How to make chinese fried tofu?

Question

I remember when I was a kid we went to a chinese resturaunt alot, and we would get fried tofu, it was little like inch squares, it was lightish brown and kind of crispy on the outside and normal tofu texture inside, did not have any complex flavors, but was just curious, is this type of fried tofu battered in something? Or is it just deep fried as is?

Answer 1

First you will want to drain and press your tofu.  Here is how.

Step One    Place a couple of layers of paper towels in the bottom of the shallow dish. Place the block of wet tofu on top, then cover with two more layers of paper towels.



Lay the small cutting board on top of the covered tofu and press gently for a few seconds. This will squeeze out the majority of the moisture.

Set the tofu aside for a moment, and throw away the damp paper towels. Rinse and dry the shallow dish.

Prepare the shallow dish with layers of paper towels and the tofu just as you did in step one. This time, lay the small cutting board on top again and set the canned good or canned goods on top to weigh it down. If you don’t have canned goods readily available, just about any small weight will do.

Wait for 15 to 20 minutes before removing the tofu and disposing of the paper towels. The tofu is now ready for marinating or using in recipes.

Shoyu Tofu  



Ingredients:

1 Block Tofu (firm)

Flour (for dusting tofu slices)

Garlic Salt - (sprinkled lightly) on tofu slices Sauce:

2 large Garlic bulbs, minced fine

1/2 inch slice of fresh Ginger, mashed

1 C Shoyu (Soy Sauce - low sodium is best)

1 tsp Sesame oil (Oriental Style)

1/4 C Pineapple juice

3/4 C Sugar (or to your taste)



Cooking Instructions:

Combine above ingredients (shoyu, minced garlic, ginger, sugar, and pineapple juice in saucepan and cook on medium heat until sugar is dissolved. If too salty, sweeten to your taste. Set sauce aside while you fry the tofu. Note: You can add chili pepper in any form to sauce if you like your stuff hot & spicy.  Cut tofu block in half then into 1/2 inch slices. Sprinkle lightly with garlic salt then coat with flour. Fry in hot oil until slightly brown. Place on serving platter. When ready to serve, pour warm or cooled shoyu mixture over cooked tofu. Top with sliced green onions and sprinkled with sesame seeds.

Answer 2

I think they often use a batter of a sorts.

Answer 3

Many Chinese restaurants still serve this.  Where we go it's called "Bean Curd, Homestyle".  I believe it's still quite popular.  At the place where we go, it's not breaded or battered, or floured.  It's just deep fried, and it does indeed meet your description.  So, check out your local Chinese food places.  I'm quite sure they have a bean curd (tofu) dish.  It might be just what you're looking for.  I hoped this helped you.  :o)

By the way, I seriously love it, too.  It's addicting!