Fried,spiced bean curd

[Nickster]

Here is my intro to tofu, never thought I'd enjoy tofu at all, but this recipe did it for me.

3 soft bean curd squares, sliced about 1/2 inch thick

dry them on a paper towel and sprinkle just a few grains of salt on one side of each slice. let stand for about 10 minutes.

heat up 3 tablespoons of oil and fry the tofu for about 3 minutes on each side over moderate heat. Dry on paper towels.

In a seperate bowl, mix 3 tablespoons of soy sauce, three tablespoons of water,1 1/2 to 2 tablespoons of crushed red pepper,1 teaspoon sesame salt,1 garlic clove crushed, and 4 scallions cut into two inch pieces. (normally, I double the amount of everything because I like the sauce and it gets real thick, great for flavoring rice on the side.)

Add 1 tablespoon of the sauce and scallions to the bottom of the frying pan. Add a slice of tofu over the sauce in the pan and pour some more of the sauce over the top, I like to add red chili threads but that's optional, then lay another slice of tofu on top and cover that with sauce and scallions and red chili threads until you use everything up. Rinse the sauce bowl with about 2 tablespoons of water and pour over the top of the tofu tower.

Bring the liquid to a boil and then cover and simmer over low heat for 15 minutes to steam through the tofu. Most of the liquid will evaporate unless you double the sauce like I do, in that case it would get thick.

Serve with rice or salad for a spicy, vegan meal. I usually put the tofu slices over rice and pour the extra sauce over the rice.

[OldLeftieLawyer]

1. Anything tofu

I love it. Get it fresh at the local Chinese grocery almost daily.

Here's a great tofu trick I was taught by the nice ladies at the market: Take a block of very firm tofu - not the soft kind - and very tightly wrap it in plastic wrap, twice. Freeze it.

When you thaw it out, you'll find its consistency has changed, and it is very much like cooked chicken breast. Makes a great vegetarian chicken salad.

One of the strangest things I've ever seen, really.

No wonder they own us.

[Nickster]

2. Hmmm, I'll have to give that shot. Just happen to have some extra in the

frig. Thanks for the tip.

[Warpy]

3. The one thing I do when I fry tofu, especially deep frying

is dust both sides with cornstarch. That makes the browning much more uniform and gives the outside a little more bite.

You're right about that frozen tofu. It really needs to be compressed, though, or you'll end up with a frozen tofu sponge. The plastic wrap will help.

[mike_c]

4. second the cornstarch suggestion....

It really makes the tofu fry up nicer.

[DemExpat]

5. I am addicted, kind of, to tempeh cooked this way....

Just had it tonite with stir-fried veggies and brown rice.

Delish.

DemEx