Knife Tips: July 2006 Archives

If you love that crispy, crunchy fried tofu that most restaurants finesse nowadays, there's no excuse for settling with the sludgy, watery mess that an un-fried tofu stir-fry can become. Here's a technique you can use for almost any recipe that calls for fried tofu, from kung pao tofu, to mock fried chicken.

Fried Tofu
1 block extra firm tofu
1 phonebook
1 egg
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup chickpea flour
1-2 cups canola oil

1. Remove the brick of tofu from packaging, being careful not to let it crumble (always use extra firm). Set it on a cutting board draped with paper towels and place another layer of towels on top of the tofu. Then squarely place a phone book, or an object of equal weight and shape, on top of the tofu. Let sit for about 10 minutes and flip the tofu over. This will drain all that gooey water that prevents the tofu from soaking up the flavors you want it to.

2. In a deep dish or flat-bottomed bowl, break the egg and scramble thoroughly. Set aside. Combine the flours on a large plate and season (Salt and pepper may do the trick for some recipes, for others add a touch of cayenne pepper or curry powder). Slice your drained tofu into the desired size pieces for the particular recipe. Then, place a couple pieces at a time in the egg, roll them around until thoroughly covered, and repeat with flour mixture. Pat off excess flour.

3. Heat the oil in a large wok on high. After about 5 minutes the oil will be hot enough to begin frying. Place one round of pieces in the wok and flip after a couple minutes or once the first side seems to brown slightly. Remove when both sides seem to be firm and crunchy, and let sit on paper towels to remove excess oil.

If you're looking to avoid the gallon of canola oil that it takes to crunchify your curd, press the shite out of it and replace the tofu water with flavor water. Here's a trusty standard that works for numerous srit-fry and scrample recipes.

Soy Juice
1 block extra firm tofu
2 limes
1/3 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
4 Tbs. seasoned rice wine vinegar
2 Tbs. ground cumin
2 Tbs. ground pepper
6 cloves garlic, sliced
1 cup cilantro, leaves only
1 gallon size Ziploc bag
1 drinking straw
1 phonebook

1. Press your tofu with a phonebook (per above instructions)

2. Zest and juice the limes. In a bowl, whisk together the lime juice, soy sauce, olive oil and rice wine vinegar. Add spices and whisk again.

3. Now slice the tofu lengthwise about 1/4 inch thick, taking care not to break each piece. Place two pieces of tofu, long edges touching, on the bottom of your Ziploc bag, the zipper facing the ceiling. Cover the face of the tofu with garlic slices, and then some cilantro leaves. Build the tofu brick back up bit by bit, alternating tofu, garlic, cilantro. Once your flavor cube is erect, carefully dump the marinade into the bag. Zip shut, leaving one corner open just enough to fit your straw into. Suck out all the excess air. All of it. Place the phonebook on top of the bag for 30 minutes, or overnight in your fridge. Carefully turn at least once so that the tofu marinates evenly.

4. Sear tofu slices on a high flame in a lightly oiled skillet 2-3 minutes on each side. Add splashes of marinade and cook off before serving.

Who the hell has pectin in their cupboard--ready, in a pinch, to make some jam for breakfast? Not we. Here's a whisky-flamed jam heavy with onions and jalapeno peppers that requires nothing more than a pan and a fire. It's strong in booze, sugar and spice. And besides being a perfect topper for you biscuit people, it'll flame up for all you kitchen arsonists out there.

Whisky pan jam
2 cups cipollini onions, quartered
3 shallots, minced
1 cup whiskey
1⁄4 cup maple syrup
2 Tbs. ground black pepper
1 Tbs. smoked paprika
4 Tbs. corn starch
2 Tbs. vegan Butter

1. Toast the onions and shallots in small sauté pan until they begin to brown, about three to five minutes on medium heat.
2. Add whiskey and turn the flame to high. When the whiskey is bubbling with vim and vigor, turn the heat down to medium low and simmer for about 15-20 minutes, or until the liquid has reduced by more than half. Be very careful, as your reduction will catch on fire if your flame is too high. If it does, blow it out.
3. Add the maple syrup and spices.
4. Now in a bowl, mix the cornstarch with an equal amount of cold water and mix with your hands to make slurry. Whisk the jam while you add the slurry in a steady stream. Finish your jam with the butter. Serve on biscuits (we made Meagan's 'Sage, Rosemary and Thyme' Biskeez) or sliced wheat toast.