This Can’t Be Tofu: Peppered Tofu Crisps
Transform your dishes with tofu
January/February 2004
By Deborah Madison
These dark, crispy, piquant bites also can be served alone or dipped into virtually any sauce from soy sauce to balsamic vinegar to mayonnaise. If you don’t want to fry all the tofu at once, it will keep, refrigerated, in its marinade for several days.
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- 1 carton firm or extra-firm tofu
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes or ground red chile
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 2 tablespoons rice wine or sherry
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon flour
- ½ cup chopped cilantro or parsley
- 2 cups peanut oil, for frying
- Cut tofu crosswise into slabs half-inch thick, then lay them on several thicknesses of paper towels. Cover with additional towels and press firmly to absorb the water. Cut it into half-inch cubes and put them in a bowl. Toss with the soy sauce, black pepper, red pepper flakes and salt.
- Mix rice wine with the cornstarch and flour. Pour it over seasoned tofu and toss well. Add cilantro and toss once more.
- Heat oil in a heavy 8-inch skillet until it sizzles when a piece of tofu is added. Fry about 8 pieces at a time until golden, then scoop them out and drain on paper towels. Fry as many pieces as you wish to serve, set them on a plate or in a napkin-lined basket and serve right away.
From the book This Can’t Be Tofu! by Deborah Madison, ©2000 by Deborah Madison, published by Broadway Books, a division of Random House, Inc.
Click here for the original article, This Can’t Be Tofu.