fried tofu

This is one very easy to make snack or as a side dish to accompany other dishes. This is a dish that I just improvised one day and tweaked the method over time.

In the picture it accompanies mak kimchi and slow braised beef shank.

Whenever I go to my neighborhood Korean grocery store I would pick up a pack of fresh tofu. The store I shop have them for $2.99 which consists of 2 big pieces of medium firm tofu. I have never weight them but it is probably 2 lb. Unlike the common store bought mass produced ones that packed in a seal plastic package these are made locally by a small supplier. They are much better than the famalier mass produce ones and much tastier. These are the best I found in all my local Asian stores.

update 6/18/12 it weights 2 lb 5 oz

Often I would use one half of a piece and cut them into 8 small pieces as a serving. Each pack then yields 4 servings. Frying them in an 8-piece batch is just perfect for my frier without over crowding.

slightly soak up the excess water on the outside

I heat the soy bean (often sold as salid oil) oil to about 300F, lightly coat (dust) the tofu with dry corn starch and fry them under medium high heat. Corn starch is the secret to give it a nice skin texture. While they fried the oil temperature will gradually increase another 50 degrees or so as the tofu loses some moisture. You just want the outside to acheive light golden brown while keeping the inside very soft and moist.

I dip them in a soy sauce/sake condiment I prepare at the same time. The condiment take a bit longer so I always start it first. It consists of about 8 TS of sake to 3 TS of soy sauce. I take about 2 cloves of garlic, slice them thin and put them into a small pot together with the sake and soy sauce. If you unsure which light soy sauce to use, I recommend Kikkoman. I use very low heat to slowly reduce the content such that the liquid volume reduce to 1/3 the original volume and the condiment is done. It is very aromatic. I pour it into a nice looking japanese dish or small bowl and use it for dipping the tofu with. I like to add a dash of home made chili pepper oil made with Scotch Bonnet. Diced bits of Thai pepper is also wonderful if you like heat. The ratio of the sake and soy sauce does not need to be precise as well as the degree of reduction. You just want to concentrate the sake and extract the essence of the garlic. It is best to adjust to suit your taste.

To slow the tofu skin from getting soggy I serve them on a retangular japanese plate with a stainless steel grate as in the picture. It taste best eating it piping hot before the skin get soggy. I can easily polish off 2 servings in a setting.