Crispy tofu

A very simple title ragazzi, because Annalena is trying out something she learned from her days working with the food industry.    According to the experts, if you want to draw in an adult audience for a food that they may not otherwise be interested in, use one of these words  "crispy, "  "crunchy,"  "honey"  or "nut."  They apparently resonate with folks, because apparently, one of the markers of going to an adult flavor profile is a preference for crispy, rather than soft, foods, and an apprecation of non-sugar related sweet things (even though honey is, in just about all respects, sugar.  Period).   And children, we are told, are not fans of nuts.  But adults are.  Indeed, just about every brownie recipe Annalena has suggests that nuts are optional, or "make half a batch without for the kids, and with for the adults."

Whatever.  And she has attached one of these buzz words to a word that either draws in, or pushes away, people.  You KNOW who you are:  there are tofu lovers, and tofu haters.  And there are many, many reasons for both.  Annalena happens to love tofu, in any form  (well, not any form. She is not a fan of the silken stuff). Some of her friends (this includes you, Gattopardo), are not likely to seek out tofu as a form of sustanence  (that's spelled wrong.  Deal with it).  Others are indifferent to it.  Even amongst vegetarians, you will find those who love, hate, and don't care for it.

This recipe is not going to change anyone's point of view on it, thinks Annalena; however, you should try it.   Some words before we begin: this does not produce a tofu that is crispy like a chip. For that, you are going to have to get all the water out of the stuff, and then deep fry it.  It's good, but it's messy, involved, and really a procedure not for the faint of heart.  The version Annalena presents here is slightly spicy, and perhaps undersalted.  But as you will read, you can change things as you go along.

Annalena first saw this recipe on  one of her favorite blogs: davidlebovitz.com.  You all should become familiar with Chef David's page.  He, in turn, is quoting from a cookbook.  And he has pictures.  So, make your version, compare it to his, and let's eat some vegan food.


Here we go.   To begin, you need a pound of firm tofu.  If you get it in the standard plastic packages, drain it, and then wrap it in a paper towel.  Put it on a plate, and then put a plate on top of it, with something heavy on top.  Annalena used a gallon of vegetable oil.  You leave that alone while you prepare the rest of your ingredients.  You may have to shop for some of these, but really, ragazzi, if you like Asian food, all of this should be near at hand.

Get a small bowl and mix up a tablespoon of sesame oil, and the same quantity of soy sauce, or tamari, or something along those lines.  The same amount of sherry, or rice wine (or, mirin, if you are not having alcohol in the house), and then three cloves of very finely chopped garlic (here, ragazzi, you do need to focus and get it as small as possible).  Then add an equal quantity of very finely minced ginger (Here, Annalena is kicking up the aromatics from the original recipe, which were one clove of garlic, and two teaspoons of ginger).  Add two tablespoons of water to this, and a teaspoon of Sriracha, or some other Asian spicy sauce .  Stick to the ASIAN ones here.    And if you do not care for spicy food, leave it out, because there is a bit of a kick here.

The original recipe says you MIGHT want to kick up the salt here.  Indeed, Annalena felt that, at the end, this was a bit undersalted.  Your call.  If you like salty food, perhaps a teaspoon of salt is in order.

Okay, now put this mix into a big plastic bag.  Unwrap that tofu, cut it into chunks that are 1/2-1 inch square, put them in the bag, mix everything together gently, and put that bag in a bowl.  Then move the bowl to the fridge, overnight.

Annalena found that the tofu imbibed all of the liquid, although she is told that there can be some left over.  OK...   So, when you're ready to cook, turn your oven to 350, and line a baking sheet with parchment.  Drain that tofu,   and then in a bowl, sprinkle a tablespoon of cornstarch over it, and turn gently.  Then put it all out on the baking sheet, and get it in the oven.

This is going to bake for 45 minutes.  At the halfway point, you may want to stir it a bit to even out browning.  In any event, the smell from the baking will excite you . It will.  Trust Annalena.  And at 45 minutes, out of the oven.

You can eat this as it is, but it's better with veggies, and some kind of starch.  Be adventurous and go to things like glass noodles, or soba,  or just stick with rice.  You get yourself a nice dish, which seems to take a while, but you're not doing much work here, and you can feel absolutely positive about having a nice dessert at the end.  Or, you can continue to feel virtuous, and have an orange.  Annalena is virtuous today, and she thinks she's going the orange route.

Next around, ragazzi, an incredibly versatile green sauce that should be a part of your kitchen repertoire, period.