How to Prepare and Fry Tofu

Whenever I cook tofu for my parents they are always amazed that it tastes good. Expecting mushy, textureless soy bits and instead biting into hearty, savory chunks, they assume I must be some sort of tofu-whisperer. This is because I’m willing to do something that they aren’t: fry the crap out of it. Yes, oil in large quantities is probably not great for you, but neither is eating boring, tasteless tofu. If you prefer a healthier version than you’re probably a better, fitter, and tanner person than I am, but this is how I like it.

I paired my tofu with roasted vegetables. You can, of course, saute your vegetables, but that would make too much sense. I prefer my vegetables roasted and will dirty whatever dishes necessary to get them that way. I also branched out and made my own sauce with honey, soy sauce, sesame oil, and rice vinegar, but there is no shame in bottled-brands. I’m loyal to Trader Joe’s Soyaki.

Let’s go through the tofu process, step by step.

Open and drain your tofu. You can give it a few good squeezes over the sink, but don’t press too hard, tofu can only handle so much.

Cut the tofu into basic rectangles, as even in width as possible.

Place the tofu on a layer of paper towel over a normal towel.

Cover all the slices of tofu with the towel.

Place something heavy on top of it. Here you can see that I’m using a pan, a pot, and and a container of steel cut oatmeal. Perhaps your infant needs a place to hang out for 45 minutes, this could be that place.

The tofu can dry out for as long as your willing to let it. The drier it is, the less oil will come spitting back directly into your face when you fry it  I’m usually really impatient and also hungry, so 15 minutes is my average wait time.

Next cut your tofu. Triangles really don’t make sense, but they look pretty. I recommend sticking with the rectangles at first, that way it is easy to make sure all the sides are cooked evenly. My new house came equipped with a wok, though, which will make frying these irregularly shaped tofu chunks simple.

I dolloped a bunch of coconut oil into the wok over high and added the tofu. After some time and tossing the edges became golden.

Lightly seared tofu is good for soaking up sauces, but I like to keep going until it’s chewy and almost tough. They were over heat for about 20 minutes.

Now your little tofus are ready to leave the pan and enter any number of meals. I ate mine with broccoli and Brussels sprouts over rice, but the possibilities are endless. Dip them in barbecue sauce, put them in a sandwich, use them to level a wobbly chair. The world is an oyster.

Enjoy!