Tofu’s proponents have tried to get us to see all
the ways to improve its texture—freezing or pressing or boiling to rid it of
spare water, broiling or roasting to crisp it up.These are all effective at making tofu friendlier to cook with, but nothing is as guaranteed to seduce a skeptic as dredging tofu in cornstarch and pan-frying it to a shiny crisp, while the inner bits go soft and custardy.
The just-fried nubs are almost too crunchy to eat,
which is why it’s a good idea to add them to a pan of shallots, chiles, ginger,
and garlic that have stewed in butter and soy and heaps of black pepper. In the
sauce, the fried cubes will relax just enough, but maintain all the integrity
you’ve fried into them.
This—with some brown rice—is as
impressive a vegetarian dinner party main dish as you can get. And cheap,
too—despite the 11 tablespoons of butter and 5 tablespoons of black pepper. The
tofu called for, even organic, costs less than $6 and feeds at least four,
generously.
Serves 4
Vegetable oil, for
frying
1¾ pounds (800g) firm
tofu
Cornstarch, to dust
11 tablespoons (150g) unsalted
butter
12 small shallots (12
ounces/340g), thinly sliced
8 fresh red chiles (fairly mild
ones), thinly sliced
12 cloves garlic,
crushed
3 tablespoons finely chopped
fresh ginger
3 tablespoons sweet soy sauce
(kecap manis)
3 tablespoons light soy
sauce
4 teaspoons dark soy
sauce
2 tablespoons sugar
5 tablespoons coarsely crushed
black peppercorns (use a mortar and pestle or a spice grinder)
16 small, thin green onions, cut
into 1¼-inch (3cm) segments
1 Start with the tofu. Pour enough oil into a large
frying pan or wok to come ¼ inch (6mm) up the sides and heat over medium-high.
Cut the tofu into large cubes, about 1 inch (2.5cm) square. Toss them in some
cornstarch and shake off the excess, then add to the hot oil. (You’ll need to
fry the tofu pieces in a few batches so they don’t stew in the pan.) Fry,
turning them around as you go, until they are golden all over and have a thin
crust. As they are cooked, transfer them onto paper towels.
2 Remove the oil and any sediment from the pan, then
add the butter and melt it over low to medium heat. Add the shallots, chiles,
garlic, and ginger. Sauté for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the
ingredients have turned shiny and are totally soft. Next, add the soy sauces and
sugar and stir, then add the crushed black pepper.
3 Add the tofu to warm it up in the sauce for about a
minute. Finally, stir in the green onions. Serve hot.
0 التعليقات: