Lemon Juice
1 Tbsp of liquid from a jar of jalapenos
1 tsp Apple Cider Vinegar
6 small Nori Sheets
For the Beer Batter
I cup of vegan ale or beer
1/2 cup soda/seltzer water
1/2 cup plain flour
1/2 cup cornflour
1 tsp baking powder
Salt & Pepper to taste
1/2 tsp turmeric
Mushy Peas
1 cup of peas
1 medium Shallot
1 tsp Plant Butter
A pinch of dried (or fresh) mint
Chips
5 white potatoes
Splash of olive oil
Lemon juice or lemon wedges for garnish
Method*
Squeeze the excess moisture from the tofu either by using a tofu press or by wrapping it in a clean kitchen towel/paper, place it on a plate and weight it down by place some heavy objects on top. Leave for anything from 30mins to overnight if you can, pat dry and slice into 3cm thick rectangles. (You can also cut these into triangles or thinner rectangles to make Tofish fingers!)
Place the cut tofu onto a plate and make the marinade. To a bowl mix together the caper brine, jalapeño liquid, apple cider vinegar and lemon juice, mix together and pour over the tofu. Leave to marinate for a minimum of 30 minutes whilst you prepare the chips and mushy peas. Pat the tofu dry cut the seaweed sheets to the size of the tofu piece and tick on top on one side, a little lemon juice can help it stick.
For the chips, peel the potatoes and cut them into cut chips or wedges. Salt a large pot of cold water and, add the potatoes and parboil. Once the water has come to a boil (approx 10 mins) drain the potatoes and pat dry with some kitchen towel. Assemble the potatoes on a baking tray, a drizzle of a little olive oil and toss to combine (I also sometimes add a little salt and pepper at this stage too for crispness and a little extra flavour) Bake the chips in a preheated oven at 200c for 30 mins or until they are soft and fluffy on the inside and nicely crispy and browned on the outside.
Next, make the batter for the tofish, to a mixing bowl add the flour, cornflour, salt and pepper and the turmeric powder, whisk together and slowly add the vegan beer* and soda/seltzer water.
To a heavy bottom casserole pan, add your oil of choice, enough to just cover the fish (in this case approx. 3-4 cms) slowly bring the oil to temperature and pick up a piece of the tofu, drench in the batter and then carefully lower the tofu into the oil, facing away from yourself. Shallow fry the tofu, 2-3 pieces at a time, removing once lightly golden brown on both sides and place onto some kitchen towel to drain the excess oil. If the batter looks too thin or you are missing batter on some areas, you can re-coat the tofu pieces in the batter and place them back in the oil.
For the mushy peas, melt a little butter in a saucepan and gently fry the shallot over medium to low heat for a few minutes until the shallot is nicely translucent. Add the garden peas to the pan and stir into the butter and shallots, slightly press down on the peas to break them up either by using the back of a spoon or a potato masher. I like to roughly mash around half of the peas it gives them a chunkier texture. Add either your dried or freshly chopped mint and stir through, season with salt and pepper to taste.
To serve, pile on those crispy oven chips, add a few chunks of your golden brown tofish, spoon on a dollop of mushy peas and finish off with a generous squeeze of lemon juice.
*lf you don’t drink alcohol you can omit the beer and use the same amount of non-alcoholic deer or lager or the same amount of soda / seltzer water.
Enjoy!
H x
Thank you for taking the time to read this recipe, if you make it please snap a photo and tag us online, we love to see your wonderful creations! Instagram @hannahsbitchinkitchen or Facebook @HBKonline.
Looking for more British Favourites? Click here to see the Ultimate Shepherdless Pie recipe!
