Gluten Free & Vegan Red Curry Buffalo Tofu Nuggets with Cheesy Potato Wedges

Welcome to Super Bowl Sunday weekend, or really any regular day. These tofu nugs have become a household favorite, and will soon become a favorite of yours too. This recipe is Whole30 approved, high in protein and full of healthy fats. I came up with this recipe in December, and have made it 4 times since then. I have modified the procedure each time to figure out which starch works the best here. On batch one, I simply pan-fried tofu without breading and tossed into the sauce. It was good, but could have been better. With batch two, I dredged the tofu in a spiced corn starch mixture and pan-fried before tossing into the sauce. This batch was great, but once again I figured I could make it better. Finally on round three, I coated the tofu in a spiced potato starch mixture and pan-fried before saucing it up. Out of the first three batches, the potato starch won. It was crispy, chewy and utterly delightful. Here is the but, I wanted the tofu to be better, and not oily.

We're now in February, a month where I put the healthy leash back on and opted into Whole30. I didn't want dry roasted tofu, nor did I want this to be pan-fried. I typically would air fry the tofu, yet knowing that everyone doesn't have an air fryer, I chose roasted instead. Side-note, get an air fyer.

To abide by the Whole30 regulations, I picked up some cassava flour for this recipe. Out of all 4 batches, cassava is my favorite! If you cannot find cassava root flour, potato starch or corn starch will work fine here, preferably potato starch.The cassava really packs on the crunch, though!

Tofu Nugs

2-14oz tofu blocks

3 tablespoon olive oil

3/4 teaspoon coarse kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon curry powder

1/2 teaspoon onion powder

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

4 tablespoon cassava flour

Black pepper, to taste

1. Prepare a baking sheet with parchment paper and preheat the oven to 400ºf.

2. Place tofu between hands and slightly squeeze out extra water.

3. Cut each block into 16 nuggets. This can be achieved by cutting both lengthwise and widthwise into four segments. (Check photo for reference)

4. Toss tofu nuggets into a bowl with olive oil, be gentle to not break up the tofu.

5. Fold in the remaining ingredients and place onto the prepared sheet tray. Make sure to arrange the tofu in a single layer without the tofu touching.

6. Bake for 45-50 minutes, or until golden brown and crispy. Rotate the pan half way through and flip the tofu for even cooking.

Crispy Chz Potato Wedges

1.5# Yukon gold potatoes

1.5 teaspoon coarse kosher salt

3 tablespoon nutritional yeast

1/2 teaspoon curry powder

1/2 teaspoon onion powder

3/4 teaspoon garlic powder

1/4 cup tahini

3 tablespoon olive oil

1 tablespoon cassava flour

1. Prepare a baking sheet with parchment, and preheat oven to 400ºf.

2. Slice potatoes into wedges. I sliced each potato in half lengthwise, and cut each half into 4 wedges (8 wedges per potato).

3. Place all potato wedges into a bowl and toss together with all of the ingredients.

4. Arrange each wedge onto the tray, make sure that each side is well coated in the tahini mixture for optimal crisping.

5. Roast in the oven for 40 minutes, flipping each wedge half way through for even cooking/crisping.

Red Curry Buffalo Sauce & Assembly

1/4 cup olive oil

1/4 cup preferred hot sauce

1/4 cup red curry paste

2 tablespoon distilled white vinegar

2 tablespoon tahini

green onion, optional

sesame seeds, optional

1. In a large skillet heat olive oil, hot sauce and curry paste together over medium heat until bubbles begin to form.

2. Add in vinegar and crispy tofu nugs, shake the pan to coat the nugs with the sauce.

3. Take off the heat and drizzle tahini into the sauced tofu while stirring, or shaking, until creamy and fully incorporated.

4. Serve hot and garnish with sliced green onion, and sesame seeds if desired.

This recipe is effortless, and changes the status quo on buffalo sauce. It's funky, fresh and borderline my new obsession. I dare you to make this for your Super Bowl party, you will even have your carnivorous friends raving over how good it is. As per normal, please tag me if you use this recipe! I love seeing the photos, and hearing feedback! You can find me on Instagram and Facebook, @cheekygingerchef.

Thank you and keep it cheeky!

-Mason