Tofu tacos
Crumbled tofu browned until crisp, then simmered with smoky chipotle, cumin and tomato like the sofritas at your favorite burrito place, piled into warm corn tortillas with onion, cilantro and lime.
- 40 min total
- 30 min hands-on
- Anyone can make this
- Serves 4
- About $2.18 a serving
- 530 calories
- Good the next day
- Vegan
- Dairy-free
Dolly says: Make the full amount. It’s just as good for lunch the next day.
Ingredients
For 4 servings.
- 2 packages extra-firm tofu, drained
- 1 white onion, half diced, half finely chopped for topping
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 chipotle peppers in adobo, minced, plus 1 tablespoon of the sauce
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 2 limes, 1 juiced, 1 cut into wedges
- 12 corn tortillas
- ½ cup cilantro, chopped
- 1 avocado, sliced (optional)
From your pantry
- 3 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- ½ cup water
Each serving has about 530 calories, 30 g protein, 51 g carbs and 25 g fat, and costs about $2.18 at typical US grocery prices. Both are estimates from what the recipe uses.
Missing something?
- No extra-firm tofu? Firm tofu works.
- No limes? Lemons work.
- No cilantro? Fresh parsley works.
- No avocados? Guacamole works.
Steps
Tap an underlined word for a quick explanation.
the tofu dry and it with your fingers into small, uneven pieces.
Pat dry. Patting dry means pressing paper towels onto food to soak up the moisture on its surface. Wet food steams instead of browning, so this is how you get a good sear and crisp skin.
How you’ll know: The surface feels tacky, not wet, and the last paper towel comes away barely damp.
Crumble. Crumbling means breaking food into small, rough bits with your fingers or a spoon, like feta or ground meat in the pan. Small bits spread through the dish, so there’s some in every bite.
How you’ll know: The pieces are small and uneven, about pea-size, with no big clumps left.
Dolly’s tip: No need to press it. Crumbled tofu dries out as it browns.Heat the oil in your largest over medium-high heat. Add the tofu and salt and cook 12 to 15 minutes, stirring every few minutes, until and in spots.
Skillet. A skillet is a frying pan: wide and flat with low, sloped sides. The shape lets steam escape, so food browns instead of stewing.
How you’ll know: It’s the pan you’d fry an egg in, and a 10 or 12 inch one handles most recipes.
Golden brown. Golden brown is the color of good toast, somewhere between yellow and light brown. It means the outside is cooked and crisp but not burnt.
How you’ll know: It looks like toast and smells toasty; dark brown with a bitter smell means it went too far.
Crispy. Crispy means the outside is dry, firm and crunchy. It comes from high heat, a little oil and room in the pan, because crowded food steams and goes soft.
How you’ll know: It sounds crunchy when you tap or bite it, and it doesn’t flop when you lift it.
Medium-high heatTimer: 13 min 30 sec
Dolly’s tip: It will steam and hiss for the first few minutes. Keep going until it turns quiet, dry and golden.Food safety: Tofu is safe to eat straight from the package; cooking is only for texture and flavor.
Add the diced half of the onion and the garlic and cook 3 minutes, until soft.
Medium-high heatTimer: 3 min
Stir in the chipotles and their sauce, the tomato paste, cumin and oregano and cook 1 minute, .
Fragrant. Fragrant means cooking until you can clearly smell it, usually garlic or spices, often in about 30 seconds. That’s the moment the flavor is ready, just before it can burn.
How you’ll know: You can smell it from a step back, and garlic is pale gold, not brown.
Medium-high heatTimer: 1 min
Dolly’s tip: Chipotles are smoky and hot. Start with one if you’re shy about spice.Add the water and the juice of one lime and 2 to 3 minutes, until the liquid is soaked up and the tofu looks saucy.
Simmer. Simmering means keeping a liquid just below a boil, with small bubbles rising gently. It cooks food evenly and lets a sauce thicken without scorching on the bottom.
How you’ll know: Small, lazy bubbles break the surface every second or so, and nothing is churning.
Medium heatTimer: 2 min 30 sec
Wrap the tortillas in a damp paper towel and microwave 1 minute, until soft and warm.
Timer: 1 min
Fill the tortillas with the tofu and top with the chopped raw onion, cilantro, avocado and a squeeze of lime.
Plan this in Dollop, and get the grocery list
Dollop puts this dinner on a night that suits your week, lists only what you still need to buy, and walks you through each step while you cook.
