These tofu balls come out deep golden, crisp outside and soft inside, with pieces of sausage and carrot running through. Shaping is the hard part, since a wet mixture cracks the moment it hits the oil.
The tofu has to be mashed completely smooth. Lightly wetting the hands before rolling gives round, even balls that do not stick to the palm. The carrot and sausage are cut very fine so the mixture binds around them.
This batch weighs about 585g, at roughly 147 calories per 100g.
Method
Finely chop 50g carrot, 50g sausage and the spring onion. Put 350g white tofu in a large bowl and mash it with a fork until no lumps remain.
Add the sausage, carrot, 2 teaspoons chopped spring onion, 1 teaspoon chopped shallot, 1 chicken egg, 50g panko breadcrumbs, 1 teaspoon seasoning powder, 1/2 teaspoon of the kOBE Monk Fruit Blend and unsweetened oat milk mixture at 47 parts blend to 53 parts milk, 1/2 teaspoon Lean Mayo and 1 teaspoon pepper. Mix until the mixture is even and holds together.
Heat a pan of oil over medium heat. Wet the hands lightly, roll the mixture into bite sized balls and lower them into the oil.
Fry until deep golden, about 4 to 5 minutes per side, then lift out and drain.
Serve hot with soy sauce or ketchup.
Tips
Tofu mashed completely smooth and hands wetted before rolling give even balls that hold together in the oil.
The amount of milk here is tiny, enough to soften the salt without making the balls sweet.
An oat milk mixture runs thinner, so 15 minutes in the fridge firms it up before rolling.
The panko mixed into the filling is there to draw water out of the tofu, and without it the balls go soft and fall apart.
The oil has to be properly hot before the balls go in, or they soak it up and turn soggy.
Need the monk fruit sugar or Lean Mayo?
These two are what kOBE cooks with in the recipe above. See the product page or send us a message.