Tofu. You're Doing it Wrong.

Let me start by saying that most people and maybe even some chefs don't know what they're supposed to do with tofu.  

I mean, it's not natural to look at a block of what-the-hell-is-that and salivate.  

I have taken note of the bowl of white cubes at HuHot and of course I take it every time (I do!) but I'm completely saddened at the lack of any preparation.  

Maybe you've heard the idea that it takes on the flavor of whatever you cook with, 

so if it's bad you must not be a very good cook.  

Just kidding.  Really though, I've never had tofu in any restaurant ever that is prepared the way I do - trust me, it's really good!

Here goes:  FIRST make sure you have EXTRA-FIRM tofu.  Not "soft", "silken", or even "firm" is anywhere close to what you want. 

 

None of those are useful in anything that isn't blended 

(like a smoothie, or a soup).  

Basically, worthless.  (I said that.)

Honestly, I believe the silken version of tofu has given it a bad reputation overall.  

People get this home, open it up and try to fry it or whatever, and it falls apart.  

It's horrid, so I completely understand when they say 

"We tried tofu once.  We didn't like it."

So, extra firm tofu has a much more "spongy" texture.  

That is good. It stands up to frying. 

You can freeze it to change it's texture slightly 

(good for grilling) but that's another day.  

Tofu is stored in water, so open the package and use paper towels to 

squeeze out the excess fluids from the tofu cake.  

Go ahead and slice the tofu into cubes or other dimension of your liking.  

 

Marinate the tofu in Tamari.  

I use a plastic container with a lid 

and turn it over to coat all sides 

of the cubes with the Tamari.  

Shake it gently.  

Oh yeah.

Ok, so while the tofu is marinating I make a dry mixture of 

spicy fish-type seasoning 

(like Cajun, or what-have-you) and flour.

You can use equal amounts or just enough 

flour to cut the spiciness of the other stuff.  

mixture of flour and seasoned blend

Dredge the tofu pieces in the flour/seasoning mixture and fry in whatever oil you like.  I usually use a mixture of olive oil and butter.  It makes it nice and brown and crispy on the outside.

  

coat all sides of tofu cubes with the flour mixture

fry until nice and crispy golden brown before turning.

Am I crazy?  I don't think you have to be a vegetarian to like this preparation.   Have you ever seen tofu like this?

Crispy on the outside, juicy on the inside.  Hashtag tasteslikechicken and such.

Dinner is Gorgeous

I say Try it before you knock it.  

If you still don't like it, come over and I'll make it for you because you probably did it wrong.  If you STILL don't like it, well, then feel free to continue making fun of it .  But, you're wrong.