How to Cook Tofu Like the Pros: Dry-fry and Marinate Method
85
If you are a vegetarian, you know it well--tofu disaster, slimy tofu dishes where the tofu has disintegrated into a flavorless mush. How do restaurants do it? My special method uses dry-frying and marinating, resulting in firm, flavorful tofu that leaves even meat-eaters impressed.
If you are a vegetarian or vegan who would love to make your own delicious tofu dishes at home, this recipe is perfect for you. Pass this web page along to your friends and family as well, and, when you visit for dinner, you will no longer have to subsist on side dishes or choke down their well meant but disastrous attempts at tofu.
Dry-Fried and Marinated Tofu
for Stir-Fries and Other Dishes
Needed:
- One 16 ounce brick of extra-firm tofu for every four people.
- Cutting board and knife
- Cloth Napkin or dish towel
- Teflon pan OR a very well-seasoned cast-iron pan *
- Spatula
- Prepared marinade in a bowl (see recipes at end for suggestions)
* A note on the pan: If you use a normal cooking pan like stainless steel or other varieties that don't have a non-stick coating, you will most likely have a lot of trouble with the tofu sticking to the pan, since no oil is used. Teflon isn't supposed to be dangerous at low to medium heat, but to be safe I've switched to using a very well-seasoned cast-iron pan. As long as I'm careful to watch it, I don't have trouble with sticking.
Preparation:
(First, prepare your marinade. See recipes at the bottom of the page.)
Tofu comes packed in water. Drain the tofu and cut it so that your pieces are a half an inch thick. For most recipes, you will want to then cut it into triangles, but some recipes call for strips.
Put the tofu pieces between two absorbent cloth napkins or woven dish towels (NOT terry cloth) and gently press, enough to get a lot of water out but not hard enough to squish it.
Dry-frying:
Use a Teflon or well-seasoned cast-iron pan at medium heat on an electric range, low to medium-low on a gas range. Slow cooking is the key to keeping the tofu from sticking to the Teflon and insures that the water has time to evaporate out before the outside is browned. Do NOT use oil. You want to leech all of the moisture out of your tofu, so do not use oil--leave the pan dry.
Place your tofu in the pan leaving room around pieces. You may need to fry a few batches to give it enough room. As the tofu cooks, use a spatula to frequently press down on each piece. You will see the water seeping out and sizzling in the pan. Once the bottom sides are very firm and golden in color, flip the tofu pieces and fry the other side, again frequently pressing each piece with a spatula. When they are golden and firm on both sides, they are done.
Marinade:
The dry-frying method has left your tofu dry and firm, ready to suck up the flavors of a marinade like a sponge. Place the tofu pieces in the marinade and stir well, making sure the tofu is submerged. Marinate for at least a half an hour and then use this delicious firm and flavorful tofu in a stir-fry.
Marinade Recipes:
Here are some example marinades that work well with dry-fried tofu. These marinades also do well with meat.
The following Marinades should work for one 16 ounce block of tofu after frying.
Simple, All-purpose Tofu Marinade:
- 1/2 cup Braggs Liquid Aminos (for a salty, smoky flavor)
- Splash of rice vinegar
- 1/2 large sweet onion, diced
- 5 cloves garlic, crushed
- water to cover
Chinese Tofu Marinade:
- 1/2 cup shoyu (or soy sauce)
- 1/4 cup rice wine (or sherry)
- 1 clove garlic, crushed
- 1/2 tbsp fresh ginger, grated or crushed
- 1 tsp palm sugar (or brown sugar)
Thai Tofu Marinade:
- 1/2 cup fish sauce (or soy sauce)
- 1/2 cup rice wine (or sherry)
- 1/4 cup palm sugar (or brown sugar)
- Splash of rice vinegar
- Juice from 1/2 lime
- 1 small shallot (or half onion), finely minced
- 1 tbsp chili paste
- 1 tbsp finely minced lemon grass (fresh or dried)
(tofu asparagus stir-fry recipe)
Storage:
If you have a half a block of uncooked tofu that you did not use, simply put it in a sealed container completely submerged in water (a zip-lock baggie will do in a pinch, but some sort of Tupperware container is best). Cooked tofu, on the other hand, can be stored just the same as any other leftovers.
vote upvote downsharePrintflag
- Useful (147)
- Funny (14)
- Awesome (68)
- Beautiful (19)
- Interesting (11)
CommentsLoading...
I am so excited to try this out tonight! I went to the N. Asheville Farmer's Market yesterday and got some baby bok choy, cilantro, and scallions. I'm going to use some asparagus and water chestnuts, too! It should be fun and delicious.
Glad I found this, I love Tofu, but I never cooked it right, just with onion, peas and cut tofu. The above sounds delicious. I will try it out. Thanks again for sharing this. Cheers :)
I often press my tofu between two towels, with a pan sitting on top of it. After about an hour, most of the liquid is absorbed by the towels and the tofu keeps its shape. Then I cook it and add it to the dish I'm making. I hadn't yet figured out how to get the marinaded tofu thing down, so I'm excited to try this method.
AHH HA! I've been soaking my tofu, THEN cooking it. Which has been resulting in a gross disaster! Thank you!
Oh I can't wait to try this!
We enjoy tofu and eat it regularly. i'll have to try cooking it this way.
Thanks for the tips. I blacken tofu cubes in olive oil, adding peppers, mushrooms, garlic and onions in the final 10 minutes. Turn off heat. Add great glops of soy sauce and a lesser glop of steak sauce or liquid smoke and mix in with powdered or flaked yeast protein. It tastes like breaded meat and goes great in rice or noodle dishes.
I have a teenage daughter who is vegetarian and we enjoy many vegetarian meals together, but I have always shied away from the whole tofu thing. Now I know where to come for advice and inspiration when we eventually try it. Thanks.
scrumpdidaliumptious neighbor !
I can't wait to try this tonight! Have you ever tried a barbeque marinade?
Yes, a barbeque marinade is quite tasty! My favorite soy product to use barbecue with is tempeh, though. There's a recipe here: http://hubpages.com/hub/Barbecue_Tempeh_Sandwich_R
Now I know what to do. I have used tofu, but never cared a lot for it because it was so tastless and I didn't care for the texture. I will DEFINITELY give this process a try. It sounds sooooo good. Thanks much for the info.
so good!!
what is the best recipe for a curry tofu? i usually just brown the tofu in strips then add curry powder and brown that, then done.... but sometimes i add cayen pepper powder allso.
