By Andrea Nguyen
A few weeks ago, Phuong asked for tips on how to fry tofu well. Her husband said that Phuong’s deep-fried tofu was on the dry side. First of all, Phuong’s husband is a very lucky man that his wife deep-fries tofu at home! Secondly, I understand Phuong’s plight because I used to suffer it too. But once I set out to write the tofu book, I gained insight -- through lots of tinkering and practice -- into how to fry up delicious tofu.
Why fry tofu? Cooking tofu in hot oil creates a wonderful chewy-crisp coating on each piece, adds a rich fattiness, and creates a lovely golden color. It makes tofu sturdier for all kinds of cooking methods – such as simmering, stir-frying, and grilling. Frying tofu is a great way to advance prep your tofu. Once tofu is fried, you can keep it refrigerated for days. Cook tofu dishes with little fuss. No draining needed as the tofu is ready for action!
Many Asian tofu recipes call for fried tofu so I urge you to overcome any fears of frying. Asian markets and tofu shops sell fried pre-fried tofu. But aside from Japanese abura-age (puffy fried tofu squares or rectangles), I fry my own. That way, I know that my oil is clean and I can control the size of the pieces that I fry.
Types of frying:You have two basic choices when frying tofu. Deep-frying and shallow-frying yield the tastiest fried tofu because the pieces are completely exposed to hot oil. They’re easy, fast, and not overly dramatic tofu cooking methods.
Panfryingtofu does not create an even crisp texture all over the tofu pieces but you use less oil and can fry slabs that are a bit larger; however, too large of slabs (e.g., what you may put on a burger) can be unwieldy. Expect some sputtering when panfrying because the tofu is not quickly coated and sealed in hot oil. For that reason, be sure to blot excess moisture from the surface of the tofu pieces before panfrying.
Choosing tofu texture for frying:In general, I fry firm or extra firm tofu, which have less moisture than medium/medium-firm/regular tofu. The latter types of softer tofu are great for batter coating and deep-frying. Here’s a fabulous example from page 116 of Asian Tofu, in which the tofu turns a little custardy under its sheath of crispness. Terrific with a dunk in chile soy sauce. For Japanese agedashi tofu (page 70) that’s coated in potato starch, I turn to firm tofu because the starch soaks up a lot of moisture.
Super-firm tofu will turn crouton-like, which is nice for the little rods that go into a delicious classic pad Thai (see page 184). If you need assistance on figuring out tofu textures watch this video, which is in the enhanced tofu ebook.
Drain, Soak, or Press Tofu? You want to remove some moisture from the tofu but don’t have to render it super dry. If the tofu is coated with batter, just let it drain on a dishtowel. I like to soak the tofu in salted water to season it and facilitate draining. When deep-fried or shallow-fried, the salted, soaked tofu turns an even gold color quickly and the inside remains soft and not dried out. Flavorwise, the tofu is very lightly seasoned but your dish will be tastier in the end.
I don’t often press tofu to drain it for frying because draining or soaking does the trick.
Type of oil to use for frying tofu: Canola is great and so are vegetable/soybean oil and refined peanut oil. In general, choose a neutral-flavored oil that has a high smoking point. That is, don’t deep-fry with sesame oil. After deep-frying, let the oil cool, then strain it through paper towel, saving it for another use. Discard used oil when it has darkened or smells off.
Oil temperature for frying tofu: A deep-fry thermometer is the best tool for gauging oil temperature because you want a moderately-high temperature (360-375F) to quickly fry the tofu. My favorite thermometer is one that can clip onto my wok. Right now, I reach for this one most. (Complain to the Taylor if the numbers disappear after washing; they sent me a new one and it’s worked fine for years.)
Don’t crowd the pan or the oil temperature will lower too much. Prolonged frying can dry out tofu if too much moisture is drawn out of the tofu. Aim to do it quickly.
What to fry tofu in: Use a wok to deep-fry if you want to save on oil. A deep skillet works well. You can even fry in a medium saucepan, if you want.
Advance frying: Unless a recipe requires the immediate crispness of fried tofu, you can deep-fry a big batch and refrigerate it for five (5!) days.
People are always amazed that I deep-fry as much as I do. With some practice, you’ll be frying up batches of tofu in no time. It’s absolutely delicious minutes after it’s out of the oil. Maybe fry a some extra to sneak a nibble or two? That's the cook's bonus.
If you have extra tips or questions, pose them below.
