Sweet and Savoury- Maple-Glazed Crispy Beancurd Strips

While I set out to create a high-protein bacon facsimile, this didn't turn out much like my more successful replica, tempeh bacon... however, it's still delicious enough to warrant making it in its own right. I use a mixture of olive and coconut oil to fry strips of fresh beancurd sheets (available at your local Asian supermarket) to give optimal flavour and richness. I then salt and season generously, and add a flourish of maple syrup for the "sweet" part. Maple and bacon make such a good pairing that even Canada's most famous (that not necessarily being warranted) donut chain had a maple-bacon donut for a while. And while these strips aren't really what I'd compare to bacon, the mixture of salt, grease, smoke and mellow maple-y sweetness is a winning combination.

These were consumed as part of a Victoria day brunch with scrambled tofu and toast. It'd also make a great sandwich addition or pizza topping, if you mince it up to a smaller size.

Maple-Glazed Crispy Beancurd Strips

1 Package fresh beancurd sheets
1 Tsp. Smoked paprika, or regular paprika and 1 Tsp. Smoke extract
Generous salt and black pepper
1 Tsp. Vegan Worcestershire sauce, such as Wizard's
1-2 TBSP Maple syrup, preferably dark/grade B
50/50 ratio of olive and coconut oil, enough to shallow-fry

Heat the oil up on medium-high heat in a skillet or wok, adding the paprika once it begins to sizzle. Cut the beancurd into strips about 1 inch thick, and cut those strips into halves or thirds to form strips (you can make them as large or small as you want, but smaller ones get crispy faster).

Add to the hot oil and fry until browned and blistery. Add the salt and pepper to taste and mix well. Add more oil if necessary.

When the strips are sufficiently crispy for your tastes, remove from the heat and add the Worcestershire sauce and maple syrup, and stir to coat evenly. Serve warm.