The trick to taming the 'fu, I've learned, is in drying it out. Counter intuitive, I know - but that's how a lot of t
So I kept looking, and came across this brilliant method. When I started reading it, I felt that "instant duh" thought bubble forming. It was so obvious, yet for some reason it was beyond my scope of reason at the time. Needless to say it works like a dream, and I've done this a good 8-9 times (each batch make
I didn't really like the result I got the first time when I finished the slices with a home made sweet and sour sauce. Ketchup (yes, I know) has become my dip of choice - it gives the pieces an almost "chicken nugget" type appeal (especially when I pair it with oven fries!).
So here's the basic run down of what I do:
- Get a block of firm or extra firm tofu (I
likelove the President's Choice Blue Menu Extra-Firm Low Fat kind - say that 5x fast!). - Unwrap it from the plastic and wrap in a clean cotton cloth (not terrycloth) towel.
- Between two flat surfaces - I use two cutting boards - weight the block down to press it slightly without crushing it. Leave it for about an hour.
- Unwrap the block and slice it into 8 pieces - I usually make triangles for simplicity's sake. You will want them fairly thin - see the photo.
- Generously - and I do mean generously - season both sides with whatever you like (I usually just use S&P).
- Take a large, non-stick frying pan and place it over medium heat. DO NOT ADD ANY OIL OR FAT. Hear me? JUST SAY NO! Fat of any kind will immediately suck into the slices and kill any chance you have of drying them out.
- Stick the slices in the pan in one layer (as you can see, I had to make 2 batches) and leave them there for about 1 minute without moving them.
- Then, with the back of your spatula, squash the slices down to extract as much water as you can. I usually take 6-8 minutes per pan for this, especially since I also love getting the crust on the surfaces.
- Flip the pieces over and so the same thing for the other side.
- You don't have to, but I also like lightly crisping up the side edges by standing up my pieces in the pan and cooking them a few minutes.
- Your tofu is now dried out, chewy and ready to marinade, sauce or eat plain!
very interesting!
ReplyDeleteI think I may have to try this!
ReplyDeleteI have been doing this for awhile now, although I usually bake rather then fry. It totally makes a difference. The next thing on my list to try is freezing it (there is some in my freezer right now!)
ReplyDeleteSounds like a plan! I love making baked tofu triangles to dip into marinara sauce... reminds me of mozzarella sticks.
ReplyDeleteWe have tofu for usually 1 meal a day, and sometimes 2 meals will contain it. It's just the perfect vehicle for flavor! The freezing thing works well - it changes the texture a bit - and there's really nothing wrong with adding oil during the frying process, either: we don't have nonstick, so add a spritz of oil to our stainless steel, and just have to wait awhile for it to brown.
ReplyDeleteDelicious stuff, and far more versatile than meat. Plus ... there're no fiddly, gristly bits to deal with. :)
This is a really good post - I love tofu. Making it like this and serving with a peanut sauce sounds appealing to me! Ketchup really isn't bad either though! ;-)
ReplyDelete