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Pan-Fried Tofu With Mashed Avocado May Be The New Avo Toast

Author:

Eliza Sullivan

January 17, 2025

mbg Nutrition & Health Writer

By Eliza Sullivan

mbg Nutrition & Health Writer

Eliza Sullivan is a food writer and SEO editor at mindbodygreen. She writes about food, recipes, and nutrition—among other things. She studied journalism at Boston University.

Forget Toast: This Pan-Fried Tofu Is Our New Favorite Way To Eat Avocado

Image by Tatjana Zlatkovic / Stocksy

January 17, 2025

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Just because it's pervasive doesn't mean toast is the only suitable vehicle for mashed avocado, nor does it mean a perfectly poached egg or red pepper flakes are its best complement.

In this recipe from the cookbook Rika's Modern Japanese Home Cooking, Rika Yukimasa shared modernized and simplified recipes that draw from traditional Japanese cuisine but with a home-cooking spin. She presents us with a new, perfect pairing for creamy avocado: wasabi. And the new perfect vehicle comes courtesy of crispy pan-fried tofu.

The potato starch used in the dredge for the tofu has two benefits: It keeps this tasty dish gluten-free, and it lends a crisper coating to the protein. If you don't have potato start, Yukimasa recommends using tapioca flour.

Pan-Fried Tofu With Mashed Avocado

Serves 4

Ingredients

1 12-ounce block momen (medium-firm) tofu
½ avocado, pitted and peeled
1 teaspoon (5 grams) kosher salt or sea salt
½ teaspoon (2 grams) wasabi
Freshly squeezed juice of ½ lemon
⅓ cup potato starch or tapioca flour
¼ cup vegetable oil
4 umeboshi plum pickles, pitted and halved

Method

Wrap the tofu in a paper towel and place in a microwaveable container. Microwave for 3 minutes on high to get rid of excess water, then set aside to cool.
Make the sauce. In a bowl, mash the avocado with a fork. Mash in half of the salt, the wasabi, and the lemon juice.
Cut the tofu into 8 slices and season with the remaining salt. Dredge the tofu in the potato starch and shake off any excess.
In a nonstick frying pan, heat the oil over medium heat. Place the tofu in the pan.
Pan-fry the tofu until the bottom side is golden brown. Flip and cook the other side.
Arrange the tofu on individual plates and top each piece with some of the avocado sauce and half of an umeboshi plum pickle.