Dinner Plan Recipes
Tofu Karaage with Cabbage and Lemon Mayo

Tofu Karaage with Cabbage and Lemon Mayo

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Serves 4; price is an estimate. Dinner Plan is a paid weekly plan for your household and budget. You see your week before you pay.

Ginger-soy tofu coated in starch and air-fried until crisp, with rice, shredded cabbage and lemon mayo.

Ingredients

Serves 4.

  • 1½ cups long-grain white rice
  • 1 lb extra-firm tofu, drained and patted dry
  • 2½ tbsp fresh ginger, finely grated
  • 2 garlic cloves, finely grated
  • 2 oz mayonnaise
  • 1 lemon
  • 7 oz green cabbage, very finely shredded
  • ¼ bunch green onions, thinly sliced
  • 2 tbsp soy sauce, or tamari for gluten-free
  • 1 tsp toasted sesame oil
  • 4 tbsp cornstarch
  • 1 tbsp vegetable oil
  • 1 tsp sesame seeds

Contains: egg, soy, sesame, mustard. Check the label: wheat (gluten). Always read the labels if you cook for someone with an allergy.

Method

  1. Rinse the rice and put it in a saucepan with 2½ cups (600 ml) of water. Bring to the boil, cover and cook on the lowest heat for 15 minutes, until the water is absorbed and the grains are tender (if not, cover and cook 2–3 minutes more). Leave covered off the heat for 5 minutes.
  2. Meanwhile, heat the air fryer to 400°F. Tear the tofu into bite-sized chunks (rough edges crisp best) and toss with the soy sauce, fresh ginger, garlic and toasted sesame oil.
  3. Toss the tofu in the cornstarch until well coated, then drizzle with the vegetable oil and toss again.
  4. Air-fry in a single layer, in two batches, for 10–11 minutes per batch, shaking halfway, until golden and crisp.
  5. Mix the mayonnaise with a squeeze of the lemon. Serve the tofu with the rice, the green cabbage, a spoonful of lemon mayo and the rest of the lemon in wedges, sprinkled with the sesame seeds and green onions.
No air fryer? Roast the coated tofu on an oiled baking tray at 425°F for 20–25 minutes, turning once.

Leftovers: Best eaten straight away; leftovers keep in the fridge for 2 days and re-crisp in a hot oven or air fryer. Cool leftover rice within 1 hour, keep it in the fridge for no more than 1 day and reheat it only once, until steaming hot.

Ingredients

Serves 4.

  • 300 g long-grain rice
  • 450 g firm tofu, drained and patted dry
  • 15 g fresh ginger, finely grated
  • 2 garlic cloves, finely grated
  • 60 g mayonnaise
  • 1 lemon
  • 200 g white cabbage, very finely shredded
  • ¼ bunch spring onions, thinly sliced
  • 2 tbsp soy sauce, or tamari for gluten-free
  • 1 tsp toasted sesame oil
  • 4 tbsp cornflour
  • 1 tbsp vegetable oil
  • 1 tsp sesame seeds

Contains: egg, soya, sesame, mustard. Check the label: gluten. Always read the labels if you cook for someone with an allergy.

Method

  1. Rinse the rice and put it in a saucepan with 600 ml of water. Bring to the boil, cover and cook on the lowest heat for 15 minutes, until the water is absorbed and the grains are tender (if not, cover and cook 2–3 minutes more). Leave covered off the heat for 5 minutes.
  2. Meanwhile, heat the air fryer to 200°C. Tear the tofu into bite-sized chunks (rough edges crisp best) and toss with the soy sauce, fresh ginger, garlic and toasted sesame oil.
  3. Toss the tofu in the cornflour until well coated, then drizzle with the vegetable oil and toss again.
  4. Air-fry in a single layer, in two batches, for 10–11 minutes per batch, shaking halfway, until golden and crisp.
  5. Mix the mayonnaise with a squeeze of the lemon. Serve the tofu with the rice, the white cabbage, a spoonful of lemon mayo and the rest of the lemon in wedges, sprinkled with the sesame seeds and spring onions.
No air fryer? Roast the coated tofu on an oiled baking tray at 220°C (200°C fan) for 20–25 minutes, turning once.

Leftovers: Best eaten straight away; leftovers keep in the fridge for 2 days and re-crisp in a hot oven or air fryer. Cool leftover rice within 1 hour, keep it in the fridge for no more than 1 day and reheat it only once, until steaming hot.

Nutrition per serving

Calories642
Protein27 g
Carbohydrate77 g
Fat27 g
Fiber6 g
Sodium567 mg
Calories554
Protein16 g
Carbohydrate77 g
Fat22 g
Fibre6 g
Sodium472 mg

Worked out from the ingredients, 300 g a serving; optional extras and salt to taste aren't counted. US and UK values differ a little because each uses that country's food data and products. US values from USDA FoodData Central.UK values from McCance and Widdowson's Composition of Foods Integrated Dataset 2021, under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

What it costs

About $1.52 a serving in the US (range $1.16–$2.02) and £1.40 in the UK (range £1.07–£1.85). That's the share of each ingredient this recipe uses; basics like oil, salt and spices aren't counted.

Prices are estimates. Item prices come from public price data where available (US: Bureau of Labor Statistics and USDA; UK: Office for National Statistics). Where that data has no match, we use our own estimate. Ranges set using Open Prices data (Open Food Facts, ODbL). Prices as of October 2026. How we estimate

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