breaded chickpea tofu fingers

24 servings — 90 minutes

Was in the mood for some baked veggie fingers, didn't have tofu, but what I did have... was a jar full of chickpea flour. I prepared a batch of spicy, green scallion 'chickpea tofu' and coated it with breadcrumbs. With this, I prepared some baked chickpea fingers!

The lemon juice adds flavour to the crumbs, no need for eggs or flour.

I had these with sambal oelek, it's spicy but works well with the dish. I've been pairing this condiment with a lot of my foods lately, I'm sure these would also be good with a sweet mustard dip!

Left-over breading will keep for weeks if stored in an airtight container.

chickpea tofu

vegetable bouillon 360 ml

chickpea flour 85 g

salt 1.25 g

ground turmeric 2.5 g

chili pepper flakes 15 g

water 360 ml

scallions 2 stalks

• In a pot, add 360 ml (1 1/2 cups) of vegetable bouillon and bring to a rolling boil.
• Mix 85 g (1 cup) of chickpea flour with 1.25 g (1/4 tsp) of salt, 2.5 g (1/2 tsp) of ground turmeric and 15 g (1 tbsp) of chili pepper flakes. Add 360 ml (1 1/2 cups) of water and stir until the mixture is lump-free.
• Lower heat to medium, and pour in chickpea batter. Whisk continuously for 5-10 minutes until the mixture has thickened.
• Remove from heat, add 2 stalks of chopped scallions and mix well. Pour into a 8x8 baking dish lined with a baking mat. Smooth out top with the back of a wooden spoon.
• Let cool and set for 1 hour, then refrigerate for a little while longer before cutting. Cut into 24 strips.

breading

fresh bread 5 slices

• Take 5 slices of bread, and tear them into small bits using your fingers. It's easier to do that with a food processor, but not necessary.
• Preheat your oven at 150 °C (300 °F). Lay the crumbs down in a thin layer over a baking sheet, laying them out this way ensures even browning. Bake the bread bits for 5 minutes. After that time, shake them around the tray, and bake them for an additional 5 minutes. Keep an eye on me them to make sure they don't burn! Let cool.

breading mix

nutritional yeast 15 g

lemon juice 50 ml

• Preheat oven to 220 °C (425 °F).
• Mix 150 g (1 cup) of dried breadcrumbs with 15 g (1/4 cup) of nutritional yeast. Spread out thinly onto a plate.
• Pour 45 ml (3 tbsp) of lemon juice in a separate plate.
• Take a slice of the chickpea tofu and dip into the lemon juice, making sure all sides are covered, then dip into the breadming mix. Make sure all sides are well coated.
• Place on baking sheet lined a baking mat, season with black pepper and salt. Spray lightly with olive oil.
• Bake for 15 minutes, flip, bake for another 15 minutes. Serve with dipping sauce of choice!