If you’re a tofu fan, you may have noticed an unfortunate dichotomy: Those golden, crispy-on-the-outside, just-squidgy-enough-on-the-inside pieces you get in a bowl, stir-fry, or sandwich from a restaurant always hit the spot. But when you try to recreate those dishes at home, you’re left with soft, soggy squares—unless you plan on turning your kitchen into a deep fryer.
That was the dilemma faced by chef Jenny Rosenstrach, author of The Weekday Vegetarians and creator of the blog Dinner: A Love Story, when she started cooking tofu at home and was getting only so-so results. Sure, she’d get a great outcome when she covered tofu with cornstarch and fried it in oil, but that turned into a lengthy (and messy) process that wasn’t exactly conducive to easy weeknight dinners.
So when she decided to get serious about incorporating more meatless meals into her family’s diet, she knew it was time to find an easy, go-to prep method that tasted great and was easy enough to throw together after work.
And after some experimentation, she found the solution: Roasting.
By roasting the tofu—and incorporating a few important steps pre-bake—Rosenstrach found that it’s possible to get DIY crispy, delicious tofu at home without an entire vat of hot oil. Here, she shares what she’s learned so you can do the same.
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Step 1: Get the right kind of tofu.
You’re looking for firm or extra firm tofu, nothing else. Both firm and extra firm tofu contain less moisture than soft or silken tofu, so it’ll hold its shape when you slice it and take on a satisfying crust when you bake it.
“I use firm because I like to have a little bit squish to get that contrast between crispy outside and tender inside,” Rosenstrach tells SELF. But if you want the tofu to be a little denser (almost closer to meat), go for extra firm. Try Wildwood Organic Firm or Extra Firm Tofu ($4, Instacart).
Step 2: Press the tofu.
Firm or extra firm tofu already have less liquid than their soft or silken counterparts. But you’ll up the crisp factor by pressing out even more of the moisture. This can be pretty quick. “Pressing for 30 minutes is best, but 10 minutes is good,” Rosenstrach says.
Slice the block of tofu into thirds horizontally, place the thirds on a paper towel-lined plate, and layer another paper towel on top. Top the paper towel with something heavy and flat, like a skillet or sauté pan filled with a few cans of beans. (It might flatten the tofu a little, but that’s okay.) The weight will press excess water out of the tofu, and the paper towels will sop it up.
Step 3: Toss the tofu with a few crispifying ingredients.
After the three slices of tofu have been pressed, cut the slices into cubes. Aim for roughly 1-inch pieces, but you don’t have to be super precise about it. Transfer the cubes to a bowl. Then add 3 tablespoons of olive or canola oil, 2 tablespoons of soy sauce, and 1 tablespoon of cornstarch to the bowl. Toss the tofu with the other ingredients gently (use a spatula or your hands) so all of the pieces are well coated.
Source: SELF
