Pan fried tofu

One of my favourite foods is tofu, particularly the firm variety. The easiest way to cook tofu is to throw it in stew or soup, which I do sometimes when I cook gimchi jjigae. But when I have a bit more time, I often opt to pan fry it.

Ingredients

firm tofu

spring onions

oil (I use coconut oil)

red chillies (optional)

soy sauce, reduced salt

dark soy sauce (雙璜生抽)

water

Preparation

1. Rinse tofu under water, wash and cut spring onions into 5cm-long pieces. Set aside.
2. Drain tofu (I press gently between kitchen towels; tofu is heavily water-logged, so make sure you drain it sufficiently if you want the skin crispy in the end). Cover the tofu with kitchen towels and leave standing for 30 minutes, then cut into 1cm-thick cubes. Set aside.

Method

1. Heat oil in a flat pan (or wok). Once the oil is heated, fry the white bits of the spring onions and chillies, if using (爆香).
2. Once the spring onions are fried, turn down the heat and fry the tofu cubes till all four sides have a golden, crispy outer skin. (To prevent the tofu from sticking, shake the pan occasionally while frying.)
3. Once the tofu cubes are golden, put in the green bits of the spring onions and soy sauce. If the pan is too dry, and some water.
4. Turn down the heat again and let cook for another 2 minutes till the sauce reduces. Transfer onto a plate and serve.

crispy skin, smooth centre, yum!