I'll try this at weekend. I've tried tofu twice and both time I ended up will a load of slush in my stir fry!
ehsc010 ~ I haven't done much curried tofu before, but I have made a masoman curry with tofu before. I'll try to get a recipe for masoman curry up in the next few months!
This is amazing! I have been veg for 2.5 years and didn't start enjoying tofu until about a year ago. The problem is that most of the tofu I love is breaded and fried. And I certainly have not been brave enough to try making it at home--tom many bad memories of throwing wet cubes of tofu in with various dishes in college. No wonder I was nervous!
I am so jazzed to try this method! Tonight I am making something with the baby bok choy, shitake mushrooms, ginger, scallions and cilantro I got in my organic produce delivery yesterday!
That tofu looks delicious. I will have to try the recipe!
I'll be perfectly honest - I've never tried tofu.
This one's on the menu for tonight :-)
Looks great - nice work.
mine didnt look so appetising, but tasted so good, ill keep tryng till i get the presentation spot on, thanks a lot!
Thanks so very much for writing this. I will try it. I really appreciate the pictures and the homemade marinade recipes.
I can't wait to try this.
Susan
My husband and I love this method! We're not vegetarians but love to have a bit of variety for our evening meals. We now love Tofu night since I found this page. We were clueless on how to use it before then. Thank you =)
Wow, this technique is amazing - I can't believe I haven't seen it before. Recently, I had decided to minimize my reliance on highly processed faux-meats (i'm a struggling vegetarian), and other products like tempeh just wasn't quite there texturally for me. But this really creates something with bite. Thanks for sharing!
I don't use teflon pans, any ideas for cooking (drying) using stainless steel, cast iron, or wok? Do you think baking the tofu would work to dry it out?
I think this is great I have been looking for alernatives to meat that still had full to the bone flavour,, and it looks like your little tip has helped me change the way i have been eating for the better. thanx!!
Q
This looks great! Thanks very much for what looks like a good way to get less fat into my cooking. I wonder about the teflon, though, that's a very unsustainable technology, both in manufacturing and in the home. Do avoid high temperatures when using it.
New non-stick alternatives are emerging, however I have yet to see any real information on whether they are better than teflon or not.
For the moment, as an alternative to Teflon, I suggest tossing in some dilute soy sauce, then baking on parchment in the oven. This will dry the tofu and give it a nice golden color as well. The dilute soy sauce solution will also impart a bit of that caramelized taste you would get in the frying pan.
Once I have tried this method (probably in a few days' time) I will report back!
:-)
Bett
hi
i was wondering if you thought baking the tofu would be effective in dry frying it or getting it ready for marinade. i'm trying it with 2/5's of an extra firm block. the remaining 3/5's i used your method but then i thought of this.
what do you think of this?
chris
if you don't want to use teflon, maybe can try an oven to get it dry and firm
About the Teflon comments: Yeah, I understand, I use cast iron for everything *except* dry-frying my tofu. I am going to do some experimenting soon to see if I can get the same effect with a very well-seasoned cast iron pan. In the mean time, check out this great article about "green" and healthy alternatives to Teflon: http://greatgreengadgets.com/gadgets/2007/08/22/gr If it makes you feel any better, Teflon's harmful effects are only released at extremely high temperatures, and tofu is dry-fried at a much lower temperature than that.
A few people have suggested baking it in the oven, and while I agree that would dry the tofu out, you get a decidedly different effect than this method--the texture isn't nearly as good. I wouldn't want to do that, myself. Baking it, you can't be constantly pressing the water out with a spatula (as you can using the dry-fry method). In order to dry it out enough using an oven, you'd have to bake it to the point that the exterior would be really chewy, tough, and over-cooked. I'd definitely look into Teflon alternatives instead.
I have made tofu in the oven before and this method here is much better!!
I am going to have to try this-- I don't like teflon and would like to know if well-seasond iron skillet woud work/ Can I put just a swipe of oil with a paper towl?
The only way i have liked using tofu is making it into a fruit smoothie.
I make this once a week now, thank you!!!!!
nice one!!! i've been trying varios methods but can never get the right texture, but this method sounds perfect!! thankyou all knowing tinternet! x
Thanks for the excellent ideas. It always tastes horrid when I cook Tofu -can't wait to try.
Wow, I'm going to try soon! I tried cooking it and got lumps of wet tofu cubes in my stir fry. EW
I really want to try this...I always ruin anything I try to make with tofu.
mmm.. your page is so tasty. Thanks for such a nice recipe. I also like to try this Dry-fry :)
I tried pressing firm tofu between 2 cutting boards with 3 pounds of cans on it. About 1/2 cup of liquid resulted. Then I cut it into cubes and added a BBQ sauce to the original container with the cut tofu in it and let it absorb that for 1/2 day. Next I floured it with pre-cooked (browned) flour and deep fried it for 5 minutes. After putting it on paper towels to absorb the grease, I put it back in the BBQ sauce.
You can use this several ways - I like to use it in a stir fry with onion, rice and the tofu - and anything else you want... add some hot broth after cooking before serving. Yum.
awesome...never thought about pan frying it to dry it before I marinade it...what a great idea!
successs! i said i would try it and i did tonight and the results were extremely tasty!
awesome, want to try this .
its really great..
I wish I could say that this worked, but I used a teflon-coated pan and it still stuck! It was a catastrophe. Dinner was pretty much ruined.
Jenbeee ~ Oh no, that's very odd. Did you use "extra-firm" tofu and press it really well with a cloth first? I've never had that happen before. I wonder if it was the brand of tofu.
Mmmm I tried this but with a bit of a different cooking method. I sliced into a little thicker than 1/4" slabs. Painted them marinades of my choice (one was a soysauce based, hoison sauce marinade and the other was a spicy thai peanut sauce)
Dryed them out on the outdoor grill which added another depth of flavor and the nice grilled marks on each side. When sufficiently dried out . . I threw the leftover marinade on each one . . very tasty!!
thank you for this article!!!
i've been tofu friendly for years and never knew the secret to making really good tofu
I'm doing this tonight - I'm really excited.
This recipe is wonderful. THANK YOU SO MUCH!!! The texture is restaurant-quality and fabulous!! No more smooshy tofu for me!
