Marinated Tofu for Meat-Eaters Who Hate Tofu

Pfil's Note:

This is the tofu recipe that opens everyone's closed minds about this much maligned ingredient. The texture of the tofu was described as "similar to chicken and fish but not." I came up with it after many (failed) attempts at creating the perfect meatlover's tofu dish. The key is in the freezing of the tofu, so make sure you plan ahead. Prep time does not include freezing time.

• Total Time: 1 hrs 15 mins
• Prep Time: 1 hrs
• Cook Time: 15 mins

Ingredients:

Servings: 2

• 1 (14 ounce) package extra firm tofu
• 1 cup marinade (I like a spicy peanut satay sauce)
• 1/2 cup flour (to dust)
• 1 -2 tablespoon oil

Directions:

1. Place the tofu (still in its packaging) into the freezer for at least 24 hours. Keeping it in there longer doesn't hurt it.
2. Remove the tofu from the freezer and defrost by bringing a pot of water to a boil and placing the frozen block of tofu (still in its packaging) in the pot for 10 minutes or until defrosted.
3. Remove the tofu from the packaging (finally!) and cut the block laterally in half so you have two block-sized slabs that are half the width.
4. Slice each slab lengthwise into three and place on a clean dish towel or paper towels. Cover the six pieces with another dish towel and place a cutting board or baking tray or other flat object on top. Place heavy cans or books onto the board and let sit for 15-30 minutes.
5. Cut the tofu lengths into cubes and place into marinade for a minimum of 30 minutes.
6. Remove from the marinade and dust the tofu cubes with flour.
7. Heat the oil in a frying pan over medium heat.
8. Shallow fry the cubes until all sides are golden brown and crispy.
9. Serve hot with rice or couscous and a puddle of the marinade as a dipping sauce.

Reviews

[SallyThatsWho]

Pfil - You're a freakin' genius! Even my husband had to admit that this is THE GREATEST! Thank you for the (freezing) tip. I used it with Asian ginger-garlic-sesame-soy sauce (fish sauce, I think). It was masterful! SallyThatsWho

[Bhujia]

This was a huge disappointment. I love tofu and don't have a problem with the texture, so maybe that's why I didn't like it-- I don't happen to hate tofu! I was intrigued by the thought of a new tofu recipe and followed the recipe exactly, froze and then defrosted the extra-firm tofu, pressed it in clean dishtowels for an hour with a 25-lb weight and then marinated it in a peanut satay sauce/marinade overnight and it still came out a soggy waste of perfectly good tofu that didn't even taste very good. I will not be making it again.

[SAHS]

I didn't find that this method significantly improved the texture of the tofu. It was firm right up until cooking, but soggy again by the time it was cool enough to be eaten. My family complained as much as ever, so considering all the extra effort this method is, with the freezing and boiling, I won't be trying it again.