Beer-battered tofu tacos with a chipotle cashew ‘soured cream’
Makes: 10
Total time: 
Recipe photograph Karen Thomas
Beer-battered tofu tacos with a chipotle cashew ‘soured cream’
Recipe by Áine Carlin
Makes: 10
Total time: 
See more recipes
Nutritional information (per serving)
Calories
355Kcal
Fat
27gr
Saturates
5gr
Carbs
11gr
Sugars
23gr
Fibre
4gr
Protein
14gr
Salt
0.8gr
Áine Carlin
Former film actress Áine is a vegan food and fashion blogger. Her cookbooks Keep It Vegan and The New Vegan offer a plethora of straightforward and delicious recipes for all occasions. She has recently published a new book Cook Share Eat Vegan: Delicious plant-based recipes for Everyone.
See more of Áine Carlin’s recipes
Áine Carlin
Former film actress Áine is a vegan food and fashion blogger. Her cookbooks Keep It Vegan and The New Vegan offer a plethora of straightforward and delicious recipes for all occasions. She has recently published a new book Cook Share Eat Vegan: Delicious plant-based recipes for Everyone.
See more of Áine Carlin’s recipes
Ingredients
For the chipotle soured cream
- 1 x 100g pack cashew kernels
- juice of ½ lime
- 1 tsp cider vinegar
- 1 tsp spicy chipotle chilli paste
For the guacamole
- 1 corn on the cob
- 1 tsp coconut oil or other oil, to brush
- 3 plum tomatoes
- sea salt
- 1⁄2 red onion, finely chopped
- 2 avocados, stoned
- juice of ½ lime
For the tofu
- 1 x 396g pack firm tofu (we used Original Cauldron)
- ¼ tsp smoked paprika
- 100g gram flour
- 2 tsp cornflour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- pinch of cayenne pepper
- 150ml Mexican-style beer, such as Desperados or Corona
- 150ml sunflower, rapeseed or olive oil, for frying
To serve
- 1 x 10 pack mini tortilla wraps
- 1 Little Gem lettuce, shredded
- a handful of fresh coriander
- crushed dried chilli flakes, to sprinkle
- lime wedges
Step by step
Get ahead
Soak the cashews overnight; the chipotle cashew soured cream will keep for up to 3 days in the fridge.
- Soak the cashews overnight in cold water. If you haven't remembered to do this, cover them with boiling water and soak for 4 hours. Drain, rinse and add to a blender with 4 tablespoons water, the lime juice, cider vinegar, chipotle paste and 1⁄2 teaspoon salt. Blend until smooth, scraping down the sides from time to time. Check for seasoning, adding more salt or lime, if needed. Put in a bowl in the fridge.
- Heat a griddle pan (medium heat is best) and brush the corn with coconut oil. Griddle the corn for 8-10 minutes, turning regularly until slightly charred. Carefully remove the kernels by standing the cob firmly on a chopping board and running a sharp knife downwards. Keep the griddle pan warm for the tortillas.
- Dice the tomatoes and add to a large bowl. Season with sea salt before adding the corn kernels and red onion. Roughly mash the avocados and add to the bowl along with the lime juice and a touch more salt. Stir to combine and then refrigerate until needed.
- Drain and rinse the tofu then cut into 20 chunky pieces and pat dry on kitchen paper. Season with salt and dust with the paprika.
- Sift the flours, baking powder and cayenne into a bowl. Make a well in the centre and whisk in the beer to make a smooth batter. Heat about 150ml oil (depending on the size of your pan) in a large deep frying pan. A medium heat works best. Drop a teaspoon of batter into the pan to check if it's ready, before coating the tofu. If it turns golden and crisp within a minute, it's good to go.
- Dunk the tofu into the batter and add to the pan one at a time; without overcrowding the pan. You'll need to cook them in batches. Cook for 1 minute each side until golden and crisp, flipping them over with a spatula or tongs. Remove from the pan, drain on a plate with kitchen paper and season with salt. Keep warm while you cook the remaining tofu.
- Heat the tortillas on the preheated griddle pan for 20-30 seconds each side and keep them warm under a clean tea towel.
- To assemble the tacos, spread some guacamole onto a tortilla then add lettuce, a couple of pieces of tofu and the chipotle soured cream. Tear some coriander and sprinkle on top, along with some chilli flakes. Squeeze over a little lime juice and serve.
Chef quote
Okay, they're not exactly healthy, but they're crispy – and are just the thing to win over any tofu-hating friends. Firm tofu is an absolute essential here, but there's really no need to press it – simply pat dry with a kitchen towel and dunk in the batter.