I googled tofu marinades and this site popped up!
I am marinating as I type. I used frozen a thawed tofu which helps with texture also but i added the dry-frying before marinating. I have to say I have high hopes based on the results so far.
Tomorrow it will go into the tofu asparagus stir fry.
I have a question. Does anyone know why tofu marinades seem to rely so heavily on soy sauce? I have had a hard time finding recipes without it. I'm not anti soy sauce but it tends to make all the dishes tasted the same.
Probably because it contains a lot of salt, and tofu's inherent blandness needs plenty of coaxing toward whatever flavor you're looking to get. Try using different vinegars, but always remember to balance the acidity with something sweet like maple syrup or apple syrup* or honey or barley malt (for the vegans) or you'll wind up with a tofu pickle. No matter what you marinate in, make sure there is plenty of salt in your mix, all the flavors in the world won't help unless it is properly seasoned (salted).
*- Apple Syrup: Take a liter or 2 of your favorite apple juice or cider or juice some fresh ones. Put it in a pot on the stove and crank up the heat and let it reduce WAY down; until you have a cup or less. The bubbling in the pot will change as the water evaporates, from a water-type bubbling to a sugar-type bubbling, which looks almost foamy. Remove from the heat and allow to cool.This apple syrup is divine on almost anything you put it on: salads, ice cream, etc., and it's just pure natural apple sugar. Try it with pears or other juices.
Tofu is a tricky thing to work with. We bake ours on a pizza stone (or any of those stone products). The stone really draws the moisture out of the tofu more than any other method I've tried.
You just have to be careful and flip the pieces halfway through.
How long do you bake it on the pizza stone and at what temp? That sounds like it would be a lot quicker and could do all in one batch.
I have tried this a couple of times and it works a dream. Thanks for posting! I agree with Deborah (above) that freezing really helps too. If you freeze a whole block and then defrost, quite a bit more water will come out when you open the pack. This takes a bit more planning but seems to speed up the towel and dry frying stages.
I made tofu for the first time last week & it was great. I use super firm tofu. It's great for frying & it comes in a dry block, no water to deal with or freezing. Just slice it & fry it
KT, I'd never heard of that before. Where'd you get it? What brand? Sounds very useful.
I dry fry my tofu using the George Foreman! Works great..u get grill marks and all. Then near the end I add dry seasonings, like Italian Mix, Thai, Curry. If you put the seasoning on too soon, it tends to burn the seasonings. then I just put the strips of cubes on my salads for lunch at work.
Great tips, always looking for better ways to handle tofu
I just started to be a vegetarian on the last week of March 2009, just 2 months b4 my high school graduation.
This is so good!!!
Hummmmm, I love tofu :))))))
Yesterday i bought tofu and it didnt have any instructions on what to do so i just removed it from the water cut some few pieces and fried it together with some vegetables for half hour....you can guess the taste...tasteless...im trying this recipe tonight,thank God i found it!!!!
THANK YOU SO MUCH. This looks absolutely wonderful, I am running to the market right now to make this for my dinner tonight! Similar to what I used to do, but looks much better.
I also use tofu that isn't packed in water and so no need for draining! It is Wildwood Organics brand; I find it at Whole Foods. Works great for this dry-fry and is quicker than draining!
Does anyone know if it works as well to fry larger batches of tofu, keep it in the fridge, and marinate it when I feel like it? Is the tofu as absorbent? And does it keep well?
There is a great little gadget now to drain tofu without towels and plates and things. TofuXpress. It's awesome.
This made the BEST tofu I've ever had, it didn't even need a marinade! Thanks so much!
Thanks so much. I love this process and the recipes. One thing - call me a Luddite, but I don't use teflon pans. I have the old-fashioned cast iron which I love. I have found only one tool that works for cleanly and deftly lifting and turning the tofu in the early stage of dry-frying. A spackle blade is ideal for a variety of tasks in a kitchen - especially if you do not use teflon. It's thin enough and stiff enough that it leaves no tofu on the pan and it doesn't damage the tofu triangles. A hardware or paint store isn't typically thought of as a source of kitchen utensils - but in this case it works. Thanks again for this recipe.
Thanks sooooo much! I tried different ways of cooking tofu and never succeed in frying it that way. I'm sure it will be as good as the one I ate in China. Your marinades seem yummy too!
Thanks- this is really helpful... I always try to achieve that dry skin that restaurant fried tofu always has with the same results- soggy soft tofu. I wish there were more recipes out there involving tofu for the avergae cook.
I have been a vegetarian for 16 years and never ever could figure out how restaurants did this with tofu. Thank you thank you thank you!
I did the air frying method and the tofu finally came out right! However, I used a sweet & sour pork recipe and used the air fried tofu instead of the pork. Yumm!
this worked great! I accidentally bought the precubed tofu, but it worked great with my lime cilantro marinade for fajitas.
I tried this method just this afternoon, and it soaked up flavors wonderfully. My only question is this: how do you avoid "mushy" centers? The outside was great -- firm and chewy, but the middle just kind of "squeezed" out between my teeth. Any suggestions?
Brittney,
There are two things you can do. The longer you dry fry it, the less squishy it will be in the center. If it is turning golden before the center is dried out, then try a lower heat for a longer time. Be sure to keep pressing it as you cook it, too! The other thing you can try is to cut the pieces thinner. The thinner the tofu the less squishy center you end up with.
Well, here I am again. That last batch I made never made it into any kind of recipe. Everyone just kept eating it like a snack. Including me. I'm finally making more and they're lining up. Thanks again - it's wonderful!
I just tried this recipe and so far my tofu has turned out delicious-looking (still marinating), but it took FOREVER to dry-fry- over an hour for one block (two batches, admittedly). Am I doing something wrong?
Also, how long does the fried, not-yet-marinated tofu keep? I could see maybe making a big batch once a week or so.
CE ~ you can try frying it at a slightly higher heat to speed up the process. Different ranges will have slightly different temperatures at different settings. Just be sure not to char the outside before it dries out. You could also use a bigger pan, or do two pans at once.
I haven't tried to keep the tofu at that stage before, but I would imagine that it should keep a few days if you seal it and refrigerate it. You could also store it in a marinade with a preserving ingredient, like vinegar.
