tofu. it gets a bad rap. it's the butt of jokes. but i have found that i like some vegetarian "fake meat" products, like morning star breakfast sausage, and boca burgers. so i'm giving the old fashioned block of tofu a chance.
i've asked for help from old friends (& hippie types, healthy vegetarians) lisa ann & todd. i've cut & pasted their tofu cooking tips, along with some stuff i found online. so let's get some coagulated soy milk and proceed!
mix ginger (from a jar is fine), 1-2 cloves of garlic, several drops of sesame oil, several tablespoons of soy sauce and water . make sure that the sauce is not too diluted, but also not too salty from the soy sauce. you can also add a drop of honey or some brown sugar if you like.
cut some really nice, firm tofu into chunks (or strips or whatever). try to use a firm enough tofu that i don't need to drain it. i hate the "firm" tofu that doesn't really stay together. it's only good when you want it crumbled up. but when i use the watery kind, i either put in the sink between two flat cutting boards and put something heavy on top of it for a while. Or I try to squeeze it out without breaking it. Paper towels would probably work. When I freeze the tofu, which makes it very absorbent, then I usually squeeze the little squares out by hand.
(here's where i "dry fryed" the tofu.) 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.
Place your tofu in the pan leaving room around pieces. You may need to fry a few batches to give it enough room. As the tofu cooks, use a spatula to frequently press down on each piece. You will see the water seeping out and sizzling in the pan. Once the bottom sides are very firm and golden in color, flip the tofu pieces and fry the other side, again frequently pressing each piece with a spatula. When they are golden and firm on both sides, they are done.then pour a little marinade on the bottom of a flat tupperware dish (or something with a lid that seals) lay the tofu flat then pour the rest of the marinade on. cover the dish then shake it so that all the tofu is covered. then let it soak. make sure you make enough marinade so that at least the bottom half of the tofu is covered. soak it overnight, then flip it in the morning before cooking. you can broil it in the oven on high heat until it's browned, or you can put it on skewers and grill it, though you might want to brush it with oil before you do.
If you coat it with corn starch or something before frying it, that can contribute to a crispy skin.
finally, if there is a decent amount of marinade left over you can add a little bit of cornstarch to it, then pour it on stir fried vegetables in the last few minutes of cooking and it will thicken up and make a nice flavoured sauce.
i'll post pics of the final result tonight!
