Tofu pieces are air-fried or deep-fried until crispy and then tossed in umami salted egg yolk sauce.
If you are wondering what else you can do with the salted eggs in your fridge, you should try this salted egg yolk tofu. They are so delicious. The tofu is usually deep-fried until crispy and then tossed in the salted egg yolk sauce, but I air-fried the tofu in the air-fryer for a “leaner” version.
What kind of tofu to use
I use egg tofu in this recipe, but you can use regular firm or extra-firm tofu. Don’t use soft or silken tofu as they are too soft to handle. Egg tofu is soft too but not as fragile as the soft or silken tofu
How to cook salted egg yolk tofu with an air-fryer
1. If you use egg tofu like I did, cut into about 3/4-inch thick. If you use regular tofu, cut into about 1 to 1 1/2 inch cubes. Coat the tofu pieces with cornstarch and shake off any excess starch
2. Let them sit for 15 minutes
3. Spray the tofu pieces with some oil. Arrange the tofu pieces, oil-side down, on the air fryer basket. Spray with more oil on top. Air fry at 375 F for 12-15 minutes
4. Flip the tofu pieces over half-way through cooking so they brown evenly
5. Melt butter in a pan over medium heat. Fry the curry leaves until crispy, which takes less than a minute or so. Remove from the pan and set aside
6. Add garlic, shallots, and chili (if using) and saute for about 2-3 minutes
7. Add the mashed salted egg yolks. The yolks will turn foamy and smell really fragrant as you cook them
8. Turn off the heat and add the fried tofu pieces and curry leaves back in and gently toss them to make sure the sauce coats the tofu pieces evenly
9. Serve immediately as part of multi-course meal
Did you make the salted egg yolk tofu recipe?
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Salted Egg Yolk Tofu
Ingredients
For the tofu:
- 245 gr egg tofu you can also use firm or extra firm regular tofu
- 40 gr cornstarch or more as needed
- Oil for coating
For the salted egg yolk sauce:
- 30 gr unsalted butter
- 4 sprigs fresh curry leaves
- 3 cloves garlic finely chopped
- 3 shallots finely chopped
- 1 bird's eye chili optional, seeded and finely chopped
- ¾ tsp salt
- 3 salted egg yolks
- ½ tsp sugar
Instructions
- If the salted egg yolks aren't cooked yet, you want to boil the salted eggs or steam the salted egg yolks until cooked through. Use a fork to mash the egg yolks. Save the salted egg whites in the fridge for other use such as making fried rice, etc
- If you use egg tofu like I did, cut into about 3/4-inch thick. If you use regular tofu, cut into about 1 to 1 1/2 inch cubes
- Coat the tofu pieces with cornstarch and shake off any excess starch. Let them sit for 15 minutes
To air-fry the tofu:
- Spray the tofu pieces with some oil. Arrange the tofu pieces, oil-side down, on the air fryer basket. Spray with more oil on top. Air fry at 375 F for 12-15 minutes. Flip the tofu pieces over half-way through cooking so they brown evenly
To fry the tofu:
- Preheat some oil over medium heat, enough for frying. When you insert a skewer into the oil, you'll see lots of bubbles around it. The oil is ready
- Add the tofu pieces coated with cornstarch and fry until golden brown. Put an absorbent paper towel
Prepare the sauce:
- Melt butter in a pan over medium heat. Fry the curry leaves until crispy, which takes less than a minute or so. Remove from the pan and set aside
- Add garlic, shallots, and chili (if using) and saute for about 2-3 minutes. Add the mashed salted egg yolks. The yolks will turn foamy and smell really fragrant as you cook them. Turn off the heat and add the fried tofu pieces and curry leaves back in and gently toss them to make sure the sauce coats the tofu pieces evenly. Serve immediately as part of multi-course meal
2 comments
Curry leaves are not listed in the ingredients list. Fresh or dried? How many? Thanks!
oopss! sorry for missing that! it’s about 4 sprigs fresh curry leaves, I would say about 20-30 leaves roughly!