I tried this and it is so yummy. I did mine on an iron skillet and then marinaded it in teriyaki merinade. I am having the leftovers today, cold, with an asian cabbage salad. Delicious!! I am so glad that I finally found a fried tofu recipe that worked.
I cannot wait to make this tonight!! I have been searching everywhere for tips on what I am doing wrong with my tofu. I think this method is a winner. THANK YOU!!!!
This method works great. I tried it using a cast-iron panini pan and it worked perfectly, and was a lot less work. Because the lid is heavy, you can just leave it on and walk away. It does the pressing for you and you get some nice grill lines! I did it dry and it doesn't stick.
Can U cook the tofu the night before U are going to use it & then marinate it the next day?
Amy ~ Yes, that should work fine as long as you keep it in a sealed container in the fridge.
Thank U. I'm am going to do that now. U're article was very informative for me for this will be the 1st time ever that I have tofu. I look forward to reading more of U're recipes.
Thanks for the great post!
This recipe looks great, I'm going to try it tonight! I also agree with those who choose to use non-teflon pans. Rather than cast iron however, I invested in a set of Saladmaster cookware simply because it is constructed of medical grade steel that will not leech into the food under any temperatures. It cooks my vegetables really well, we'll see tonight how it does tofu!
i must try this draining method, as i have always wondered why you get two types in the supermarket:one in a block that reminds me of a block of yogurt!, and the other in lovely pieces that you want to eat right off the shelf.
thanks a mill.!!
ive been having tofu catastrophes a lot. This worked GREAT! i kept my heat on the electric stove at 4-6 through the entire process. YUM!
16 of you actually tried the recipe. Thank you for your comments. Do the rest of you just hunt around on line looking for recipies that LOOK good so you can comment? Your postings are a waste of time, as is mine right now. Are you nuts?
thanks for this great tip! I made some miso soup and it was great.
Eh..I know it's been commented on before, but cooking at low temperatures do I really NEED to use a Teflon pan? I've never cooked with tofu before and want to try this. Most other recipes call for olive oil to be used, but since this is meant to be dry, I can't use that to help prevent sticking.
I could buy a Teflon pan, but I really don't think that i want to use Teflon. Is it really going to stick that badly if I don't use it, but keep it at a low heat?
I have had dry-fry tofu stick pretty badly to stainless steel pans and a few other types of conventional cookware. However, I now have a really well seasoned cast-iron pan which does the job beautifully, so I no longer need to use Teflon. If you can season a cast iron pan so that it's practically non-stick, you're set. (I know, I need to revise the article so that people stop having to ask.) Feel free to experiment, of course!
Love Tofu!We have Tofu pretty often. You inspired me to work on more hubs about food. Yummy:)
I bought tofu many times, but didn't know what to do with it. I tired this method and cooked it with brinjal. It was great , my husbend loved it. Thank you
Thanks so much for these tips! I tried the dry-frying tonight and used your recipe for the Chinese Tofu Marinade and it all rocked...it was the first time I've ever *liked* tofu that I've made at home. Very tasty! :)
I have struggled with tofu... and so many of my vegitarian recipe books have not made it any easier. This is the important piece I was missing! This is a sure fire way to impress people with some tofu, even if its simply served with rice. What a great introduction.
Love Tofu! Thanks!
This is great! I will be trying it tonight! When cooking tofu in cubes, how do you make the inside not squishy?? When I make it the outside is super crispy but I hate the mush on the inside!
My tofu is now perfect thanks to this method.
I've had a good amount of experience with Chinese cuisine, and was never able to quite get the tofu the way I like it. I tried this last night and it was freakin' AMAZING. It adds some time to the prep, but it can be done hours in advance... and wow was it tasty, and it didn't all come apart in the wok.
Would marinating a day in advance be too much? Just curious...
thanks so much for posting this, Melissa!
Melissa Ray Davis: Can't wait to try this out, thank you so much for publishing it! I'm not a vegetarian, but I'd like to start eating tofu once a week to cut back on my meat intake. We just bought a wok and are really enjoying using it every night, so this will add a little more variety to our routine stir-fry dinners!
Thank you! My tofu was always mushy until I tried this method- it worked great!!!
Splendid - I never understood why I liked tofu eaten out but never got it right at home. Thanks!
I just cooked tofu this way for the first time and used a thai marinade with soy sauce, fish sauce, galangal, lemon grass, kafir lime leaves and lime. I have to say, this is the best tofu I've ever had in my life. Better than meat. Thanks!
Thanks so much for the recipe. Tried it tonight with some tofu I had and it worked a treat! Delicious!
awesome! I've been trying to figure this out forever. I resorted to baking my tofu but it just isn't the same. thanks for this! it tastes so much better!
Whoever thinks there are only 2 types of tofu should check out a Chinese or Japanese supermarket -- there are dozens!
I make my own tofu, so mine is already pressed pretty dry (it's easier to handle that way), but this is my first shot at dry-frying and marinading. Looking forward to supper tonight!
My first try was a success!!! I used Kikkoman's Teriyaki marinade as a last minute marinade, but it has a lot of sodium in it so next time I'm going to find a healthier alternative!
This was my first time ever trying tofu. This worked like a charm. I used a griddle since I did not have a teflon or cast iron skillet. Thanks!
Used a griddle/panini press....towards the end of the dry fry session then pressed down with the panini side....was able to see water/steam vent out the side. Came out great and the pieces sucked up the marinade like a sponge!
Thanks so much for the advice. No more bathing my tofu in cooking oil and ending up with a soggy mess :-)
Wow, these photos make this tofu recipe look absolutely great! It's true, I really enjoy tofu when I got out to restaurants, but have the hardest time trying to make it myself. I will definitely try dry-frying my tofu next time.
Thanks for sharing this, I'll definitely be passing this recipe on to a few friends. Also, I'll have to report back after I've given this a try.
Oh my god these look so good. I've wanted tofu like the kind from my favorite Chinese place at home for so long but just didn't know how to make it. This looks spot on. Definitely bookmarking this to my favorites and giving it a try ASAP. That tofu-asparagus dish looks AWESOME! :)
Thank you so much for posting this. I never knew how to properly cook it, it was always a mushy mess because I couldn't press it well enough to get enough moisture out of it. It was always bland too. Now that I've learned and enjoyed this dry fry method and marinating it after cooking, it has given me new ideas for cooking tofu.. and they work so much better now with this experience. I really appreciate the photos and the great descriptions!
