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Crispy tofu with cucumber with tahini dressing
youryum.com/recipes/crispy-tofu-with-cucumber-with-tahini-dressing · serves 2

Crisp tofu with a lemony sesame sauce

Keep the tahini dressing loose and cold, then spoon it around the tofu instead of softening the crisp coating.

  • Vegan
  • Vegetarian
  • Gluten free
  • Dairy free
Maren Ashby in her kitchen, in a dark apron, looking away from the camera
By Maren Ashby · Writes and tests everything here
Published 14 June 2026
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Crispy tofu cucumber rice and lemon tahini dressing
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Prep
15 min
Cook
15 min
Total
30 min
Serves
2
Per serving
586kcal
Effort
Easy

Tahini is generous, but it is not light. Cucumber and lemon give it a reason to be on a bowl with tofu rather than turning the whole dinner into sesame paste. Keep the dressing loose, keep it cold and spoon it around the crisp pieces.

The tofu has a cornstarch shell and a soft centre. Rice catches the dressing. Cucumber brings a clean crunch. It is a simple arrangement, but it has enough contrast to make a weeknight bowl feel deliberate without requiring a blender or a second cooked vegetable. The useful target is a dressing that coats the back of a spoon and still slides when you tilt it. Too thick and it pulls the crust off; too loose and it disappears into the rice before the first bite.

Ingredients

Makes 2 servings

Tofu

Cucumber

Tahini

Equipment

  • Large non-stick skillet
  • Tea towel
  • Small bowl
  • Whisk

Method

  1. Press the tofu

    Wrap the tofu in a tea towel and press it under a heavy pan for ten minutes. Tear it into rough pieces and pat the damp edges dry. Uneven edges are useful here because they hold more starch. Keep the pieces fairly large; tiny fragments dry out before the middle has warmed through and are difficult to turn without scraping off the coating. If the tofu still feels wet after pressing, give it another five minutes rather than compensating with extra cornstarch.

  2. Make the dressing

    Whisk tahini, lemon juice and garlic. Add cold water one tablespoon at a time. It will seize, then loosen into a pale sauce. Stop when it falls from the whisk in a ribbon and refrigerate it while the tofu cooks.

  3. Cook the tofu

    Toss tofu with cornstarch. Heat the oil in a wide skillet and cook the pieces in one layer for eight minutes, turning once. Add soy sauce at the very end and toss until it clings.

    Hands whisking lemon tahini dressing beside crisp tofu in a skillet

  4. Season the cucumber

    Mix cucumber, vinegar and mint. Leave it without salt until the bowl is ready so it stays crunchy. Taste the tahini too; the soy sauce will bring salt to the tofu.

  5. Keep sauce off the crust

    Add rice to bowls, then cucumber and tofu. Spoon tahini around the tofu and across the rice, not over every piece. Serve with lemon wedges if the dressing needs more acid.

Tofu cucumber tahini lemons garlic rice cornstarch soy sauce and mint
A cold tahini dressing gives the hot tofu somewhere soft to land.

Whisk tahini in stages

Lemon tightens sesame paste before water loosens it. That thick, almost seized stage is normal. Add water slowly and the dressing turns pale and smooth. Pour all the water in at once and you lose control of the texture; the sauce becomes thin before the tahini has emulsified properly.

Sauce around, not over

Crisp tofu is a surface effect. Every minute it sits under a wet sauce takes a little of that surface away. Spoon tahini beside the tofu and let it meet the crust as you eat. Rice can take the extra sauce without becoming disappointing.

Nutrition

Per serving, for 2 servings. Estimated from ingredient weights — it moves with the brands and cuts you actually use.

NutrientPer serving
Calories 586 kcal
Protein 28 g
Carbohydrate 62 g
Fibre 9 g
Fat 27 g

Source: Estimated from ingredient weights, USDA FoodData Central

Questions

Can I use sunflower seed butter?
Yes. Use smooth unsweetened sunflower seed butter and add lemon to taste. The dressing will be darker and slightly more earthy.
Can I make this nut-free?
Yes. Tahini is made from sesame, not nuts, but check the label for shared-facility warnings if needed.
Can the tofu be frozen?
Tofu can be frozen, but it becomes more porous and chewy after thawing. That is useful for absorbing sauce, though the crust will be less delicate.
How do I loosen tahini leftovers?
Whisk in cold water a teaspoon at a time. Oil makes it richer but does not reliably thin a tightened tahini dressing.

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