Vegan Drumsticks - 素鸡腿
Have you tried vegan drumsticks? This recipe uses tofu skin and is absolutely delicious. It's a fun cook-together meal and perfect for make-ahead meals. Vegan drumsticks is definitely a great way to pack lots of protein in a meal.
Servings: 10 pieces
Ingredients
- 1 lb frozen fresh tofu skin yuba
- 3 cups water
- neutral oil for cooking
- 10 sugar cane sticks or use carrot/lemongrass stalk/ice cream stick
- cornstarch
Seasoning
- 1 teaspoon mushrooms seasoning or no-chicken seasoning
- ½ tablespoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon ground pepper
- ¼ teaspoon 5-spice powder
- 3 tablespoons cornstarch
- ¼ cup water
Sauce
- 1 tablespoon water
- 1½ tablespoon soy sauce
- a drizzle of thick caramel sauce (for color) or dark soy sauce
- 2 teaspoons sugar or 1 teaspoon maple syrup
Instructions
- Mix together the tofu skin seasoning in a bowl until combined. In a separate bowl, whisk together the sauce mixture until the sugar has dissolved. Set them both aside.
- Remove tofu skin from its packaging. (The tofu skin should be pliable and slightly softer than paper).
- Cut into long strips, about 1- to 1.5-inch wide. Place cut strips in a large bowl and add the water. Massage them in water until soft, about 2 minutes. The color will change from yellow to pale yellow. The texture will turn softer and stretchier.
- Take a handful of the strips and squeeze them in between your palms to remove as much liquid as possible. Transfer to a clean bowl and continue until you have finished with all the strips. (Aim to keep them moist but not too wet or they won't able to absorb the seasoning)
- Now, add the seasoning and massage the strips with your fingers to ensure an even coating.
- Prepare the drumsticks holder: I used sugar cane sticks that I cut into 4- to 5-inch long and about 1cm wide. Alternatively, you can use carrot sticks or lemongrass stalk, or ice cream sticks.
- Make a thick cornstarch slurry - Combine 2 tablespoons cornstarch in 1 tablespoon water, then stir to combine.
- Next, divide the strips into 10 equal portions, about 80g for one drumstick.
- To mold the drumstick, take a stick and cover 3/4 of the surface with the slurry. Wrap a tofu strip around tightly, overlapping each layer. Continue wrapping around the first layer until all strips are used. To get the drumstick look, I tried to move the drumstick around and crisscross the layers randomly towards the top.
- Place the wrapped drumstick on a 6'X9' rectangle wrap. Fold one side of the wrap over the drumsticks, then overlap it with the next side. Twist both ends several times to secure the wrap.
- Refrigerate the drumsticks for at least 30 minutes until slightly harden.
- When ready, remove drumsticks from its wrap and brush a layer them with a layer of the prepped sauce. Let them sit for 1-2 minutes
- Meanwhile, preheat the air fryer to 325F for 2 minutes.
- Grease the air fryer inner rack and place in the drumsticks, slightly apart. You may need to cook it in batches.
- Air fry for 6-8 minutes with a flip in between.
- The drumsticks will turn wrinkle once cool. Serve them with a side of Thai sweet chile sauce.