So helpful, basic & direct. I really needed these pointers! has anyone ever been to www.whatissuitetabu.com? I just ordered some soy candles. . . pretty good
Anyway, Thx
Can one freeze the remaining seasoned tofu?
I admit that I did not read every comment, so if this is a repeat, I apologize. The best way I know of to drain tofu is the TofuXpress...I have had mine for a few months and pretty much keep a block pressing in the fridge all the time. There are some for sale at amazon...http://www.amazon.com/Gourmet-Food-Press/dp/B002QO
Thank you! I tried this and it turn out great. Best tofu cooking method I've found!
This is an awesome method, thanks for posting this! Now I can cook tofu at home well, without tons of oil. Tried it and loved it!
This really IS a great instruction. I have cooked Tofu for many years, but never dry fry. It ends up looking not unlike the fried tofu I buy in the stores. Its good enough that it can be eaten right away (just quick mix with a cold sauce, ie. peanut satay), or marinated for a length of time, then cooked. Try it with chinese Chili & Basil paste with fresh garlic, delish!
ditto on this being awesome! ive tried countless times to make tofu, only to make soggy wet cubes. this actually worked!
This way of cooking tofu is SOO GOOD!! Way better than any other method! It makes the most delicious tofu that has great texture. I'm so glad I found this recipe, this ones a keeper!!!!!
Looks great!! The one question I have is if you make a lot and want to keep it in the fridge for 2-3 days, is it better to take to dry-fried tofu out of the marinade after 4-5 hours, or keep it in the marinade refridgerated for 2-3 days. I'm going to go with taking it out of the marinade, but If any has left it in the marinade for 2+ days I'd be interested to hear the results!
I really want to try this, but I worry that leaving the cooked tofu out with result in food poisoning. Is it supposed to marinade in the fridge?
This looks so yummy, I can't wait to try it. I do like tofu!
SOOOOOO good! my new favorite way to make tofu
They don't make 16 oz. blocks of tofu anymore, at least not here in the U.S. The standard weight is 14 oz, except for Soy Boy brand which is 15.
I just tried this method tonight in our cast iron skillet - it worked fabulously! I marinated it in a lime/tamari/honey/brown sugar/scallion/garlic marinade for a few minutes and it was perfect. Thanks for the great tutorial - I always wondered how the restaurants did it!
LOVED IT!!!!!!!!!!!! THANKSSSSSS
I had the SLIMY FALL APART MUSH problem until I found this guide - It worked really well and I'll be using this method from now on. Thanks so much for taking the time to put this together! From Eastern Canada!
Because tofu packs so many nutrients into a serving of between 70-100 calories, it can be a great part of a weight loss regimen or a way to maintain a healthy weight. It delivers the protein benefits of meat while still being low in saturated fat and sodium.
fab i love it.
works perfectly, the drier the tofu the better. i need to have some patience when it comes to drying the tofu.
This looks so incredibly good. I have a question, though someone may have asked it in the last three years (and I'm sorry if they have and I didn't see it), is this similar to usu-age tofu, or fried tofu? Could I use this as an alternative? I don't like the idea of eating deep fried anything, and if this will work in my Japanese recipes instead, I will love you forever (but not in a creepy way, lol).
Thanks for your time!
Nice guide!
It took me ages to learn how to cook tofu properly, my Wife is vegan, so I do like to treat her to the occasional vegan meal!
I havent tried it as yet so wish me luck
This is the first time I learned about dry-frying tofu. I will have to try your method. I also like the different recipes for marinated sauce.
Thanks for sharing.
okay so I've never cooked tofu before. bought extra firm. pressed it for a bit between paper towels. I have a non stick pan but not so non stick anymore. The tofu crumbled and became white scrambeled eggs. added a bit of oil. now I have the sides golden but inside is mushy yuck. Also I have it in little cubes so maybe too thick? I wanted to make veg version of curry chicken dish - similar to butter chicken. so will continue to practice....
tips:
1) don't cut the pieces to thick
2) ensure your pan really is non stick
THIS WAS REALLY REALLY REALLY GOOD!
I have high blood pressure and am supposed to eat a low sodium diet. How can I make my tofu taste great without soy sauce which is high in sodium. Please help!
i just made my first tofu dish thanks for the cooking instructions. i had no mushy disasters :)
I made this tonight using the Chinese Marinade (Soy, sherry, garlic, ginger and palm sugar). After dry frying the tofu I also marinaded some chicken strips for hubby. I reserved some marinade and thickened it with veg stock and corn flour to drizzle over the top. Served it with rice. It was YUMMY!
As for the tofu I use a 'hard' tofu and if you need low salt soy there is always low salt tamari.
This was fantastic! I'm put off by the soft texture of even pressed tofu, but this really worked out well. I didn't cut some of it thin enough (or press hard enough I guess) and they were still a little soft, but most of them had the firm chewy texture I was hoping for. I marinated it in a pineapple sake teriyaki marinade and served with a yummy mushroom pilaf.
Help at last! I'm going to try it.
Jut tried this. Absolutely badass. and that's coming from a meat eater. This is great ! Eat it with lettuce wraps!
Thank you everyone for all of the glowing reviews. I'm glad this recipe has helped so many people!
LC - A half hour likely won't allow for food poisoning, but refrigerating the marinating tofu won't hurt anything, so go for it!
Meghann – My only experience of usu-age tofu is in inari sushi, and I don't think tofu prepared using this method would work with that (it probably wouldn't hold together enough to split and stuff it), but if there are other usages for usu-age that are similar to the way tofu is used in stir-fry or noodle dishes, then I'd say go ahead and experiment!
JV – Yeah, you do have to make sure it is cut thin enough for this to work.
Anne – My suggestion would be to do a search for "low-sodium marinade recipe," maybe adding a word for whatever sort of cuisine you're trying for (Asian/Chinese/Thai/etc).
thank you so much!!!!!! I tried it right away - finally tofu stir-fry that is truly yummy AND that you can really sink your teeth into!!! I need to practice but my first batch came out about 85% great, i.e. 400% better than my usual mushy/crumby tofu stir-fry!
I just made this tofu tonight with a variation of your Chinese marinade with some green beans and mushrooms. It was delicious, but it did take a bit of time. Best tofu I've ever made! It was delicious as a replacement for the fried tofu in this recipe: http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Braised-Green-Beans-w which was delicious and totally customizable. My boyfriend gave it 20/20 (even if he added chicken). Thanks!
