# Recipe:  Tofu Balls (Sweet Meatball Equivalent)



## froggythefrog (Feb 18, 2010)

Squishy Lumpkin from The Post Punk Kitchen: Vegetarian cooking & vegan baking with no attitude made the  original recipe that I've derived this recipe from.  I've added chickpea  flour to this recipe in order to help the tofu balls stay together  better.  These balls make a good base for a vegan version of any type of meatball with a sweet glaze. 
A few more comments on modifications:  I think the original tofu balls were to be seasoned with basil and oregano.  I personally had a hard time imagining using these tofu balls with a tomato marinara sauce due to the peanut butter binder that's included.  (My apologies to Isa Chandra Moskowitz, the accomplished published vegan chef!)    

*Ingredients* 

1 lb. extra firm  tofu
1 small finely chopped onion
3  tablespoons soy sauce
6 tablespoons peanut butter
1/2  c. bread crumbs
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2  tsp fresh crushed coriander
1/4 tsp cayenne powder
1/2  cup chickpea flour
flour for rolling balls in  (Wheat or Chickpea)
Oil to pan-fry in (Peanut oil  is fabuloso. Canola oil is awesome)
 

*Directions * 

In a non-stick  pan, toast the besan flour until lightly browned.  Keep shaking the pan  or use a spatula to keep the besan flour moving so that it will brown  evenly.  The taste of raw besan flour is pasty and not very pleasant.
Combine  all ingredients except for the extra flour and oil into a bowl and mix  well, being especially sure that the chickpea flour gets mixed in and  that there are no dry chunks.
Refrigerate mixture  for 30 minutes to an hour to allow to congeal nicely.
Roll  mixture into 1-1/2 inch balls.
Roll the balls in  the extra flour in preparation for frying.
Heat  some oil in a pan but don't allow the oil to smoke. Saute the balls in  the oil until attractively golden brown.  I typically end up changing my  oil a couple of times while cooking up the batch since the residual  flour will start to burn and coat the balls with black specks if the oil  isn't changed.
You can serve these with a sauce  like my orange glaze sauce for tofu  balls(ABQVEG: Orange Glaze For Tofu Balls). The  orange glaze recipe is far from perfected in terms of how thick I want  it, etc.


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