Quick to assemble and completely irresistible, this crispy miso lime tofu will forever change your relationship with tofu!

A plate of miso-lime tofu crumbles in lettuce cups.

A couple of weeks ago, I returned home to find Caroline Chambers’ new book, What to Cook When You Don’t Feel Like Cooking, at my door. Its arrival could not have been more timely: we had just returned from England, and in addition to feeling jet lagged or perhaps because of the jet lag, well, I didn’t really feel like cooking.

As I flipped through, I noticed the chapter organization — “15-ish Minutes,” “30 Minutes,” 45 Minutes,” etc. — and immediately felt inspired. Surely I could handle something in the 15-ish Minutes chapter, I told myself. Having eaten nearly every meal out for the past week, I was craving something fresh and healthy, and so I went with the Crispy Miso Lime Tofu, most of the ingredients for which I had on hand, and which looked and sounded so good.

Friends! I have never made tofu like this before, and I was astonished not only by how incredibly tasty it was but also by the process, which felt all wrong. Rather than press the tofu, you squeeze out the liquid with your hands; rather than neatly cube the tofu, you crumble it; and at the end, when your tofu is completely crisp and brown, you douse it with a miso-lime dressing, which it drinks up, taking on all the sweet-and-savory flavors.

The crumbles honestly tasted like meat — I could have eaten them straight from the skillet without any further adornments — but I pushed on, spooning them into lettuce cups and garnishing them with herbs and sesame seeds. We gobbled them right up.

I have made this recipe a number of times in the past few weeks, and every time I make it I wonder how the recipe could be adapted to other dressings and seasonings — could it be made into faux taco meat?— or how I could use the crumbles in other applications, perhaps spooned over this favorite brown rice with broiled broccoli by its side.

I will of course keep you posted.

PS: Warm Tofu with Spicy Garlic Sauce

What to Cook When You Don’t Feel Like Cooking:

Miso-Lime Tofu Crumbles, Step by Step

First, gather your ingredients. For the sauce you’ll need: fresh lime juice, soy sauce, rice vinegar, miso, honey, crushed red pepper flakes, ground ginger, and garlic powder. (I love Burlap and Barrel purple stripe garlic powder, which I buy by the 24-oz container.)

Ingredients to make miso-lime sauce.

Measure everything out.

Ingredients to make miso lime sauce all measured out in small glass bowls.

Then transfer to a bowl or a liquid measure and…

Un-whisked miso-lime sauce in a 4-cup measure.

… whisk until smooth. (This sauce is so tasty!)

Whisked miso-lime sauce in a 4-cup measure.

You’ll also need extra-firm tofu, Boston or butter lettuce, and some garnishes such as sesame seeds and scallions. I also like using fresh mint here.

A block of extra-firm tofu on a counter aside a head of Boston lettuce, scallions, and sesame seeds.

You do not have to press the tofu, but if time permits, do so — the tofu browns up a little bit easier.

A can of tomatoes weighing down a cloth-wrapped block of tofu.

Crumble the tofu into pieces:

A bowl of tofu crumbles.

Then heat a skillet over high heat, add some oil, and then the tofu. Let cook undisturbed for 3 minutes…

A skillet filled with hot oil and tofu crumbles.

… then stir. Repeat this process — letting the tofu sit; then stirring — 3 to 4 times total until the tofu is nearly all brown.

A skillet filled with browned tofu crumbles.

Add the sauce and cook while stirring constantly until the tofu has absorbed nearly all of it.

A skillet filled with crisped tofu crumbles and miso-lime sauce.
Finished miso-lime tofu crumbles in a skillet on the stovetop.

You will want to stop here with a spoon and eat every last crumble, but do try to push on…

Finished tofu crumbles in a skillet.

… and spoon them into lettuce leaves. Garnish as you wish, then squeeze some lime over the top and…

A plate of miso-lime tofu crumbles in lettuce cups.

… serve.

A plate of miso-lime tofu crumbles in lettuce cups.

I could eat this whole platter myself!

A plate of miso-lime tofu crumbles in lettuce cups.
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A plate of miso-lime tofu crumbles in lettuce cups.

Crispy Miso Lime Tofu

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4.9 from 25 reviews

  • Author: Alexandra Stafford
  • Total Time: 30 minutes
  • Yield: Serves 2 to 4 as an appetizer
  • Diet: Vegan
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Description

From Caroline Chambers’ What to Cook When You Don’t Feel Like Cooking

Note: 

  • Tofu: I have written the recipe as Caroline included it in her book, but having made this several times now, I find that the tofu browns up a little easier if you press it ahead of time. You absolutely do not have to press it ahead of time, so don’t let this deter you — again I have made it several times without pressing it — but if you have the time, press it: I like to wrap my block in a clean dish towel, set it on a cooling rack over a tray, and weigh it down with a 28-ounce can of tomatoes set in the container the tofu was packaged in. 
  • Honey: To make this vegan, replace the honey with maple syrup or brown sugar. 

Ingredients

  • 1 head butter lettuce
  • 2 limes
  • 2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
  • 1 tablespoon white or yellow miso
  • 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
  • 2 tablespoons honey
  • ½ teaspoon ground ginger
  • ½ teaspoon garlic powder
  • ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
  • 1 (14- to 16-ounce) block extra firm tofu, pressed if time permits, see notes above
  • 3 tablespoons neutral oil or extra-virgin olive oil
  • Toppings (optional): sesame seeds, sliced scallions, fresh herbs (mint and cilantro are nice), chopped peanuts or cashews

Instructions

  1. Pull the leaves off the head of butter lettuce, then wash and dry them. Cut the limes in half. (Note: Depending on the size, you’ll need roughly 8 to 10 lettuce leaves.)
  2. In a medium bowl or liquid measuring cup, stir together the juice of 1 lime (about 3 tablespoons), the soy sauce, 2 tablespoons water, the miso, vinegar, honey, ginger, garlic powder, and red pepper flakes. Smash the miso against the side of the cup to be sure it incorporates to make a smooth sauce.
  3. Warm your largest skillet over medium-high heat. If you did not press your tofu ahead of time: Working over the sink, remove the tofu from the container, pour out any liquid, and reserve the container. Use your hands to break the tofu into a few pieces and squeeze out as much liquid as you possibly can. This won’t be pretty! It’ll break apart into little bits. That’s perfect, you’re doing it right. When you feel like you’ve squeezed all the liquid you can out of the tofu, place it back in the container it came in. If you did press your tofu ahead of time: Crumble the tofu into a medium bowl. 
  4. Add the oil to the super hot skillet. When it shimmers, add the squeezed, crumbled tofu in an even layer and let it sit, undisturbed, for 3 minutes. Give it a stir, then let it sit for 3 minutes more. It should start to look crispy and golden brown at this point. Keep going with this stir-and sit pattern once or twice more, adding more oil to the pan as needed, until the tofu is crispy all over (9 to 12 minutes total). Add the sauce and stir rapidly until it’s all absorbed into the tofu, not even a minute. Turn off the heat.
  5. To serve, fill the lettuce leaves with the crispy tofu and any of the suggested toppings. Squeeze the juice from the remaining lime over top just before eating.
  • Prep Time: 20 minutes
  • Cook Time: 10 minutes
  • Category: Appetizer
  • Method: stovetop
  • Cuisine: American