So I LOVE fried tofu- you know, when it gets that chewiness that is so nice on the outside and is still soft and spongy on the inside??? My favorite place to eat cooks it that way and I want to know how to do it at home. Any attempts to do it at home have ended in a mess. Who knows how to do this right? Am I just retarded?
what ways have you tried? i would think it would just be to cook it with a high flame, and less time with some kind of oil in the pan. but itll be difficult to get it just right. i looked in my vegan cookbook just now cuz it happened to be right next to me, but all the tofu things are everything but just fried tofu haha. theres, chile cornmeal-crusted tofu, basic broiled tofu, tangerine baked tofu, curried tofu, baked bbq tofu, marinated italian tofu, and marinated asian tofu. hahaha if ur interested i can post one of those recipes beautiful sig btw
I usually pat it dry with a paper towel, then cut it in cubes. I mix a little cornstarch in some flour. Heat oil in a fry pan, to sit about half way up the cube, gently roll the cubes in the flour and fry them for about 4 minutes on one side and probably 2 or so on the other. Place on a paper towel for a few seconds when done so that it absorbs any bits left on the side that was down in the pan last. Hope this works for you.
I'm fond of triangles. I cut them 1/4 inch or less thick. Tofu is pressed, or at least squeezed out a bit before cutting. Marinate for at least 10 minutes. High heat and some oil. Your restaurant might be using a vat fryer, so pan fried might be a bit different. They also might be using soft textured firm tofu. That gets the gooey melty center thing going on. Not the silken kind. I prefer extra firm.
Yeah, deep fry and extra firm is the way to go. It never comes out right for me when I pan fry. Man I want some fried tofu...
I recommend a something like a dutch oven because most always you will still have remaining water in your tofu and it WILL splash up at you..., as numerous others said....dry in paper towels...thickness or how you cut it isnt really a factor...only factor of that is how long you will have to dry them in the paper towels....Another way to remove moisture I hear is to freeze the tofu, although I've never done this before....extra firm as well enjoy!
One thing is you need to press out all excess water with a cheesecloth or a similar cloth before breading. This insures that there won't be a soggy texture.
if you place a plate (with a weight on it) on top of block & leave for an hour or so, it squeezes out the excess liquid...
Jerry, freezing changes he texture to a more meaty feel. It also tends to crumble in my thin cuts. I still have to squeeze liquid out IF the tofu went in unpressed. If I have cut and marinaded it, then it is good to go when thawed.
always welcome. I recall posting somewhere (since I write so few posts here) that thawed tofu is called thousand-layer tofu. so by freezing it, you get a really cool and impressive name for it.
