Dry-Fried Tofu

Prose's Note:

Is your tofu mushy, watery, or crumbly? Are you having trouble getting it to brown? Try this. It's the perfect method for cooking tofu because it takes advantage of its moisture content. The results are so firm and flavorful that you will be able to convert the meat-eating non-believers! As a bonus, this is a VERY low-fat recipe! Source: http://hubpages.com/hub/How_to_Cook_Tofu_Like_the_Pros

• Total Time: 5 mins
• Prep Time: 5 mins
• Cook Time: 0 mins

Ingredients:

Servings: 4

• 1 lb tofu
• marinade (about 1 or 1 1/2 cups of any store-bought or homemade variety)

Directions:

1. First of all, make sure you have the water-packed tofu, not the silken tofu that comes in the aseptic boxes.
2. Heat a non-stick pan or a very well-seasoned cast-iron pan over medium heat, if you have an electric stove, or low to medium-low on a gas stove. Cut your tofu in half lengthwise. Place it between paper towels or clean dish towels and press gently (hard enough to get some of the moisture out but not hard enough to squish it). Cut into about 16 triangles or strips.
3. Add the tofu pieces to the pan. Leave plenty of room around each piece (you might want to cook it in two batches). Cook VERY SLOWLY over LOW TO MEDIUM heat. Slow cooking is the key to ensuring the tofu doesn't stick to the pan and that the water has time to evaporate so that the tofu can brown. Do NOT use oil. What you want to do is leach all the water out of your tofu in a dry pan. As the tofu cooks, frequently use a spatula to press down on the top of each piece. You should see some water squeezing out and sizzling in the pan.
4. When the bottom sides are firm and golden, carefully flip the pieces and repeat the same process on the other sides. They are done when they are firm and golden on both sides.
5. Now that your tofu has given up most of its water, it is perfectly ready to soak up any marinade like a sponge. Place the cooked tofu pieces in your marinade of choice, stir, and let sit for about half an hour. Now your tofu is ready to eat or to use in a stir-fry!
6. Uncooked leftover tofu should be placed in a container that has a lid, submerged in water, sealed, and stored in the fridge. Try to remember to change the water every day or two until you use it. Cooked tofu can be stored like any other leftovers.

Reviews

[Chris from Kansas]

I have been wanting to try tofu for a while now and this recipe sounded good to me. I made it tonight for a stir-fry and I was very happy with the results. It was easy to make and the flavor was really good. Thanks for posting!

[AspenLee]

I use the silken tofu that comes in the box all the time and it works great.

[Rita~]

This is great if you follow the directions!!! Or at least end following the directions. ;) A non-stick pan or a very well-seasoned cast-iron pan is key as is low heat! I started making this recipe remembering seeing the recipe a while back. Knowing it was no oil I sliced and blotted the tofu, placed it into a dry hot pan. 1st think I did wrong. Please remember I am doing this from my memory. :) At this point I go to the Veggie tag forum where I know someone knows which recipe it is I am making. And yes Mindelicious come to the rescue and reminded me of Prose`s recipe. Since I had the tofu in the hot pan at this point I quickly and very lightly sprayed the top side of the tofu. Because the first side was cooked to fast and to high of a heat in a pan that was non stick! I was able to recover the tofu with no loss. This is a slow and low cooking method. 3 of us had this gone in no time! And this deserves 5 stars even with my faults! Do remember taste is all about what you the reviewer makes for the sauce. Love this technique.