Tofu Karaage (Japanese Fried "Chicken", Vegan)
Karaage — Japanese fried chicken — is izakaya food at its best: crispy, garlicky, gingery, impossible to stop eating. This is my tofu version, and the trick that sells it is shaping the pieces unevenly, so they fry up craggy and golden just like the original.
The seasoning does the heavy lifting: soy sauce, ginger, garlic and a little kombu dashi kneaded right into the tofu, so every bite is flavored through, not just on the surface. It's naturally vegan and gluten-free (rice flour and potato starch, no wheat), with 13 g of protein per serving.
Ingredients
- Firm tofu (momen)1 block (12 oz)
- Soy sauce1 Tbsp
- Sakeor dry sherry, or skip it1 tsp
- Kombu dashi powdersee substitutions1 tsp
- Fresh ginger, grated2 tsp
- Garlic, grated1 clove
- Peanut powderPB2-style powdered peanuts work2 Tbsp
- Rice flour4 Tbsp
- Potato starch, for coatingor cornstarchas needed
- Oil, for fryingas needed
Nutrition
per serving🛒 Ingredient notes & substitutions
Kombu dashi powder: Sold as "kombu dashi" or "kelp stock powder" at Japanese groceries and online. No luck? Use 1/2 tsp of vegetable bouillon powder — the flavor shifts slightly but the umami job gets done.
Peanut powder: Ground toasted sesame seeds work beautifully instead, and give a more classic Japanese flavor.
Potato starch: Cornstarch is a fine swap for the coating, though potato starch (katakuriko) fries up a little crispier.
Instructions
Wrap the tofu in paper towels and microwave it to press out the water (3 minutes at 700 W).
Once cool enough to handle, move the tofu to a bowl. Add the soy sauce, sake, dashi powder, ginger and garlic, and knead everything together with your hands.
Knead in the rice flour, then the peanut powder.
Shape the mixture into rough, uneven nuggets — the irregular shape is what makes them look like real karaage. Put the potato starch in a bowl and coat each piece all over.
Deep-fry in oil at medium heat (340°F / 170°C), turning with chopsticks or tongs, until golden brown all over. Drain and serve.
Tips
Serve with a wedge of lemon or lime and a pile of shredded cabbage or salad, the way karaage is served all over Japan.
Don't shape the nuggets into neat balls — rough and craggy is exactly what you want. The uneven edges crisp up and catch the light like real fried chicken.