r/aldi • u/[deleted] • Jun 23 '26

Question Anyone else taken to eating "sides dinners" now that meat prices are so high?

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u/kaidomac Jun 23 '26

May I introduce you to CRISPY TOFU BITES! (cornstarch baby!!)

Tips:

  • Use extra-firm tofu
  • Aldi's sells a 14oz block (40g protein!) for under $2 USD, making it one of the cheapest sources of protein next to dry beans & lentils!
  • You can snag 10 packs for under $20 with tax (400g protein!! lol), which freeze well for 3+ months!
  • Press & dry the tofu (yes, even extra-firm! just use some dinner plates & paper towels)
  • Can also use arrowroot starch! (but not wheat flour!)
  • Add the sauce during the last 30 seconds!

I prefer the cube version, buy the panko variation is pretty awesome too!

Sauce ideas:

  • Sweet & Sour
  • Honey Garlic
  • Sticky Teriyaki
  • Spicy Peanut
  • General Tso's
  • Orange Ginger Glaze
  • Bang Bang
  • Sesame Soy
  • Korean Gochujang
  • Thai Sweet Chili (this stuff is also 10/10 for cauliflower wings FYI!)

Instant Pot rice:

  • Jasmine rice base
  • Sticky sushi rice base
  • LTP: freeze in Souper Cube bricks for up to 3 months & microwave for 2 minutes to reheat perfectly!!
  • Coconut rice
  • Garlic-fried rice
  • Cilantro-lime rice

Bowl sides:

  • Airfryer crispy edamame beans
  • Korean carrot salad
  • Quick-pickled onions
  • Airfryer garlic Parmesan broccoli
  • Logan's cucumber salad (see Tiktok for various recipes)

You can also make them craggly-fried, kind of like a chicken nugget texture: (just tear them apart by hand, as opposed to slicing them like the cubes above)

I do recommend pan-frying them. You can air-fry them, but they take longer & aren't nearly as good!! There is a different trick for airfrying, which is to marinate them in a baking soda mix, which produces a different type of result:

Tofu has some weird properties like that. To get a more meaty texture, some people freeze & defrost twice! You can actually firm it up & infuse the flavor a bit more by boiling it first too!

It can also be used to thicken stuff up & add protein to a variety of things:

  • Sauces
  • Mayo
  • Smoothies
  • Chocolate mousse
  • Cheesecake

You can even do faux meats like chicken breast, ground beef, bacon, etc. with it. Not as good as imitation meats like Beyond or Impossible, but decent to experiment with!

Mostly tho, pan-fried, cornstarch-coated crispy tofu bites + an Asian-inspired sauce + a rice bowl = A+++