Pretzle Fried Chick-Un

Don't those photos look good (and sooo bad)?!!! As soon as I found Tina Jeffer's recipe for Pretzel Fried Chicken, my little mind was working out was to veggie-ize it. Thank you, thank you Traci French of Bliss for sharing the original recipe and your photos (the world loves you!). Last night I gave a modified recipe a spin. And my, oh my... it may possibly be the most delicious tofu I've ever tasted (and quite probably the least healthy). This is what went down in my kitchen last night:

Buttermilk & Rosemary Pretzel Fried Tofu
(makes approximately 12 fillets)

1 lb extra firm non-water packed tofu*
1/2 lb silken tofu
1 cup flour
2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 tbs rosemary
2 tbs cider vinegar
large bag of pretzels
oil for frying

- Puree silken tofu in a food processor or blender, add vinegar pulse to mix, add 1tsp salt and 1/4 tsp black pepper. This mixture is your 'buttermilk batter'. Transfer to medium bowl.
- Combine flour and rosemary with remaining salt and pepper in a small bowl.
- Crush pretzels until you have 2 to 3 cups of crumbs. Be careful not to pulverize, it shouldn't be pretzel powder!
- Slice your firm tofu in 1/4" fillets.
- One at a time, take fillets and place in flour mix, then the tofu puree mix, and lastly the pretzel crumb.
- Heat up oil in your pan, fry fillets without crowding the pan. Each should cook for just a few minutes on each side, until golden brown.

* If you buy water packed tofu, make sure it is very well drained. Preferably over night. You can also use a different meat substitute such as seitan or soy protien patties.

This recipe is so fab because you can modify it super easily. Don't like buttermilk and rosemary? Sub them out for a couple tbs of BBQ sauce in the tofu puree and some cayenne pepper in the flour. Or tomato paste and Italian herbs. Or stone ground mustard with garlic and onion powder. The possibilities are endless!!! If you try a variation out, let me know!

P.s. The lighting was majorly icky in my apartment last night and I left my camera at work.  But I did snap a shot of the end result with my iPhone.  (Just to show how well this tofu sizzles up!)