My confession today is that while I am trying to eat less meat, eat less dairy, eat more organic (all for the sake of compassion and wrenching guilt) I truly hate the vegetarians best friend, tofu. I live in a country infested with tofu. It’s in so many things, even the meat soups. I just can’t get into it. It’s too soft with no bite. It has no taste. I’ve always described it as tasting like the fatty part of a chicken. Ick.

But, a frying method   …I was introduced to fried tofu in 2010 on an adventure to my school’s cafeteria when I first came to Korea. On that day, I deigned to try a fried tofu with some kind of sweet and spicy sauce coating.  It changed my mind about never eating tofu and I decided to try it out on a veggie pasta.

The flavors for this pasta were amazing together. It is very rich but not too heavy. It’s perfecto for a nice spring meal. Try it out if you too have an aversion to chicken fat tofu. You may just find you like it as well.

You need:

• 1 package firm tofu, cut into cubes
• 1 cup of flour
• spice mix: 1 tsp cayenne pepper, 1 tsp basil, 2 tsp oregano, salt + pepper to taste
• vegetable oil to fry
• pasta of your choice, enough for 2 people
• 2 cups bok choy
• 1/2 cup black olives, sliced
• 1-2 thin slices of feta cheese
• pat of butter
• stewed tomatoes

What to Do:

Cook pasta according to instructions, drain and set aside.

In the same pot, add tomatoes and butter. Mix together until butter is melted.

Add bok choy and cook until wilted.

Add pasta and heat together for a few minutes.

Plate your pasta.

Heat oil over a medium-high burner.

Mix your flour and spices together on a plate. Add the cubed tofu and coat completely.

Once the oil is warm, add the tofu and fry until crispy all the way through.

Add the tofu to the pasta like you would meat. Crumble some divine cheese on top.

Inhale this pinnacle of pasta.