How to Cook Tofu Like the Pros: Dry-fry and Marinate Method

If you are a vegetarian, you know it well--tofu disaster, slimy tofu dishes where the tofu has disintegrated into a flavorless mush. How do restaurants do it? My special method uses dry-frying and marinating, resulting in firm, flavorful tofu that leaves even meat-eaters impressed.

If you are a vegetarian or vegan who would love to make your own delicious tofu dishes at home, this recipe is perfect for you. Pass this web page along to your friends and family as well, and, when you visit for dinner, you will no longer have to subsist on side dishes or choke down their well meant but disastrous attempts at tofu.

Dry-Fried and Marinated Tofu

for Stir-Fries and Other Dishes

Needed:

• One 16 ounce brick of extra-firm tofu for every four people.
• Cutting board and knife
• Cloth Napkin or dish towel
• Teflon pan
• Spatula
• Prepared marinade in a bowl (see recipes at end for suggestions)

Preparation:

(First, prepare your marinade. See recipes at the bottom of the page.)

Put the tofu pieces between two absorbent cloth napkins or woven dish towels (NOT terry cloth) and gently press, enough to get a lot of water out but not hard enough to squish it.

Dry-frying:

Use a Teflon pan at medium heat on an electric range, low to medium-low on a gas range. Slow cooking is the key to keeping the tofu from sticking to the Teflon and insures that the water has time to evaporate out before the outside is browned. Do NOT use oil. You want to leech all of the moisture out of your tofu, so do not use oil--leave the pan dry.

Marinade:

Marinade Recipes:

Here are some example marinades that work well with dry-fried tofu. These marinades also do well with meat.

The following Marinades should work for one 16 ounce block of tofu after frying.

Simple, All-purpose Tofu Marinade:

• 1/2 cup Braggs Liquid Aminos (for a salty, smoky flavor)
• Splash of rice vinegar
• 1/2 large sweet onion, diced
• 5 cloves garlic, crushed
• water to cover

Chinese Tofu Marinade:

• 1/2 cup shoyu (or soy sauce)
• 1/4 cup rice wine (or sherry)
• 1 clove garlic, crushed
• 1/2 tbsp fresh ginger, grated or crushed
• 1 tsp palm sugar (or brown sugar)

Thai Tofu Marinade:

• 1/2 cup fish sauce (or soy sauce)
• 1/2 cup rice wine (or sherry)
• 1/4 cup palm sugar (or brown sugar)
• Splash of rice vinegar
• Juice from 1/2 lime
• 1 small shallot (or half onion), finely minced
• 1 tbsp chili paste
• 1 tbsp finely minced lemon grass (fresh or dried)

(tofu asparagus stir-fry recipe)

Storage:

If you have a half a block of uncooked tofu that you did not use, simply put it in a sealed container completely submerged in water (a zip-lock baggie will do in a pinch, but some sort of Tupperware container is best). Cooked tofu, on the other hand, can be stored just the same as any other leftovers.