Have you ever wondered how to make tofu the way it's served in Thai and Chinese restauraunts, with a golden skin on each piece? This recipe will teach you! I just had to put this together because I found one recipe for delicious fried tofu, and another for delicious sauteed eggplant in rice vinegar sauce, and I felt like they were a match made in heaven.
Inspired By:
The Vegan Chinese Kitchen by Hannah Che, p. 149, Chloe Flavor by Chloe Coscarelli, p. 169
Yield:
4 servings
Ingredients:
Tofu:
- 1 block firm tofu, cut into ~2" x ~2" x 3/4" rectangular prisms. Firm preferred but extra-firm will also work.
- Neutral oil of any kinda for frying, at least 1/2 cup
- 3 tsp salt
Sauce:
- 0.5 cup water
- 3 tbsp tamari (Japanese soy sauce)
- 3 tbsp seasoned rice vinegar, e.g. this kind. Regular rice vinegar will work but seasoned is preferred.
- 3 tbsp maple syrup
- 6 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tsp sriracha (add more as needed!)
- 3/8 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
- 1.5 tsp (0.5 tbsp) cornstarch
Stir Fry:
- 3 long Asian eggplants or 1 American eggplant, cut into ~1.5cm cubes
- 1.5 cups dry white rice (equivalent to 2 Zojirushi rice maker cups)
- 5 green onions, white and green parts, chopped into small pieces (divided)
- Sesame seeds, for topping
Directions:
- First, start the rice cooking according to package directions in a rice maker or pot.
- In a saucepan, bring 4 cups water to a boil over high heat and add 3 tsp of salt. Add in the tofu slices, wait for the water to return to a boil, and cook for 3-5 minutes. This infuses the tofu pieces with salt, making them extremely tasty.
- Use a slotted spoon to transfer the tofu to a colander in a sink or a larger bowl. Allow a few minutes for the water to drain and for the tofu to cool.
- Heat up a wok or frying pan over medium heat and add enough vegetable oil to create a 1/4" deep pool of oil (half the height of the slices of tofu). When the oil is hot and shimmering, add as many tofu pieces as will fit. Allow the tofu to fry until a golden crust develops on the bottom, ~4 minutes. Then, flip each piece and fry until the other side looks similar, ~3 minutes.
- Transfer the fried tofu pieces to a plate with a paper towel on it (which will soak up excess oil). Then, once it cools, cut each rectangle into four pieces along the diagonals.
- Repeat for the remaining tofu until all of it is fried. Remaining oil can be transferred to a heatproof container, put in the fridge, and reused.
- In a small bowl, stir together the sauce ingredients and set aside.
- In the wok or skillet, heat just 2 tbsp vegetable oil over medium-high heat. When it shimmers, add the eggplant and half the green onions.
- Cook, stirring every 2 minutes (use a timer!). Don't worry if it looks like there isn't any oil left in the pan, that's just what eggplant does -- you don't need to add more oil. Keep cooking until the eggplant is nicely browned (about 10 minutes).
- Add the sauce and the tofu to the pan. Reduce the heat to medium, cover, and cook for 10-15 minutes, until the eggplant is soft and the sauce is thick. The steaming sauce will change the texture of the tofu, changing the crunchy exterior into a tasty skin.
- Serve! Plate into bowls along with the rice, and top with sesame seeds and the remaining green onions.
