April 2, 2024

Salty Crispy Tofu

Name: Salty Crispy Tofu
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 6 min
Total time: 11 min
Ingredients: 250 grams medium tofu; 2 cups water; 2 tablespoons salt; 4 tablespoons cornstarch; 3 tablespoons neutral oil

Appetizers + Snacks, Dairy-Free, Gluten-Free, Plant-based/Vegan, Sides + Soups + Salads

April 2, 2024

Salty Crispy Tofu

Appetizers + Snacks, Dairy-Free, Gluten-Free, Plant-based/Vegan, Sides + Soups + Salads

Comments

Comments

Perfectly salted, crispy on the outside, soft and eggy on the inside, this Salty Crispy Tofu is going to change the way you think of tofu. Shallow-fried with minimal oil, you’ll want to eat these crunchy, bite-sized treats right out of the pan. Whether you devour them all by yourself, or share them with friends or family, Salty Crispy Tofu makes a fun appetizer or afternoon snack. Or make it part of a meal with these fabulously flexible Buddha Bowls.

TLDR

Graphic showing 4 steps for making Salty Crispy Tofu - Step 1 is soak the tofu in boiling salt water. Step 2 is coat in cornstarch. Step 3 is shallow-fry in oil. Step 4 is drain on absorbent cloth.

What's different about this tofu recipe?

This tofu recipe may be quite different than many others you’ve seen. The key differences are:

instead of the frequently-recommended extra firm tofu, this recipe uses medium or medium-firm tofu
instead of pressing the tofu to release the water, you soak the tofu in boiling salted water
instead of pan-frying the tofu, you shallow fry it in a high-sided pot using minimal oil

Close-up, top-down shot of cubes of salty crispy tofu

Ingredients

This recipe uses just four ingredients:

medium tofu: This tofu has a crispy outer shell and a soft and buttery inside, reminiscent of scrambled eggs. You can’t achieve this with extra-firm tofu — it’s just too dense to start with. Medium tofu does the trick, perfectly. You could also use medium-firm, but don’t choose anything firmer than that. In case you’re wondering if soft tofu might be even better than medium, we did test it. While it does taste good, it’s too difficult to handle. It breaks easily and it’s hard to shallow-fry safely.
salt: Pressing tofu is a common way to remove excess moisture. Since we’re using medium tofu for this recipe, pressing it is too destructive. Instead, we're doing something counterintuitive that has the same effect — soaking it in boiling, salted water — a method that’s advocated by Cook’s Illustrated and Serious Eats. We tested various kinds of salt, including table salt, fine sea salt, and Redmond's mineral salt. All of these worked well, but we ultimately opted for table salt as it's the cheapest and the level of saltiness was right for our palate. Use whatever type of salt you prefer.
cornstarch: The cornstarch is important in this recipe as it's what makes the tofu so perfectly crispy on the outside.
cooking oil: You can use any neutral-flavoured oil that can handle high heat (such as sunflower, canola, or other vegetable oil). You can also use coconut oil, which may impart a mild coconut flavour. The precise amount of oil you'll need will depend on the size of the pan you're using for shallow-frying. You need just enough to thinly cover the bottom of the pan. We used a 9-inch diameter pan and about 3 tablespoons of oil. After we fried the tofu we measured the remaining oil — there was about 1.5 tablespoons left in the pan, meaning that only about 1.5 tablespoons of oil is absorbed for the entire recipe.

Ingredients for Salty Crispy Tofu, salt, medium tofu, cornstarch, cooking oil ( just a few tablespoons)

Medium tofu is firm enough to handle but soft enough that when shallow-fried it has a crispy outer shell and a soft, almost eggy inside.

The Steps in Detail

This recipe is easy to make once you're familiar with the steps.

Cut Tofu Into Cubes

Now that you’ve got your medium firm tofu in hand, the first step is to drain it and then cut it into relatively even-sized cubes. We cut them in roughly one-inch cubes, which is a good size for working with and also a perfect size for snacking on. Don’t worry if you can’t get them perfectly even. While testing, we ended up with some non uniform pieces and it wasn’t an issue.

Top-down view of medium tofu cut into about one inch cubes.

Soak the Tofu in Salt Water

For this recipe, you dissolve 2 tablespoons of salt in 2 cups of boiling water. Put the tofu in a shallow bowl and pour the boiling, salted water on it. Don’t worry if it doesn’t completely cover the tofu. In our bowl, the water comes just to the top of the tofu, but doesn’t cover it.

Top-down view of cubed tofu in a shallow white plate, topped with boiling salt water

Your tofu needs to soak for about 15 minutes. Put your timer on and go put your feet up.

This salt water soak may seem counterintuitive but it actually helps draw the moisture out of the tofu.

After the tofu’s done soaking, drain off the salt water and pat the tofu dry with a tea towel.

Choosing Salt

We tested various kinds of salt:

table salt
fine sea salt
Redmond’s mineral salt

They all worked well, but we opted for the table salt in the end, as it’s the cheapest and the level of saltiness was right for our palate. Use whatever salt you prefer.

Coat the Tofu in Cornstarch

Now, we’re ready to coat the tofu in cornstarch. This, along with the salt-water soak, helps give the tofu its beautiful crisp outer layer. Sprinkle the cornstarch on a flat surface, then gently roll the tofu around in it until each side is coated.

Top-down view of tofu cube being rolled in cornstarch

Now the tofu is ready for frying. You can leave this sitting for half-hour or so if you aren’t ready to eat yet. The tofu tastes best when it's freshly made.

Shallow-Fry the Tofu

The final step is shallow-frying. This doesn’t require any fancy equipment: the bare essentials are a large deep pan and a slotted spatula. If you own a splatter guard it’ll come in handy as well. You can buy these cheaply at dollar stores. In Canada, the one pictured below was about 3 dollars.

