Tofu! - Techniques For Using Tofu

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Techniques For Using Tofu

 

Recipe By :This Can't be Tofu! by Deborah Madison, page 7

Serving Size : 0 Preparation Time :0:00

Categories : Techniques for Using Tofu

 

Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method

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Draining: Draining simply means pouring off the water that the tofu is packaged

in. Pressing refers to wrapping it in cloth or paper towels or letting it sit

on toweling to force out the excess water within. The reasons for pressing the

water out of tofu are:

 

1. To make room for other liquids and seasonings to be absorbed, such as

marinades and spice rubs

 

2. To prevent excess spattering when deep-frying tofu

 

3. To prevent diluting sauces and dressings

 

However, you don't have to fret about this, nor do you have to do it every time.

Generally, I find that tofu can simply sit on some toweling while I'm assembling

other ingredients, and that's plenty of time to remove excess water. For tofu

that's to be deep-fried, you have to do a serious pressing or the water will

spurt dangerously in the oil. If you're not deep-frying tofu, look to the

simpler methods that follow.

 

Serious Pressing: Wrap an entire piece of drained tofu in an absorbent dish

towel. Set the tofu on a cutting board and weight it down with something heavy,

like a large can of tomatoes. Rest one end of the board on a plate or something

else so that the board with the weighted tofu is tilted toward the sink. The

excess water will drain off and flow into the sink. Leave for 20 to 30 minutes.

 

Towel Drying: This method is especially good for sliced tofu that's going to be

shallow-fried. Use a cloth dish towel or several layers of paper towels. Lay

the sliced tofu on the toweling, cover it with a second layer, and press gently

to wick off the excess moisture. Leave, it like this while you prepare the rest

of your ingredients.

 

Pan Drying: This process both dries and firms the to tofu so that it won't fall

apart in a stir-fry. Slice or cube the tofu without pressing or towel drying

first, then put it in a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat, adding a little

oil if you wish. The water in the tofu will evaporate and eventually it will

brown slightly, even if you haven't added any oil to the pan. This will both

dry and firm the tofu.

 

Oven Drying: Place sliced or cubed tofu in a very lightly oiled pie plate and

cook at 375F until all the water has evaporated and the tofu has a nice,

slightly firm feel to it when pressed with your finger. This will take so to 25

minutes at 375F. After 10 to 12 minutes, the tofu will have released a lot of

water. Carefully pour it off, then return the tofu to the oven to finish

drying.

 

The Myth of Marinating

 

Along with the notion that tofu will become whatever you wish by virtue of its

seasonings comes the idea of the marinade, the liquid means of transformation.

I have always felt that marinades are terribly overrated, and that they don't

really accomplish much except to flavor the very outside of the tofu itself.

When I was the chef at Greens restaurant, we used to keep blocks of firm Chinese

tofu submerged for days in an extremely strong marinade of red wine, mustard,

dried mushrooms, soy sauce, and other ingredients, but it never did much more

than affect the appearance and taste of the tofu's outermost surfaces. When we

cut into it, it was pure white, the marinade clearly never having penetrated the

tofu.

 

A more effective use for a marinade is as a cooking liquid. Pour it over the

tofu as it cooks and the marinade will reduce and cave a lustrous, flavorful

sheen. I think you'll be very happy with the results. Here's the basic method:

 

1. Drain, then slice or cube the tofu. No need to use the serious pressing

method, just blot dry the tofu to remove some of the water. Assemble your

marinade ingredients. Many marinade recipes are similar to each other,

consisting of garlic, ginger, scallions, soy sauce, sugar, and maybe some

molasses or dark vinegar. The sugar or molasses give the tofu its glossy sheen.

 

2. Heat a large nonstick or cast-iron skillet. Spray the skillet with peanut

oil from your own mister, or a spray such as Oriental Mist, add the tofu and

sear until golden on both sides. Even if you don't use any oil, the tofu will

color, but it's best if it colors a lot and for that you need some oil. If you

use enough oil to shallow-fry, the tofu will also get a crisp, golden crust.

 

3. When the tofu is nicely colored, pour the marinade over the tofu and

continue cooking until it has reduced to a glaze. As the marinade cooks down,

the sugars caramelize, leaving behind some very delectable tofu. You can simply

serve the tofu as is, or garnish it with toasted sesame seeds and slivered

scallions. You can also slice the tofu and add it to a noodle or rice salad or

a stir-fry.

 

Silken and Soft Regular Tofu:

These techniques, which can he used with all grades of silken tofu as well as

soft regular tofu, firms the texture, which keeps it from falling apart when

cooked. The cooking and the salt also round out the flavor. I routinely use

this technique with silken tofu that I'm going to cook further, and when I use

tofu in salads.

 

Simmering: Bring 6 cups water in a wide skillet to the boil. Add teaspoon sea

salt, then lower the beat so that the water is barely simmering. Add the tofu.

Simmer small cubes for 1 to 2 minutes; larger cubes for 4 to 5 minutes. Gently

remove the tofu with a strainer and set it on a towel to drain for several

minutes. Once dried, this tofu will be fine for gentle frying.

 

Steeping: Bring 6 cups water in a wide skillet to a boil. Add 1 teaspoon salt,

then turn off the heat. Add the tofu and let it steep for 3 to 5 minutes.

Remove with a flat strainer. If you wish to cool the tofu, lower the strainer

into a bowl of cold water, then turn the tofu onto a towel until needed.

 

FROZEN TOFU (page 3):

It's a common practice to freeze slabs of firm, Chinese-style tofu in order to

alter its texture so that it resembles ground meat. The water in it expands as

it freezes, filling the tofu with pores and pockets of air that give it a

crumbly, fluffy texture when thawed. (You can quickly defrost tofu in warm

water, then squeeze out the excess moisture.) But you don't have to crumble

tofu just because it's been frozen. You can defrost it and cut it into slabs,

then marinate or cook it in a saucy dish. The additional pores that it's gained

in the freezer are great at pulling in a marinade or highly seasoned sauce.

 

As many times as I've cooked with frozen tofu, I've never found the results

texturally appealing; in fact, quite the opposite. And certainly I've never

been as happy with the results as when I use fresh tofu. On the whole, if you

want a crumbly hamburger-like texture, you're better off starting with a fresh

block of firm or extra-firm tofu packed in water, breaking it up with your

hands, then drying it out in a skillet with a little oil, salt, and pepper.

You'll end up with both a texture and a taste that are more appealing.

 

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