Air Fryer Recipe

Piri Piri Tofu Skewers

• Prep: 10 min
• Cook: 15 min
• Total: 25 min
• Serves: 4
• Category: Vegetarian
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Piri piri tofu works best when the outside dries quickly enough to crisp before the centre turns rubbery. An air fryer is ideal because its fast convection strips moisture from the tofu’s surface while the hot basket and circulating air set the spiced marinade into a lightly charred crust, using far less oil than shallow frying.

Ingredients

• 450g extra-firm tofu, drained and pressed
• 1 red pepper, cut into 2.5cm pieces
• 1 small red onion, cut into chunky petals
• 1 tbsp neutral oil, such as rapeseed or sunflower
• 1 tbsp cornflour
• 1 tsp fine sea salt, divided
• 6–8 short bamboo skewers, cut to fit your air-fryer basket, or small metal skewers
• Fresh coriander or flat-leaf parsley, to finish
• Lime wedges, to serve
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 tbsp red wine vinegar
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tsp smoked paprika
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1 tsp garlic granules, or 2 finely grated garlic cloves
• 1 tsp onion granules
• 1–2 tsp chilli flakes, depending on heat preference
• 1 small red chilli, finely chopped, optional
• 1 tsp tomato purée
• 1 tsp maple syrup or runny honey
• ½ tsp ground cumin
• ½ tsp black pepper
• ½ tsp cayenne pepper, optional for a hotter finish
• 1 tbsp chopped fresh oregano or parsley, optional

Method

1. Press the tofu for 20–30 minutes, then pat it thoroughly dry with kitchen paper and cut into 2.5cm cubes.
2. In a bowl, whisk together the lemon juice, red wine vinegar, olive oil, smoked paprika, oregano, garlic, onion granules, chilli, tomato purée, maple syrup, cumin, black pepper, cayenne if using, and ½ tsp salt until smooth.
3. Toss the tofu cubes with the remaining ½ tsp salt and the cornflour before adding two-thirds of the piri piri marinade.
4. Leave the tofu to marinate for 15–30 minutes, turning once if you can.
5. Thread the tofu, red pepper and red onion onto the skewers, leaving a tiny gap between pieces.
6. Preheat the air fryer to 200°C for 3 minutes if your model recommends preheating.
7. Brush or spray the basket lightly with oil, then lay the skewers in one layer.
8. Air fry at 200°C for 6 minutes, then turn the skewers with tongs.
9. Brush with a little of the reserved marinade, avoiding any marinade that has touched raw tofu unless it will be cooked again.
10. Cook for a further 5–7 minutes, until the tofu edges are crisp, the pepper is blistered in places and the onion tips are lightly charred.
11. Rest for 2 minutes before serving with lime wedges, herbs and any remaining clean piri piri sauce.

Nutrition

Calories: 250

• #tofu
• #air fryer
• #piri piri
• #spicy
• #skewers