I remember the first time I had chicken fried steak. We were on vacation in Alabama and I ordered it in a restaurant and thought it was one of the best meals I’d ever had. It is the true definition of comfort food to me, the crispy deep fried steak on top of fluffy and creamy mashed potatoes is like heaven. It is my personal opinion that all food is better deep friend and smothered in sauce. If you’re in agreement with me on this, this recipe will be perfect for you.
I discovered this recipe shortly after going vegetarian and I truly believe it is one of the best I have in my rotation. It was shocking to be how easily tofu could be substituted for chicken and be just as delicious. Prior to going vegetarian, I had tried to make battered chicken a few times in first Chicago apartment. It was a studio and the smallest kitchen known to mankind. It was a disaster. By the end of it I felt like I must’ve covered my kitchen in eggs and raw chicken juice from trying to pound out the chicken. Only one piece came out cooked correctly but the batter for it was perfect so I used a very similar batter here!
The cumin, chili powder and smoked paprika give the tofu a brilliant, smoky flavor and the cayenne pepper gives it a bit of a spicy kick. Leaving the remnants of this batter in the pan when you cook the gravy, gives the gravy that same delicious taste! You will barely even know the gravy in this recipe is vegetarian.
For the mashed potatoes in this recipe, I copied my mom’s recipe exactly. Her mashed potatoes are and always will be my favorite part of the holidays. They are rich, creamy and fluffy. They’re secret ingredient is cream cheese so they are not healthy AT ALL but, then again, nothing about this recipe is even pretending to be healthy. I left some notes at the bottom of the recipe for how to make it vegan if you wish! I’m planning on trying to adjust some of this to make a gluten free version in the future as well but for now I refuse to mess with perfection!
I KNOW you are going to love this recipe. It is perfect for those cold, rainy evenings where you just want to eat a comforting, warm meal that reminds you of home. It’s also a great option for non-vegetarians who are just trying to eat less meat. You will not miss the meat here, I promise. Curl up with a plate of this down home meal on the couch and watch a movie with your loved ones!
Until Next Time,
Jackie
Chicken Fried Tofu with Mom's Best Ever Mashed Potatoes
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
This delicious meatless version of a southern classic will knock your socks off! The crunchy, smoky tofu is the perfect combination on top of creamy mashed potatoes. If this dish doesn't make you nostalgic, I don't know what will!
Author: Jackie DeSana
Recipe type: Dinner
Cuisine: American, Southern, Vegetarian, Comfort Food
Serves: 4 servings
Ingredients
- Chicken Fried Tofu
- 1 14 oz brick of tofu, pressed and sliced into ½ thick rectangles
- 2 eggs, beaten*
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- 2 tbs grapeseed oil (or any high heat vegetable oil)
- 1 cup seasoned breadcrumbs
- 2 tbs cumin
- 1 tbs chili powder
- 2 tsp cayenne pepper
- pinches of salt and pepper
- 1 tbs smoked paprika
- Mashed Potatoes
- 1 pound Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and chopped
- 1 cup cream cheese**
- ½ cup sour cream**
- 5 cloves garlic
- 2 tbs garlic powder
- ¼ cup unsweetened almond milk,
- salt and pepper to taste
- Simple Gravy
- 2 tbs butter***
- ½ cup all purpose flour
- 3 cups unsweetened almond milk
- 1 cup vegetable stock
- salt and pepper to taste
Directions
- Place peeled and chopped potatoes into a large pot and fill with water. Bring to a boil and boil until the potatoes are soft. When they are soft, drain them and set them aside.
- While the potatoes are boiling, start on your tofu. Heat the oil in a large deep pan. You'll need three wide shallow bowls for the batter ingredients. Place the beaten egg in one bowl, breadcrumbs in the other and in the last add all of the spice ingredients to the flour and mix it together.
Dip each tofu strip into the egg, then the flour/spice mixture, back into the eggs and then into the breadcrumbs. Ensure all sides of the tofu are covered in breadcrumbs and place into heated oil. Cook for 3-5 minutes on each side. The tofu should be turning crispy and golden brown. Place cooked tofu on a plate and set aside. - Use the same pan you cooked the tofu in to make the gravy. The leftover browned breadcrumbs and batter make the gravy amazing! Add the butter to the pan and melt it. When the butter is melted, add in the flour and whisk. This will start to clump up into almost a paste, whisk continuously for about 2 minutes. Begin adding in the almond milk slowly while whisking the entire time. It helps to pour with one hand and whisk with the other and pour it over in a slow drizzle. If you have a kitchen helper, you can have them pour while you whisk continuously.
Whisk in the broth after the almond milk and then add salt and pepper. Continue whisking for about 5 more minutes. The gravy may appear to be kind of runny at first but DON'T PANIC, it thickens up, I promise. - Finish the potatoes by placing the cooked potatoes into a large bowl. Using a mixer (either a hand mixer or stand mixer) beat the potatoes until they are smooth. Add in the cream cheese, sour cream, garlic, garlic powder and almond milk and continue to beat the potatoes until all the ingredients are incorporated. If you're using a hand mixer, be sure to use a deep bowl so the potatoes don't fly out at you. If they are still too thick add more almond milk a little at a time until you reach your desired consistency. Add in the salt and pepper and more garlic powder if you wish.
- Serve this dish as one big comfort food bowl! Mashed potatoes topped with tofu and smothered with delicious gravy!
Notes
*For Vegan, make a "flax egg" by placing 2 tbs of ground flaxseed in 6 tbs of water and letting sit for 10 minutes until it thickens up.
**To make Vegan Potatoes, substitute for vegan cream cheese and take out the sour cream. You will probably need more almond milk to thin the potatoes.
***Vegan Gravy - use Olive Oil in pan instead of butter. You can also just use vegan butter if you have it, either will make the rue.
**To make Vegan Potatoes, substitute for vegan cream cheese and take out the sour cream. You will probably need more almond milk to thin the potatoes.
***Vegan Gravy - use Olive Oil in pan instead of butter. You can also just use vegan butter if you have it, either will make the rue.