Thank you for sharing this method. This is exactly how I like my tofu, and it's a great way to change the texture without the fat of frying. I will use this all the time!
Forget teflon -- I just cooked up this tofu with my nicely-seasoned CAST IRON pan, on medium/medium low, and it did beautifully. I used a nice metal spatula (which you can do on cast iron, unlike on teflon, whose coating can scratch off with metal utensils), and had very minimal sticking. It was perfect and I plan to do dry-frying exclusively from now on!
what does it mean by "water to cover" in the tofu marinade?
nick - "water to cover" simply means you put the ingredients of the marinade together, put in the tofu, then add water until the tofu is all underneath the marinade (covered by the marinade).
I am going to try this tonight, I have my tofu and ingredients for stir fry all ready. Unfortunately, all my cookware is stainless steel (went through a divorce, hubby got all the teflon)!
I have a George Foreman Grill, however... and it's teflon coated. And it seems to me the weight of the cover on the Foreman Grill would work like pressing the tofu with a spatula.
I'm excited to see if it works! It looks delicioso! :-)
I can't wait to do try this! I am newly vegan and I hope this will help me! I don;t want to end up 'junk food' vegan/vegetarian.
This is by far the most awesome tofu I've ever made. I, too have struggled with barely edible tofu messes for the last twelve years. My husband even likes it made this way, and he's as carniverous as they come! Last night I made Pad Thai with dry fried tofu, and tonight I baked the other half block with BBQ sauce. I wish I had made a whole block of BBQ tofu...I'm so tempted to eat the rest before the hubby gets home!
I tried this tonight, using a variation on the Chinese marinade (so that I could just then add some hoisin and corn starch to employ the "used" marinade as a sauce. Also I added some chili oil and garlic chili paste because yum.)
Anyway, this techique is just excellent. I was raised by vegetarians and once I rebelled against that thought I hated tofu, but I decided I'd try to eat a little less meat and this technique was perfect. The tofu actually had texture and held up without crumbling, Chinese people have been eating tofu for thousands of years, they have it figured out. This was an excellent dinner.
yummy.... I can't wait to do try this!
Mellissa you ROCK!!!! I can't tell you how many recipes I have tried with Tofu & they all end up mushy. My hubby is adventurous and will try almost any recipe I make, but Tofu is a hard sell... especially when it always coming out less that yummy.
I'm definitely trying this one out tonite. I like the idea of not using any oil. Every other recipe I have seen so far calls for a few tablespoons of oil which I think adds to my not cooking it properly & ups the calories.
Also... I love the idea of using the George Forman to help dry out the Tofu.
Thanks again! ;0)
This is the best tofu ever. Tried it today and worked like a charm. Who knew using no oil will give you the best tofu ever!
Good work!
I just wanted to thank you for this amazing post. I have been trying to incorporate tofu in my diet more because of health and financial reasons. (I can get tofu really cheap) But my issue with it has always been texture, my husband said eating my tofu was like eating a kitchen sponge. Not something you want to hear about your cooking. But I tried your technique and it turned out amazing!!! It was honestly the best tofu curry I have ever eaten and the tofu was perfect. Thank you so much, this has definitely made me a fan. :)
We tried a thai tofu receipe last night not know how to cook tofu and needless to say the tofu was less than exceptional. Will try this recipe tonight. I do have a quick question though. I have a cast-iron pan but it is relatively new--how long did it take you to season yours before it was basically non-stick? WE used the stainless steel pan last night and just like you said, the tofu basically just stuck to the pan. thanks!
The dry-frying method worked pretty well. I think I should have cut the tofu a little thicker actually because it was a bit too thin. One other thing. We tried the Thai marinade and either my fish sauce is too old or the recipe calls for too much. It was really very strong! I think I need to buy new sauce, but am curious if anyone else has tried the Thai marinade...thoughts? comments?
I just made a tofu omelet just this week. And it was really good. I got the recipe here: http://www.foodista.com/recipe/2SZKXLLT/tofu-omele
I think the dry frying you got here is really good. I will try this too. Thank you.
I tried this recipe today using my George Forman grill. It turned SO good, that I just ate several pieces of dry-fried tofu, as they were! Great!
Hi, I tried the dry-fry methode and it was really great :)
I was really nervous about cooking tofu again as it always crumbles and is soggy. But, I tried this method and it worked wonderfully. Full of flavor. Thanks!
I am just elated at this wonderful site my search took me to. I am newly vegan and I really need successes to keep me moving forward. My tofu triangles came out golden and beautiful. My daughter said they looked like french toast....we're going through dairy withdrawals. Anyway, I cooked these to a background of show tunes, made my marinade with chili oil, soy sauce, ginger, garlic, a bit of sugar,vegetable broth, sesame oil, chopped green onions and chopped up smart style vegie chik'n strips. They are all marinating overnight. I can't wait for tomorrow's dinner. Thanks for keeping me on the course to healthier eating!!
I tried it with Mori-Nu extra firm tofu and it didn't come out! It broke and never got that nice golden color.... what brand do you recommend?
i've been a vegetarian for 6 years, and only now do i understand how to cook tofu properly. thank you for your recipes. i tried it and it is delicious!
Thank you! This was great. I tried the chinese marinade. It's great. I think the key is to cook on low, cause mine browned a little too much, but now I fully understand the art of cooking tofu.. THanks
Thanks for the wonderful tofu tip. I did the dry fry method in a cast iron skillet and it worked like a charm. Right now I'm marinating the tofu in a ziplock bag with a whole bunch of kim-chee. Can't wait to cook it all up for breakfast tomorrow. I just know it's gonna be good!!!!!! Thanks :-)
OMG! Thanks so much for the dry frying tip!! amazing! - for years I have been putting tofu in currys and wondering why it falls apart and isn't as nice as the restaurant dishes, and the pre-fired tofu is sooo expensive! Love it, will now check out your marinade suggestions!
it was so much fun i did it mom i still haven't tried it yet but we had fun thanks 4 the tips melisa ray davis bye
Just tried this recipe for supper tonight, it was amazing, thanks for this great hub. I have been a vegeatarian for years and am always on the lookout for new ways to prepare veggie food.
