Golden Spicy Tofu

This is one of my favorite ways to prepare tofu of all time. The main flavors are garlic, jalapeno, and white pepper. This is my adaptation of my favorite dish at Mandarin Gourmet in Cupertino, CA. This is all thanks to a very special post, at Viet World Kitchen. It took me so long to find a recipe this close to the one at Mandarin Gourmet.

Ingredients:

• 1 block firm or extra firm tofu (16 oz), liquid drained, cut into 1" cubes
• Fine kosher Salt and pepper
• ground white pepper
• white sugar
• 3 to 5 garlic cloves, depending on your preference
• 1"X1/2" chunk fresh (or frozen) ginger
• canola, soy, corn, or other pan fry-appropriate oil
• 1 or 2 Chilis or jalapenos
• Note: use jalapenos and deseed if you're afraid of spice- this will just add flavor, and very little actual heat
• Optional: 1 or 2 scallons, chopped finely

Instructions

Soak the cubed tofu in a bowl filled with boiling hot water that has been very liberally seasoned with salt- think saltier than pasta water, 2 tsp per 2 cups. The water should cover the tofu; Soak for about 15 minutes. 

While the tofu is soaking, chop the garlic, ginger, scallions, and spicy peppers finely. Set this mixture aside for later.

I've noticed (Thanks to a certain dinosaur) that when I buy too much ginger, I can peel and then freeze it in a zipped bag in 1" hunks- it's MUCH easier to cut when it's frozen.

In a small cup or bowl, mix 1 tsp salt, 3/4 tsp sugar, 3/4 tsp white pepper, and 1/4 to 1/2 tsp ground black pepper. Set aside for later.

Drain the tofu, and lay in a single layer on a plate with 2 or 3 paper towels on it. Pat the tops of the tofu cubes with another paper towel. You want the tofu to be as dry (within reason) as possible. The drier the outside of the tofu, the less the oil will splatter when it's frying.

Heat your oil 1/4" deep in a shallow frying pan, or wok if you have one, on just above medium heat. If you're not sure if the oil is the right temperature, cut a cube in half and put it in- it should sizzle and spurt, but not too violently. Below you can see how your tofu should look, and my salt and pepper mixture ready to go.

Add the tofus in a single layer into your oil, careful not to let them touch- they'll stick together. If they do, just turn the two stuck cubes at the same time. Turn the tofus one side at a time as soon as a golden crust forms- I use wooden chopsticks for ease and to protect my hands from hot oil. Keep turning until all tofus are beautiful and golden. The picture on the right is how it should NOT LOOK- these tofus are too brown! Check out the Viet Kitchen link in the description for a good visual.

Once the tofus are golden and crispy on all sides, transfer one by one (so you don't take the oil with you) to a paper-towel. Pour off most of the oil, so there's only about 1-2 tbsp left in the pan- BE CAREFUL where you put this hot oil! Another cool pan is, unfortunately for the dishwasher, the safest place to put this hot oil. Return the original pan with the remaining oil to the stove to reheat for 15-30 seconds, and then add the mixture of garlic, ginger, jalapeno, and scallions if you chose to include them. Give them a good stir so they're cooking evenly. Don't forget about them! we're coming right back to them.

Sprinkle the tofus with the salt-pepper-sugar mixture- this is really at your discretion for how much you want to use, normally I use 2/3 to 3/4 of what I actually make. As soon as the garlic and ginger start to become fragrant, add the seasoned tofus back into the pan, and stir to coat with that yummy oil. Because you removed most of the oil, the tofus should not get greasy- in the next step, you can carefully avoid pouring some oil onto the plate if you feel like they did. When you feel like the tofus are coated, pour the entire pan of tofu and seasons onto a plate, let cool for a few moments (really, you have no idea how many taste buds I have destroyed on this dish), and enjoy!