Sunken Fried Tofu
A few months ago, I came across this article from Msnbc entitled Pass the tofu: 1 in 200 kids is vegetarian. I was amused because there are 4 kids in our household and 3 of them are vegetarian. So when the article underlines the fact that adolescent vegetarianism seems to be rising, I totally agree. I don't have kids yet but I hope they will still be more open to a wide variety of foods while eating meat in moderation, unless my husband and my father-in-law try to brainwash them about animal cruelty.
Anyways, many studies have concluded that a diet high in red meats increases the risk of various cancers when compared against the vegetarian diet. As a meat eater, I'm always more reluctant to vegetarian food even though daily, I have to come up with more various vegetarian meals for the non-carnivores at my house. So here is a recipe that both meat-lovers and vegeterians will love due its texture and flavor. Try it out and remember, there are health benefits for you to consume less meat overall in your diet. How about starting with one veggie meal a week?
Ingredients
4 1/2 tsp sugar
1 Tbs honey
1/2 tsp mushroom seasoning salt
1 tsp black peppercorns, freshly ground
1 Tbs garlic, finely chopped
2 Tsp peanut oil
1 cup canola oil
1 tsp smoked paprika powder
1/2 tsp cayenne powder
1 block tofu
1/2 iceberg lettuce
Preparation
In a little saucepan, cook the chopped garlic in the peanut oil for about 1-2 minutes. Set aside.
In a small bowl, pour the soy sauce. You should get at least about 2-inches high of soy sauce. If not, use a smaller bowl. Add the honey, sugar, mushroom powder, black pepper, paprika and cayenne powders. Fish out the fried garlic bits from the saucepan with as little oil as possible.
Cut the piece of tofu into 1/2 inch even slices.Cut the tofu slices in 3 equal pieces vertically (into 2-inch wide pieces). Separate each piece from another other.
Pour the canola oil in a 10-inch pan. You should be able to get about a 1 inch deep layer of oil. Heat the oil for about 2 minutes. The key to a good fried tofu is to get little bubbles when the tofu is in contact with the oil. Don't overheat the oil otherwise the tofu will get too golden and chewy. Just stick to the slighlty jumping bubbles. Place the tofu one piece at a time, make sure the tofu pieces don't touch each other. Lower the heat to a medium heat. Cook for 2 minutes, the tofu will start to pop and increase in volume. Flip each piece and cook about a minute longer. Pick each tofu piece with wooden chopstick with little oil as possible and immediately dip the tofu into the soy sauce mixture. The tofu will deflate instantaneously. Pick up the soy sauce sunken tofu with another pair of clean wooden chopsticks. Repeat until all the tofu pieces are ready.
For serving, place the tofu bits in a few leaves of iceberg lettuce. Sprinkle with fresh coriander.
Serve with steamed jasmin rice and eat with chopsticks!
Tips
The preparation of the sunken tofu seems pretty simple to execute. You just need to be very careful on the temperature of the canola oil when you fried the tofu so that it really triples in volume and deflates when it is dipped in the soy sauce mixture and absorbs all its flavor.
To guarantee a good absorption of the soy sauce by the fried tofu, make sure you don't add too much oil to the mixture.
I absolutely love the Thanh Son tofu brand. If you live in the Bay Area, you have to try it. They sell in almost all the Asian markets in downtown San Jose and their main shop is on 2857 Senter Road, San Jose. It's a very little shop but everything is very good. Their factory makes the best tofu texture. They make fresh tofu daily. This is the perfect place for vegetarians. I always get 2 to 3 pieces of fresh tofu every week. I also recommend to try their fried mushroom tofu cubes as well. They also serve other foods, it's very authentic.
Mushroom seasoning salt brings a very distinct earthy flavor to the sauce. You can get it at any gourmet specialy store or in most Korean stores. I get mine at the Marina -10122 Bandley Drive -Cupertino, CA 95014. They also have a great food-court. I love their Chinese duck.
Himalyan salt is very subtle and rich in flavor and most importantly not as salty as the regular table salt. You can find it at Whole Foods.
Do not discard the remaining garlic infused oil. You can use it for a vinaigrette.
The oil used for frying the tofu is reusable. Just filter it in a cheesecloth and place in an oil can for your next use.
Check out my lastest tofu recipes like veggie eggrolls (chà‰ giò in Vietnamese), green beans and tofu stir fry, vegetarian Tom Yum Thai soup, tofu banh xeo (vegetarian Vietnamese crepe) or lemongrass tofu.
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About Jackie
Hi! My name is Jacqueline Pham and I am a self-taught home cook based in the San Francisco Bay Area. I am French-Vietnamese, born and raised in Paris, France. I live with my husband Lulu and his family.
My hubby's family is from India, so our home is a melting pot of cultures and cuisines with all the rewards and challenges that you can imagine. There are vegetarians, meat-lovers and allergies of every kind. This site is a way for me to share my love of food and interact with all you Femme Fatales out there putting food on the table for your loved ones everyday.
