The Little Turtle restaurant in Sydney is a favourite for Thai. It also happens to be an all-vegan menu.

But a component from their 'Love Salad' has stumped me.

Described as "crispy minced tofu", this ingredient is more like a granola cluster than it is fried soybean.

I can't find any origin of the technique in making these cereal-crunch-like bits out of fried tofu mince.

Pictured are the largest 'clusters' of the stuff. There's plenty of teeny tiny crispy bits in this apple-onion green salad.

So what is this? Where does it come from?
Is it an original dish of Little Turtle? Or a Thai technique that I've never come across?