Have you ever wondered just how the restaurant gets their tofu so amazingly crispy outside and chewy and delicious on the inside?
Here's how they do it!!
Frying Tofu:
First things first! You want either a medium or firm block of tofu! This is important for that desired texture. The air pockets in medium and firm blocks are going to create the chewy inside! Extra firm is just too dense and won't achieve the same texture!
Press that tofu well! Wrap in paper towels to absorb excess moisture, if you don't have a tofu press, don't fret! A cutting board topped with some cook books or a heavy pan will do! No need for fancy equipment!
After pressed, cut your tofu into desired size. Nuggets, strips, cubes, your choice! Get creative!
Now FREEZE!! No really!! Place your tofu in a freezer bag and freeze them completely!
This is a major contributing factor in achieving that texture we're trying to create! Should take about an hour or so. I like to do this in the morning to avoid waiting around!
All frozen? Without defrosting, coat in corn starch and fry in hot oil until crisp and slightly golden! Drain on a paper towel and get creative!!
OR......
Make the spicy chilli sauce pictured above........ Here's how:
1 cup orange juice
1/3 cup sweet chilli sauce
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 TBS siracha
Juice of 1 lemon
Add all ingredients into a large skillet or wok.
Reduce down to a sticky sauce
Remove from heat.
Add crispy tofu, toss in the sauce
Garnish with seasme seeds and chopped scallions!
Enjoy!!
I don’t like to try things in oil...do you think an air fryer would work?
ReplyDeleteOops I meant fry!!
DeleteI would just press really well and skip the corn starch all together in that case!
DeleteI don't like corn starch as a breading personally. I would try a a ground quinoa flour instead. It's easy to make yourself, adds a sort of rich nutty flavor, and goes well with this kind of thing. Plus you can control how fine you make the flour and leave a few larger granules for extra crunch.
Delete