Related post:
- Smart Ways to Stir-Fry Tofu
- Tofu, Kimchi and Bacon Taco Recipe
- Chinese Fermented Black Bean Magic (plus recipes)
- Fried Tofu and Egg Pancake Recipe (Tahu Telur)
More Asian Tofu
- Fried Tofu with Wasabi Guacamole Recipe
- Homemade Tofu Recipe Video plus Tips to Succeed
- Did You Stock Up On Tofu? Here Are 14 Tofu Recipes Plus Extra Ideas to Use It Well
- Air-Fried Salt and Pepper Tofu Recipe
Reader Interactions
Comments
Tuyet Nguyen
Thanks for the great tips, Andrea! I only eat meat (now) once a week and thankfully, love tofu! However, when it comes to deep frying foods, I become a hermit crab. It's one of my goals to overcome in the kitchen. My boyfriend has a picture of me in goggles, gloves and, jump suit when I fry my eggrolls. Practice does make perfect so I'll take it one batch at a time! One tip I have to share is to use brown paper bags to drain excess oil. It keeps food crunchy and it's ecofriendly. 🙂
Andersaus
I have oven baked tofu and achieved a crispy outer that is good in other dishes. I marinade it in a sauce made with soy or fish sauce, garlic, chilli, some oil or whatever seems good at the time. I then bake it, turning it over once or twice and moving it around on the oven tray. It doesn't puff up like fried tofu but it is still good. It is also nice to snack on, due to the marinade.
Andrea Nguyen
Tuyet, LOL -- I hope that you come out of your hermit crab shell and fry. Thanks for the paper bag tip!
Andrea Nguyen
Andersaus, Sounds like you're making a version of doufu gan, or seasoned pressed tofu that's baked. You can tweak the flavors however you want and the baking does make the tofu crisp a little bit. Great idea!
H4T
Andrea, on the third picture from top down, the one with green onion on tops and sauce on bottom...May i know what flour you cover with ? how do you create that texture of flour ouside the tofu?
Yun Ho
LOL on your "kind warning" not to use sesame oil for deep-frying!! Korean firm tofus are usually pan-fried at low temperature (to prevent splattering from moisture)and turned over to make both surfaces crispier. A time-consuming task but there is less "spent" frying oil.
Sprinkle dash of MSG Salt on both sides during pan-frying and you will have a tofu with good umami that you don't have to dip in any sauce.Diane
Hmmm...I think I've been frying too long as mine turns out a bit dry too. I think I'm crowding my pan and overflying. I'm kind of a frying novice, so this is very helpful.
Nate@HouseofAnnie
We deep fry tofu in a sauce pan until it's crispy on the outside, then serve the fried tofu with nuoc mam cham - so delicious!
Andrea Nguyen
H4T -- It's potato starch that I use for agedashi tofu. See page 70 of the Asian Tofu cookbook for more details. Thanks!
Andrea Nguyen
You love that Korean MSG Salt, Yun Ho! Korean tofu is more like extra-firm tofu.
Andrea Nguyen
Diane, less time in a hot pan yields more. Um... dive into the hot oil?! ;D
Andrea Nguyen
Oh yes, so simple. There's a classic Viet dish of fried tofu simmered in fish sauce with scallion. It's in Into the Vietnamese Kitchen and the tofu dish that I grew up with. If you make it, fry at the higher temp. I think I say a moderate temperature in the IVK recipe.
h4tngy@gmail.com
Thank you Andrea.
h4tngy@gmail.com
Will search for book at local store. Andrea, can I replace potato starch by corn starch? are they the same taste ? Trying to lose weight ...Thank you alot for tofu topics . 🙂 never eat tofu much before ...this week I gona try for a month combining with beach body shakology stuff...I gained 132 lbs after giving birth ,, after 1.5 years the weight still stands as rock lol ...hoping lose at least 10 lbs for a "minon" body ...hehe
Yun Ho
Yup, MSG salt in moderation does all the wonders!
Erica
With a family and on a buget I use tofu a lot. I use deep fried tofu with vegetable and stir fry it together with oyster sauce. Sometime also add mushroom with vegetable and tofu.
tuckpointing chicago
i am just impress to read your article. keep it up. your article help us to more info.
Andrea Nguyen
Erica -- what a great point to make! Tofu sure is a smart way to save money and get your protein. Thank you.
Andersaus
Thanks for your reply Andrea, I have your tofu book and made mapo tofu last week, one of my favourite dishes. I did add more chilli powder and some dried chillis, and I also kept the schezuan pepper whole, which was quite nice.
I am looking forward to making my first batch of fresh tofu at home, but need to get a mould first. I've found some cypress ones on ebay that look like they will do the job, so will be ordering one soon.limousine service
I anticipate your online writing are so absorbing that I charge added information.all the apacity of the commodity is actual useful. I never would accept anticipation about it this way
unless I would run in to your web site. Thanks, abounding allotment LoveLy post.
limousine servicePetter Joe
wow ! your post is so informative and so helpful. I am waiting for your next post. keep it up.
Jen
I love tofu but always find it a pain to cook. Hopefully after reading this post I will have more luck, thanks!!
Lan
I fried tofu before and they literally explodes everywhere and some pieces landed on my arms. It was painful need less to say. However, I was planning to make Bun Rieu and the store didn't have fried tofu. After I read your article, I for the courage to purchase fresh tofu and fried them. They actually didn't explode and came out as they should. Thanks Andrea for the important tip that I put pieces of tofu on the paper towels after drained them to remove the moisture first.
Jacqueline Runyon
Can I have the recipe for the fried tofu in your pictures on this article?
Andrea Nguyen
As mentioned, the recipes cited in this article are in my cookbook, Asian Tofu. Your library may have a copy for you to borrow. The book is also available at bookshops and on Amazon. Right now, the enhanced digital version is on sale for $4.99!
