In my opinion, 99% of the people who say they can’t stand tofu would like it if they ate it as I prepare it — Crispy Tofu.
A friend and I tricked her husband one year by giving him “chicken” chili, where the chicken was really crispy tofu. He liked it, but he didn’t like being tricked, so I doubt he’ll eat it again. Still. He liked it. In fact, I think he said something to the effect that it was really good chicken. I am sorry that we tricked him. But still. He liked it. 
Whether or not you are one of the ones who claim to hate tofu, I’d encourage you to give Crispy Tofu a try. Before I show you how to make it, I will tell you what you can do with it. It can be incorporated into main dishes in place of chicken or ground beef. Its bland flavor absorbs the flavor of the dish, making it fit right in. The magic, though, is its texture. When cooked (I’ll talk about that in a minute), your mouth will think it feels like meat.
You can use Crispy Tofu with cubed, sauteed potates, ala “Eggz and Potatoes” — really yummy. Or add it to a stir fry.
Now, I will walk you through the steps of making it.
First you need to buy organic, non-GMO, extra firm tofu. I like the White Wave brand. Then you freeze it, right in its package. When tofu freezes, it takes on a completely different texture — airy and chewy. Then you take it out of the freezer and thaw it, still in its package — either in the refrigerator or in a bowl of cool water on the counter.
Once thawed, it is time to drain it. Take the tofu out of the package and squeeze out as much water as you can with your (clean) hands, right over the sink. Then set the tofu on a plate that has been layered up with a few paper towels or a fabric towel. Put a plate on top of the tofu and then add a weight, such as a big can of some canned food. Let it sit this way for 15 to 30 minutes, while any remaining water presses out.
Now it is time for the cooking. This is the fun part.
Either cube the tofu with a knife, or break it into ground-beef like chunks. Breaking it into chunks can be done with your (again, clean) hands or with a wooden spoon right in the pan.
Speaking of the pan, the best pan to use is a well-seasoned cast iron skillet or wok. I am very thankful for my cast-iron wok. (About 6 years ago at Christmas, I returned a gift sweater that didn’t fit and chose this pan instead. )
Put a liberal amount of oil — coconut, red palm, extra virgin olive, or grapeseed — in the pan. I’d say about 1/4 cup. Turn the heat to medium or medium-high. Add the tofu. Salt and pepper the tofu very well. Garlic powder is good to add here, too.
My salted and peppered cubed tofu, ready to cook.
Scraping the pan as needed with a flat wooden spoon or spatula, allow the tofu to crisp up and brown thoroughly. Adjust the heat if the oil is smoking. You don’t want smoking. Just enough heat to get the tofu nice and crisp. The better seasoned your pan is, the better the tofu will be, because the crispy parts will stay on the tofu instead of sticking to the pan.
My cubed tofu, nice and crisp.
When it is well browned and crispy, it is almost done. If you have any left — because it is so tasty, you’ll want to keep taste-testing it — taste for seasonings one more time. Add more salt, pepper, or garlic powder. Now you can also add anything else you like — cumin, nutritional yeast, paprika, cayenne, or tumeric…
The Crispy Tofu is ready for you to eat all of it right away, as is, because it is just that good — or add it to a main dish, create a stir fry, add to fried rice, to diced potatoes, etc.
I’ll show you what I did with my Crispy Tofu on Tuesday evening.
I added big chunks of red onions and let them saute:
Then I added cooked brown basmati rice. I shoved the tofu to the side of the pan, and used the free side to warm up and chop up the rice. This way my rice-chopping didn’t chop up the tofu. I also had to add oil to the rice for its warming and frying.
To finish it up, I added a couple handfuls of sprouted mung beans and more salt and pepper to taste.
And that was our dinner. It reheated very well the next morning, when I packed it in a thermos for our day-out lunch on the road.
So… who’s ready to try Crispy Tofu?
© Copyright 2008 by Wardeh Harmon
Hi Wardeh-
I can’t wait to try it out. I buy the extra-firm organic tofu for my daughter already. We don’t tend to eat it cause my husband doesn’t like it – well, doesn’t like it how my daughter eats it – just mashed out of the package.
But, I think I might be able to convince him with this recipe. Maybe. But I won’t trick him. I’ll tell him what it is.
Thanks for sharing.
Sara
(T2CHK)
Looks good to me:)
No thank you my dear. I have had fufu. I have had it prepared several ways, and I still don’t like it.
I am, however, so very glad that you do.
You’re hilarious! I guess you must be in that 1%.
wardeh..we love this and we have it once in awhile..My hunny takes it right out of the pan! warm hugs
MOST of our family loves tofu anyway I make it, but D and R tolerate it if it is crispy like this and with a good sauce. The other way they will gladly eat it is as a ricotta cheese substitute in pastas, etc.
Thanks for sharing your “recipe”.
Gosh, Wardeh! I cannot WAIT to try this. My husband is one of those who does not really like tofu and I need to get him on a lower cholesterol diet. I am sure that he will love this! Thank you!
That does look good. I’ve been trying to make crispy tofu and have always failed in the worse way. Now I know how! Thanks.
I bought my extra-firm tofu today! Do you know if you can freeze mung bean sprouts? (I thought that your tofu recipe using them looked really good.)
I don’t know about freezing the mung beans — I’ve never tried it. If you’ve got some you’re wanting to “hold” why not keep them in the fridge and rinse them daily? They’ll grow very slowly but mostly slow down.
This recipe looks absolutely delicious!! I have been reading your blog for a while now. We have so many things in common, and I learn things from you. My family really enjoys tofu, although in the beginning, I did try to ‘disguise’ it. Thanks for the tip about freezing it–never heard of that but will try it. Thanks for your blog.
Hi, Melissa! I hope your family will like it. Thanks for commenting and letting me know you are a reader. I am glad to meet you!
Tried it yesterday! It was a big hit, both husband and mom liked it. I think it could have used more oil, but I am trying to skimp on oil because of my husband’s cholesterol. This recipe is going to be a keeper. Thanks, Wardeh!
Great! I’m so glad!
Looks yummy! I can hardly wait to try it with olive oil!
Love, Marian
Cooking this tonight! So, you didn’t use any seasonings at all except salt, pepper and perhaps garlic powder? I think that would be best for my bunch, we’ll see. I’m cooking it with potatoes and red onion and since my bunch are not rice lovers….. I am not sure if I will add the rice or not. I’ll let you know how it came out
Love
Sylvia
I usually only do salt & pepper, and then garlic for whoever can have it. Sometimes nutritional yeast. Simple and good! Hope you liked it.
[…] made Wardeh’s Crispy Tofu or as Chocolate Chic calls it: […]
why freeze it and then defrost it? isnt it already refrigerated?
Jaclyn,
Yes, it is already refrigerated. The freezing changes the texture, making it much more pleasing for many people.
Hi Wardeh,
I tried the Crispy Tofu tonight for dinner with stir-fried veggies and it was very good. Thanks for the great idea! I’m sure I’ll make it again soon.
-Sara
Yummm!! Your recipe for Crispy Tofu looks soo delish!! I am definitely going to try this out. I’ve bought fried tofu (I know, not quite healthy) but only cooked with it once. I used extra firm tofu and prepared much the same way in regards to freezing. Then I cut into thick wedges and dipped in bbq sauce and placed in broiler. My family thought I was nuts but they tried it. It seems my Mom is in the 1%, ha ha.
Thank you for sharing your recipe
)
-*Terry*-
Making that for supper tonight along with mashed potatoes.. recipe here http://stanford.wellsphere.com/vegan-article/dijon-tofu-and-potatoes/409540