I have never heard of dry frying tofu ... going to definitely try it. sounds really yum! just a question, can i store the dry fried tofu in the marinade for an extended period of time? if so, how long?
This method works great, but only if you properly press the tofu before dry-frying. The way I've always pressed tofu is to set the tofu on a large plate with four paper towels under it. Then I put an upside down plate on top of the tofu block and set a bunch of heavy canned veggies or soup on top. After 1/2 an hour, most of the liquid will be gone. You can also flip the block over and press again on the other side. After that dry-frying is a breeze.
As far as marinades go with this method, so far I've tried barbecue sauce with some spices and soy sauce and a pre-made Szechuan marinade by San-J. Both tasted great.
I'd imagine just about any strongly flavored liquid + spice mix will do the trick.
Also, once you prep the tofu like this, cooking in a wok or skillet is a breeze. It should take less than five minutes if your wok is a hot enough. Don't overload the wok and keep those veggies crunchy and it turns out great.
Lastly, Mori-Nu brand tofu in the vacuum packed boxes won't work at all with this method. You need to look for tofu in a water packed firm tofu in a plastic tub with plastic over the top. This is usually kept refrigerated in the produce section of most grocery stores.
Excellent and so simple; there's no reason not to do this. After I pressed and dry-fried the tofu I marinated it in BBQ sauce for a BBQ Tofu Pizza. Most appreciated!
Thanks, I have been messing up tofu for years now! I'd like to know if you just cook the tofu after it has marinated for a while, and just add veggies?
Check out the great gift we got to press all the water out:http://madisonavemusings.blogspot.com/2010/12/inau
OMG! Now I realize what I've been doing wrong. This ifno is very helpful. Thx
I am a big tofu fan. I prefer dry frying also, but I never tried marinating it afterwards.
Thanks for the great tip, I'll sure give it a try.
Just finished the "dry-fry". Marinating as I type. Going to try it as a sub for rice with a home made ratatouille tonight. Results to follow.
I have failed miserably at making good tofu at home -- that is, until I came across this recipe. I am living in Central Asia, and can buy fresh blocks of tofu at the local market. For my weekly dry frying, I use a grill pan, and it is amazing! Even my husband, who is not a vegetarian, likes to eat it directly out of the pan. Thanks!!
thanks so much, my stir fry turned out wonderfully with my, now, intact & marinated tofu! before it was crumbly and mooshy, now i feel like I ordered out!
Great method! I'll never cook tofu another way again. I blogged about this here: http://bookdinner.com/bloggers/dry-frying-a-must-f
This sounds sounds delicious and will be on the menu tonight. Thank you! Another way to make tofu more palatable is to freeze it (while still in its package). Then, thaw the tofu completely, cut out the bottom of its package, and squeeze gently over the sink. Continue squeezing until no more liquid comes out.
At that point, the tofu has a spongy/chewy texture that some people may prefer. Plus, it can absorb more flavors than if it retained the original liquid.
Wow, and I thought I could only get that restauranty quality by actually pan-frying my tofu in oil first. This is awesome! Also, I highly recommend investing in a Tofu XPress! I wanted one for eight months before somebody got it for me as a gift. Saying that it changed my life would be an exaggeration... but only slightly!
Most excellent! Thank you for making tofu more appealing!
I am in the marinating stage of this right now, so we'll see the final results. However, I used the Forman Grill (saw that in a previous posts) and the darn thing worked like a charm! I did a tiny bit of extra pressing with a spatula to get a tiny bit more water out, but really there was almost none left. I, too, use the TofuXpress, which is the absolute GREATEST thing on the planet if you eat tofu. http://www.tofuxpress.com/ I barely ate tofu before because pressing was such a hassle. Now I freeze firm or extra firm tofu in the original package as is from the store (I coupon shop and have gotten completely free Nasoya tofu for the past year-- so I have a freezer full). I thaw it out in the fridge, then put it into the TofuXpress. By the time it's completely pressed out, the brick of tofu is about 1/2 inch to 1 inch thick and very dense (just the way I like it). As a former "meatatarian," I can honestly say this method has made the absence of meat a non-issue for me. I'm excited about the dry frying now-- I'm marinating right now in time for lunch. Can't wait!
thanks so much, my stir fry turned out wonderfully ;)
Love this - so helpful - have always wanted to learn this. Thanks1
Even though I've been a vegetarian for a year now, the daunting task of cooking tofu always resulted in me avoiding it. But now, thanks to this recipe, I've probably made the best vegetarian stir-fry I've ever had. Thank you so much for making me love tofu!
Thanks for the recipes and the dry fry directions. I don't have a cast iron or teflon pan, but I DO have a George Forman!!! I used the George as others suggested. What I did was: I cut the tofu into about 7 slices and pressed them. I then put them into a zip lock bag and froze them overnight. The next morning I took them out of the freezer and put them in the fridge. About 4:00 I took them out of the fridge and pressed them again. I then cut the slices into 3 pieces each while my George was heating up. I had the heat set at medium to warm up then I turned it down to medium low and put the tofu on the grill. I pressed it down a bit and carried on making my marinade. I would occasionally open the lid and press the tofu and you could hear the liquid sizzle on the grill, but there wasn't much. I cooked it for maybe half an hour or so, until it had golden grill marks on it and it was dry. Then I put it in my marinade... It was THE BEST tofu I have ever had!!!! My husband (who is a dedicated carnivore)told me that it was delicious as well, so I know it had to be good!!!! *Smile* Thanks again and thank you to the other posters for the suggestion on using the George!!!!
every time i have made it, from the tetrapak you get in supermarkets, it ends up a slight disaster, but i am going to try it the way you put it here, and i BET it will be 1000% better, can`t wait to try it. here in the UK, it is quorn that is the main veggie meat replacement for veggies, and i love it!,but i just fancy a change, and tofu sounds like it!
I just tried this for lunch. I have been a vegetarian for 6 months and vegan for 2 months. But, although I have purchased tofu several times, it always turned out soggy and slimey - so I have been mostly eating processed soy crumbles and tempeh for "meat". Using the method above, the tofu turned out just like an Asian restaurant - firm with a bit of chewy-liciusness. Yum! The keys, as detailed above: (1) NO OIL the first time you fry it, to dry it out. I was using oil every time in the past - we fry stuff in oil, right? Well, with oil the water is trapped inside the tofu. Without oil, it escapes and gets a nice crust outside and firmess inside. (2) Marinade after you get it dried and crusted. There are simple but critical steps. You, or Charlie Sheen, may say, "Well duh!" But I didn't know and now that I do I thank the author very much! My menu choices just doubled, thanks!!
