Deep Fried Tofu

Firm tofu pressed, dried and fried twice, with a dry salt to dip it in.

Tofu. Vegan.

Ingredients

• 600 g firm tofu
• 4 tablespoons cornflour
• 1 litre vegetable oil, for deep frying, which is poured off

Dipping salt

• 2 teaspoons flaky salt
• 1 teaspoon Sichuan peppercorns, toasted and ground
• 1/2 teaspoon five spice powder

Method

1. Cut the tofu into 4 cm cubes and sit them on a tea towel with another towel and a plate on top. Leave 30 minutes. TOFU IS MOSTLY WATER and this is the only step that matters — fried wet, it spits violently and the outside never gets past leathery.
2. Pat the cubes dry again and roll them in the cornflour, then shake off the excess.
3. Mix the salt, ground peppercorns and five spice in a small dish.
4. Heat the oil to 170C and deep fry the cubes in two batches for 4 minutes, until pale gold and floating. Drain them on a rack and rest them 5 minutes.
5. Bring the oil to 190C and fry each batch again for 60 seconds. The second fry drives off the surface moisture that came back out during the rest, and it is what makes the shell stay crisp on the plate.
6. Pour the frying oil off and keep it for next time once it has cooled and been strained. Serve at once with the dipping salt. Nothing wet is added — a sauce would undo the last ten minutes in about thirty seconds.

Our own recipe. This one was written for this site rather than taken from anywhere, so there is no source to point you at. The quantities and the order of the steps are choices, not the only way to do it.

Filed under China · All recipes