Graphic: 3 Tools for Shallow-Frying: A splatter guard for the pot, a deep-sided pot, a slotted spatula

To shallow fry the tofu, add a thin layer of neutral-flavoured oil to the pot, just barely covering the bottom of the pot. The amount will depend on the size of your pot. With a 9-inch diameter pot, we used 3 tablespoons of oil. Don’t panic, all of this oil does not get absorbed.

Only about half of the oil gets absorbed by the tofu — that’s about one tablespoon and a half of oil for the entire recipe.

Turn the heat to medium high. Once the oil is sizzling, drop the tofu cubes in the pan. If you’ve got a splatter guard put that on top. Let the tofu fry for about 4 minutes, until golden brown on one side. Then flip the tofu over and fry it for another 2 minutes, until golden brown.

Drain the Tofu

The final step is to drain the tofu on something absorbent, such as a tea towel or paper towel. It’s ready to eat, but be careful it’s hot.

This is totally yummy as is, but it’s also delicious dipped into something herbaceous and garlicky, like chimichurri.

Close up of Garlicky Chimichurri with Salty Crispy Tofu

Visual Overview: Making Salty Crispy Tofu

Step 1: Cut the tofu into cubes.

Cut the tofu into approximately 1-inch cubes.

Start with about 1 cup of lettuce per bowl.

Step 2: Soak in boiling salt water.

Boil the water and add the salt to it. Put the tofu in a shallow bowl and pour the boiling salted water over top. Let it sit for about 15 minutes.

Add 1/2 cup of spiced taco meat.

Step 3: Pat dry.

Gently pat the tofu dry with a tea towel.

Patting tofu dry with a clean tea towel

Step 4: Coat the tofu in cornstarch.

Roll the tofu in cornstarch, coating it well.

Next add a couple of handful of shredded cheese - about 1/2 cup.

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Step 5: Shallow-fry in a high-sided pot.

Put a thin layer of oil in the pan and heat over moderate heat until hot. Add the tofu cubes and allow them to fry for about 4 minutes, then turn over and fry again for 2 more minutes.

Top-down view into high-sided cooking pot, with salty crispy tofu shallow frying inside.

Next add a couple of handful of shredded cheese - about 1/2 cup.

Step 5: Drain on an absorbent cloth.

Put the tofu on something absorbent, such as a clean, dry tea towel. Taste and add more salt if desired.

Top-down view of salty crispy tofu draining on a white tea towel

Making Salty Crispy Tofu

Tips: Tofu Basics

Tofu is made from soy and is a good source of protein and other nutrients.

There are many different kinds of tofu, including: soft, silken, medium, medium-firm, extra firm. The difference is in the water content, with soft tofu having the most water and extra firm the least.

Different types of tofu are suitable for different recipes. For example, soft or silken tofu is often used for desserts or to thicken drinks and sauces.

While tofu may look raw, it's actually cooked. The process starts with soybeans, which are "soaked, boiled, and made into soy milk." This soy milk is then cooked and a thickening agent (often calcium sulfate) is added. It may then undergo further processing, such as pressing and pasteurization. The process for making tofu is similar to cheese-making. Watch Cheese and Tofu: Curds in Common for a great explanation of this.

Tofu can be eaten plain right out of the package (drain it first), but it's more typically eaten cooked and seasoned, as it's relatively bland on its own.

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Recipe Card

Print Recipe RATE RECIPE

Salty Crispy Tofu

5 from 10 votes

Prep Time 5

Cook Time 6

Soaking Time 15

Total Time 11

Perfectly salted, crispy on the outside and soft and eggy on the inside. This Salty Crispy Tofu would make a fun appetizer or snack.

Servings 4 appetizer size

Calories 129 kcal

Author Sylvia

Ingredients

▢ 250 grams medium tofu
▢ 2 cups water
▢ 2 tablespoons salt
▢ 4 tablespoons cornstarch
▢ 3 tablespoons neutral oil {See Recipe Notes. The amount of oil will depend on the size of the pot. Also, about half of the oil is absorbed, the rest remains in the pan.}

Instructions

Drain the tofu and slice it into 1 inch cubes. Put the tofu in a shallow bowl, large enough to hold the tofu and 2 cups of water.
Boil the water and dissolve the salt in it. Pour over the tofu and let it sit for 15 minutes, then drain the water off.
Sprinkle about 2 tablespoons of the cornstarch on a flat surface. Roll the tofu cubes in the cornstarch. Add more cornstarch as needed.
In a high-sided pot, add enough oil to lightly cover the bottom of the pan. Put the heat on medium high and when it's hot, add the tofu cubes. Fry on one side for 4 minutes, and then flip over and fry on the other for 2 minutes.
Remove the tofu and place it on a cloth or paper towel to absorb the oil.
Enjoy while hot!

Notes

Key Tips

use medium tofu, or medium firm
use a neutral-flavoured oil that can withstand high heat
use enough oil to just cover the bottom of your pan. I used 3 tablespoons of oil for a 9 inch diameter pan. Only about half of the oil is absorbed.
make sure the oil is sizzling before you add the tofu cubes. If the oil is not hot enough, the tofu might absorb more oil than necessary.

Storage and Reheating

This tofu is best served hot and fresh. You can store any leftovers in the fridge, but the tofu will lose its crunch.

Nutritional Information

Nutritional information is an estimate only. It's based on half of the amount of oil being absorbed into the tofu.

Nutrition

Courses, Cuisines, and Keywords

Course

Appetizer

Snack

Cuisine

American

Chinese

Keywords

crispy tofu

pan-fried tofu

shallow-fried tofu

Comments

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