Well I've got my dry fried tofu in the fridge right now! I fear that I might not have cooked them enough for to achieve that crunchy texture, but only time will tell I suppose. This is my first attempt at cooking tofu like a pro, or at all for that matter. I am letting it marinade for an hour, as opposed to half, just because I am a flavor fiend. So here's hoping my first attempt at tofu does not become my last. Awesome advice though!
Tofu tip of the day - If you freeze regular tofu you can get about 99% of the water out. Start with the regular tofu, normally it would be way too soft to squish the water out. Then freeze solid, then defrost. It magically turns into the texture of of a kitchen sponge and you can squeeze all of the water out. then fry as the recipe indicated (and you can use oil to make it crispy since there is no water). It seems a lengthy process but if you always have a couple in the freezer it only takes a day on the counter to defrost.
Thanks for this tofu recipe. It is very delicious.
There is a trick to getting the most moisture out of the tofu and that is to boil the slices first. It sucks out the water in the tofu and then pat it dry and dry fry it like the article says. It works really well and give you the "Restaurant" quality of fried tofu that is the BEST!
Wow, this is great.
Thanks for sharing this! I have been experimenting with tofu for several months now and the dry-fry method proved to be my most successful attempt!
I notice all the vegan people start with firm/extra firm tofu in their recipes, and the Asian created recipes use soft tofu, with the Asians producing a vastly better dish
Even surprised my Chinese wife by using this method . Great tofu thanks .
MMMM looks delicous!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I got the dry frying part down, but need to work on the marinade. This also takes quite a bit of time, so don't try it unless you have a lot of time and patience. I can see how it works though! Excited to try again, this time wasn't a complete fail, but needed more flavor.
I will definitely try this method as it seems close to the one our best Chinese restarant uses with excellent results and the tofu ends up really tasty. My previous method has been to cut into cubes and marinate in a polythene bad and then bake in the oven to dry out and then mix in with stir fry towards the end to reheat. Works reasonable well but tofu can end up slightly dry. I am diabetic so do not use sugar in the sauces but sometimes put a plum in instead. Use similar in my marinade ie soy sauce, black pepper, garlic, chilli, root ginger, spring onion tops, lemon grass, chives, white wine...
This is definitely very useful. I will try this out few minutes from now.
Thank you for posting this.
Well... It wasn't that yummy spongy fluffy stuff I get at chinese restaurants, but it was pretty darn good. I'll keep trying.
thank you !!!!!!!!!!!!
I used a well seasoned cast-iron skillet and had absolutely no problem with sticking. Worked perfectly. Thank you.
Yummy! As I was frying the tofu, my kids were eating it out of the pan. I used stainless steal with a spray of pam to prevent sticking! It turned out amazing & taste's soooooo good plain! Can't wait for it to finish marinating & throw it over some jasmine rice!
first time making tofu and found this site the quickest and easiest to get the info- didn't feel like watching long drawn out videos of people making it- thanks- hope it will turn out ok!
Thanks to Melissa for a great method for tofu. I have a couple of questions, a) I used pressed tofu which removed the necessity for pressing out the water. b) The third marinade seemed a little heavy on the fish sauce? A 1/2 cup of fish sauce seems a little on the heavy side? Since the concentrated sauce can be overwhelming. Has anyone actually tried this marinade?
I used your second marinade as a guide, with the addition of an onion and a teaspoon of toasted sesame oil into it.
Thanks, once more and cheers!
Jamie
---------------
Thanks for posting all of the different marinades: I usually use a teriyaki-style one that we use on chicken: tamari, garlic, crushed pineapple, a little oil. I'm going to print yours and try them all eventually.
Always wondered how they get the tofu brown in restaurants....Could never figure it out. Thank you for this interesting method. I'm gonna try it tonight. YEAH!
Wow, I never saw so many comments for a recipe. But the kudos are deserved - I just tried it and it was great! I'm not a great cook but this tasted great. At last, I have a technique for cooking tofu that even I can be successful with. Thank you!!
Excellent! I've had trouble with too soft tofu, the specialty firm/toothy types are more expensive, so this is a great recipe. I went a little different route though - dredged large slices through buttermilk & a seasoned flour mix (salt-cracked pepper-pulverized garlic-paprika) fast fried in olive oil THEN smothered in sliced onion & mushroom gravy 'YEP over rice... mmm-mmm... thanks for this! Every now & again I miss southern food this hit the spot! (I might try tempur next time)
I have a friend coming in to town tonight, and I wanted to make her cilantro lime tofu fajitas, I'm hoping that this method of cooking works out well! I've never cooked tofu before, but this seems like a great recipe! The only thing I have to worry about now is the chosen marinade...
I made this for dinner using the Chinese marinade and it turned out great. A bit tedious with the two step process but worth it to get firm, seasoned tofu. Thanks for the tip!
i tried baking it but it never toasted..it was still mushy.
Sir,
Thank you so much. such a wonderful,even without rice wine.
Yesterday I had an example of how not to pan fry tofu. New raw vegan no oil diet
This is what I am talking about!
Jmm
thank you for this recipe. I hate baking tofu - its never crispy! finally, after 10 years of being a vegetarian, I've found my perfect tofu recipe. I used this in a thai curry soup, which I'll put on tastykitchen. I'll be sure to cite your method!
Even my better half thought it was better than any tofu he had tried before (not that we have much experience but yum all the same). Marinated in a chilli sauce mixed with peanut butter.
trust me ... I have done this a dozen times now, and the basic message here is sufficient to deliver restaurant-quality tofu dishes.... definitely experiment... I also find that, to save my non-stick frying surfaces... a small misting of olive oil does not make a measurable difference, re dry-frying the tofu triangles.
Finally! I've always wanted to replicate the texture of fried tofu from Chinese take-out joints, my result was always a bland disappointing mush. I am now a dry frying convert!
Amazing..tried this evening and it was indeed delicious!!!!
Works like a charm! Thanks so much!
Rachel 4 years ago
I will definitely try this whole process next time I use tofu. As it is, my tofu dishes only come close to what I'd like them to be 1/2 the time!