Takeout Fakeout: How to Make the Perfect Tofu

Today I wanted to share one of my favorite recipes for a quick, delicious, takeout-quality tofu stirfry. I always imagined tofu as one of those foods that can only be delicious when it comes straight from the kitchen of a trained chef. Certainly the pros wielded some magic that could turn this lumpy, spongy bean curd into crispy fried yumminess. And I certainly couldn't replicate those results with my decidedly unmagical hands, right? Well, maybe. But then I found this secret...

To start, choose whichever variety of tofu you prefer. I’ve tried both firm and extra-firm with this recipe, and the results were pretty much identical. So follow your heart (or just grab the first one you see). Drain the liquid from the package and lightly pat the tofu dry. I like to slice mine into pieces around 3/8 inch thick for optimum crispiness. Set the pieces aside and head to the stove. 

Are you ready? Here's the secret. Generously salt a few cups of water and bring to boil. Remove from the heat and carefully drop the tofu into the hot water. Let it soak for 10-15 minutes. I know this is counter intuitive - you need the tofu to be DRY to get crispy, right? Right. The hot, salty water actually opens up the pores of the tofu and draws the moisture from the center. Hooray science!

Drain the hot water and lay the tofu out on paper towels. Gently press, pat, and repeat until the little nuggets feel dry to the touch. Meanwhile, heat a thin layer of oil over high heat (medium-high if you’re a scaredy cat like me). Carefully place each piece into the hot oil, and let it sit undisturbed until it's golden brown (about 5 minutes). Flip, repeat, and voila!

I like to serve this with stir fried vegetables, a drizzle of sriracha, and this super lazy-but-delicious peanut sauce hack:

2 Tbsp soy sauce

2 Tbsp brown sugar

1 Tbsp olive oil

1 Tbsp peanut butter

1 tsp garlic, minced

In that order, so the peanut butter will slide right out of the oily tablespoon. Stir to combine, and enjoy!