Double Tofu Please
Recreating a heavenly sandwich from Double Chicken Please
What would a vegetarian be doing at a bar called Double Chicken Please, famous for their unique cocktails and fried chicken sandwiches?
After hearing about it one too many times from my friends in NYC, I finally managed to snag a reservation for me and some coworkers. The cocktails were amazing, but the fried tofu sandwich was phenomenal and I knew I had to try to make macro-friendly as I was walking out of that bar.
The tofu was crispy. The peanut butter sauce was peanut-buttery. And the pickles were more of that “cold cucumber salad” vibe with rice vinegar, some spice, some sweetness.
Delish. This baby was so juicy from the deep fryer that I had rivulets of oil and sauce dripping down my arm. 100% worth it, but also 100% not something I can fit into my diet on a regular basis.
To try to make this more macro-friendly, I have used my secret weapon: The Better Bun. I am obsessed with the breads from this line because they make it so much easier for me to get my protein without feeling like I’m sacrificing much. BUT I also get that they are expensive, so if you want to swap it out for something more affordable, I recommend any brioche or pretzel hamburger bun. You want something on the thicker side to handle this thiccccc tofu and sauce!
Okay, enough blabbing. Here’s the recipe:
Fried Tofu Sando with Peanut Sauce and Smashed Cukes
Serves 4
Per serving: 313 calories | 36g protein | 10g fat | 54g carbs
Add this recipe to your library on Macrofactor.
Ingredients
Pickled Cucumbers
1 large (150g) cucumber (or I like these baby cukes because they are cute)
1/4 cup (50g) rice vinegar
1 tsp (10g) stevia sweetener
1 tsp (5g) salt
1/4 tsp chili flakes
1 clove (5g) garlic
Fried Tofu Sandwich
1 block (~397g) firm tofu
3 tbsp (20g) corn starch
1/4 cup (50g) unsweetened soy milk
1/4 cup (20g) panko
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
4 Better Buns (or any other hearty bun)
Peanut Sauce
1/3 cup (27g) peanut butter powder
2 tbsp (20g) rice vinegar (or pickling liquid!)
1/4 cup (40g) soy sauce
1 1/2 tbsp (20g) sriracha
Instructions
1. Make the pickled cucumbers
Add the liquid ingredients to a jar and mix it up. Then, slice or smash your cucumbers and add them to the jar. Add water as necessary to cover your cukes, then let sit in the fridge for a few hours or overnight.
If you are in a rush, you can do a quick pickle with heating up the vinegar to help penetrate the cucumbers faster.
2. Prepare your tofu & preheat
Cut the tofu into 1/2” slices or whatever shape you want for your buns (note that different sizes could impact the macros slightly). This should get you ~4 patties out of one block of tofu. No need to press!
Put the soy milk, corn starch and the panko mixture in three different low-walled dishes to prepare for dredging. Mix the panko with salt and pepper.
Preheat your air fryer to 400F while you do your dredging.
3. Double dredge & air fry
Take each slice of tofu and do a double dredge to coat. First take the tofu (which should still be damp) and cover it in corn starch in the low dish, then dunk it in the soy milk, and then put it in the dish to cover in panko.
The double dredge helps to make it nice and crispy in the air fryer!
Air fry for 15-20m at 400F, flipping the tofu pieces half way through. For maximum crispiness, make sure they are not sitting on top of each other.
4. Prepare the peanut sauce & toast the buns
Mix the peanut butter powder, rice vinegar, soy sauce and sriracha. (You can also sub the pickling liquid from your cukes for the rice vinegar. Waste not!)
Toast your buns and spread the peanut sauce on top and bottom. You might have a little extra for drizzling if you like it extra saucyyy (and salty).
Note: If you are using Better Buns, keep an eye on them! They can burn quickly. I make this mistake every time.
5. Assemble the sandwiches and tuck in!
Place your freshly air-fried tofu on the sauced up bun, drizzle with extra sauce, if desired, and top with your pickled cucumbers. Bonus points if you have some crispy shallots and garlic to toss on top for extra crunch.
Enjoy!