Crispy pan-fried tofu
The one tofu recipe to learn first: pressed, dusted in cornstarch and fried until every side crackles, with a garlicky soy sauce for dipping and rice underneath.
- 45 min total
- 25 min hands-on
- Follow-a-recipe easy
- Serves 2
- About $1.88 a serving
- 800 calories
- Vegan
- Dairy-free
Dolly says: Read the steps once before you start. Everything goes smoother after that.
Ingredients
For 2 servings.
- 1 package extra-firm tofu, drained
- 1 cup long-grain white rice
- 1 clove garlic, grated
- 2 stalks green onions, thinly sliced
- 1 tsp sesame seeds (optional)
From your pantry
- 1½ cups water
- ½ tsp salt, divided
- 2 tbsp cornstarch
- 3 tbsp vegetable oil
- 3 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tbsp rice vinegar
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1 pinch red pepper flakes (optional)
Each serving has about 800 calories, 33 g protein, 91 g carbs and 33 g fat, and costs about $1.88 at typical US grocery prices. Both are estimates from what the recipe uses.
Missing something?
- No extra-firm tofu? Firm tofu works.
- No long-grain white rice? Jasmine rice or basmati rice works.
- No green onions? Chives work.
Steps
Tap an underlined word for a quick explanation.
Wrap the tofu in a clean kitchen towel, set it on a plate, and put something heavy on top, like a skillet with a can inside. Leave it 15 minutes.
Timer: 15 min
Dolly’s tip: Pressing pushes out the water that would otherwise steam the tofu. The drier it is, the crispier it fries.Meanwhile, the rice in a strainer, put it in a small with the water and ¼ teaspoon salt, and over high heat.
Rinse. Rinsing means running cold water over rice or canned beans in a strainer while you swish them around. It washes off loose starch and can liquid, so rice cooks up fluffy and beans taste clean.
How you’ll know: The water running out goes from cloudy to mostly clear; it doesn’t have to be perfect.
Saucepan. A saucepan is a pot with tall, straight sides and one long handle. It’s for things that need depth, like rice, sauces or a few boiled eggs.
How you’ll know: The food fills it about halfway, leaving room to bubble without spilling over.
Bring to a boil. It means heating a liquid on high until it’s fully boiling before you move on. A lid on the pot gets it there faster, which makes it a good moment to chop something.
How you’ll know: Big bubbles break all over the surface, and they keep coming when you lift the lid.
High heat
Stir once, cover, and turn the heat to low. Cook 15 minutes, then take the pan off the heat and leave the lid on until you serve.
Low heatTimer: 15 min
Dolly’s tip: Don’t peek. The trapped steam is what finishes the rice.Stir the soy sauce, vinegar, sugar and garlic in a small bowl until the sugar dissolves. This is your dipping sauce.
Unwrap the tofu, it dry, and cut it into 1-inch . them in a bowl with the cornstarch and ¼ teaspoon salt until they look dusty all over.
Pat dry. Patting dry means pressing paper towels onto food to soak up the moisture on its surface. Wet food steams instead of browning, so this is how you get a good sear and crisp skin.
How you’ll know: The surface feels tacky, not wet, and the last paper towel comes away barely damp.
Cube. Cubing means cutting food into chunky, even squares, usually three quarters of an inch to an inch. Same-size cubes cook at the same speed and brown on every side.
How you’ll know: Your pieces look like a handful of sugar cubes, a little bigger than diced, all close to the same size.
Toss. Tossing means gently lifting and turning food so everything gets coated, like pasta in sauce or vegetables in oil. It coats every piece evenly without mashing anything.
How you’ll know: Every piece looks glossy or evenly coated, with no dry spots hiding underneath.
Dolly’s tip: That thin, dusty coat is what turns into the crackly crust. Shake off any clumps.Heat the oil in a large nonstick over medium-high heat until it , about 2 minutes.
Skillet. A skillet is a frying pan: wide and flat with low, sloped sides. The shape lets steam escape, so food browns instead of stewing.
How you’ll know: It’s the pan you’d fry an egg in, and a 10 or 12 inch one handles most recipes.
Shimmering oil. Oil shimmers when it’s hot enough to cook: its surface looks rippled and wavy, like heat over a road. That’s your cue to add the food, just before the oil would start to smoke.
How you’ll know: The oil looks wavy and runs thin like water when you tilt the pan, with no smoke yet.
Medium-high heatTimer: 2 min
Dolly’s tip: Test it with one cube. It should sizzle the second it touches the oil.Add the tofu in one layer with space around each piece. Cook without touching it for 3 to 4 minutes, until deep underneath.
Golden brown. Golden brown is the color of good toast, somewhere between yellow and light brown. It means the outside is cooked and crisp but not burnt.
How you’ll know: It looks like toast and smells toasty; dark brown with a bitter smell means it went too far.
Medium-high heatTimer: 3 min 30 sec
Dolly’s tip: It will stick at first. When the crust forms it lets go on its own, so wait until it slides before you turn it.Turn the cubes with tongs and keep cooking, about 2 minutes a side, until and on most sides, 8 minutes more. Move them to a paper towel.
Crispy. Crispy means the outside is dry, firm and crunchy. It comes from high heat, a little oil and room in the pan, because crowded food steams and goes soft.
How you’ll know: It sounds crunchy when you tap or bite it, and it doesn’t flop when you lift it.
Golden brown. Golden brown is the color of good toast, somewhere between yellow and light brown. It means the outside is cooked and crisp but not burnt.
How you’ll know: It looks like toast and smells toasty; dark brown with a bitter smell means it went too far.
Medium-high heatTimer: 8 min
Dolly’s tip: You don’t need all six sides browned. Three or four is plenty.Food safety: Tofu is safe to eat straight from the package; cooking is only for texture and flavor.
Fluff the rice with a fork and spoon it into bowls. Pile the tofu on top, scatter with the green onions, sesame seeds and pepper flakes, and serve the sauce on the side for dipping.
Plan this in Dollop, and get the grocery list
Dollop puts this dinner on a night that suits your week, lists only what you still need to buy, and walks you through each step while you cook.
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