Crispy fried tofu bites recipe

Now keep an open mind all of you non-believers. Tofu CAN be delicious, I promise. If I can get Eric to eat it and LOVE it...then it is possible. This recipe came from my all time FAVORITE restaurant in the whole world. It is a Japanese restaurant owned by my ex-boss at my first job. He is the person that inspired me to go into Dietetics in the first place and when he left our old place of work and opened his new restaurant there was just no question that he is an absolute GENIUS. I am telling you, whatever great sushi you think you have had, this will blow it out of the water. I mean look at that artwork!

Sorry, I could talk about that place all day. Back to the recipe. If you have never had tofu this is a great way to give it a try without and chance of ending up with jiggly tasteless blobs, because that can happen if you are experimenting with tofu for the first time. This is guaranteed to be crispy and flavorful, I mean its fried so how can you go wrong right?

What you'll need:
1 block extra firm tofu
1/2 cup corn starch
1/2 cup panko bread crumbs
1 egg
1 cup vegetable oil

1. First step should be to set up your breading station. You will need to put the cornstarch in a large bag, the egg in a shallow bowl and whisk it, the panko in another shallow bowl.
2. After your stations are set up you should start heating the oil over med-high heat. Use enough oil so that it is about 1/4 inch deep in your skillet. Do not leave the oil unattended. If it starts smoking it is getting too hot. It is perfect when you see a slight ripple on the surface of the oil.
3. Now cube your tofu into about 1/2 inch cubes. I like small cubes because they are nice crunchy little nuggets. But you can cut them to whatever size you see fit. Put your cubes into the bag with the cornstarch and give it a shake to coat them all. Then a few at a time dip them into the egg and then coat them in panko.
4. Now they are ready to be fried. put about half of your cubes into the oil and let them brown for about 3 minutes on one side and then flip them over so they can get crispy on the other. When they are nice and brown take them out and put them onto a paper towel.

Ok, now I am going to give you my secret recipe for Hanna sauce(creative name I know). This is the perfect combination of all the asian condiments that you most likely already have in your pantry(at least I know I do, because we put this stuff on EVERYTHING).
What you'll need:
1/4 cup kikkoman's terriyaki sauce(or whatever your favorite stir fry/terriyaki sauce is)
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp sriracha

1. Stir ingredients up and eat it with everything!!

So pleaseeeee if you are ever curious about tofu but don't know where to start TRY THIS RECIPE. You will not be sorry. Eat it as a side dish or just a little snack. Enjoy : )