Ideas for amazing tofu: how to get tofu with crispy crust/silky inside

January 28, 2020 5:54 PM

So I had dinner at the White Dog Cafe in Philadelphia the other day and they had this amazing tofu you could get as a protein with a salad. It was silky on the inside with a rich umami taste and had a thick, crispy crust on the outside that almost melted in your mouth. The crust had almost a crouton texture. Anyone have any idea how one might achieve that? I know they do a long marinade of the tofu and that the marinade contains soy sauce but nothing else.
posted by eleanna to Food & Drink (16 answers total)

I haven't eaten there so they may do something else, but the starting point is likely "cornstarch." This is a good starting point but there are many other recipes out there.
posted by darksong at 6:05 PM on January 28, 2020 [9 favorites]

After pressing out the water from the tofu onto dish towels and cubing it, I make fried tofu by coating the cubes with (1) white flour, (2) beaten egg with a touch of water, and (3) tempura. Fry them up in some oil and turn occasionally. When a batch is done, put them on a cooling rack so they don't get soggy. I wouldn't say they're amazing, but I think they come out pretty good.
posted by Leontine at 6:05 PM on January 28, 2020

Serious Eats’ (Kenji Lopez-Alt’s) method works for me. I don’t bother with the dusting and still get a crispy result. I especially like the boiling-water pour to replace blotting with paper towels, which in my view is unnecessary and wasteful.

Edit: duplicate! darksong, you beat me to it.
posted by alexandermatheson at 6:13 PM on January 28, 2020 [6 favorites]

Best answer: Baking firm tofu that's been pressed of excess moisture and then cubed, at a fairly high temperature (400 or so), works quite well per Mark Bittman's guidance. His How to Cook Everything Vegetarian has an extensive section on baking tofu.

I've done it the tofu marinated in just soy sauce, but also with a mixture of honey, soy sauce and sesame oil. It works quite well and gets the crunchy outside/soft middle thing happening.
posted by mandolin conspiracy at 6:15 PM on January 28, 2020 [1 favorite]

I get this texture by throwing cubed tofu onto a hot pan with sesame or another high heat oil, spraying some liquid aminos on them so that they absorb the flavour as they lose water, and then shaking on a good amount of yeast flakes. Umami and texture!
posted by Pwoink at 6:19 PM on January 28, 2020 [2 favorites]

Best answer: I can’t speak to the flavor question, but I think the best way to get the right texture is to fry the tofu in peanut oil for a really, really long time until the outside is golden. I don’t bother to bread it beforehand. Pressing our the excess water is useful but will only take you so far. The real key is just using very hot oil and being patient.
posted by mai at 6:37 PM on January 28, 2020 [2 favorites]

Best answer: You may have to start with silken tofu in order to get the soft interior texture.
posted by fountainofdoubt at 6:47 PM on January 28, 2020 [2 favorites]

I press and then cube extra-firm tofu, toss it with a tablespoon or two of soy sauce and a tablespoon or two of neutral-flavored oil, then just throw in some corn starch (enough that after some gentle tossing, there are some wet and some dry spots on the surface of the tofu). Then I fry it in my wok with a little hot oil. It is crispy and umami and good, and I think it's tossing it in oil that really makes it.
posted by BrashTech at 6:51 PM on January 28, 2020

That’s definitely a silken tofu you’re describing.
posted by a box and a stick and a string and a bear at 7:21 PM on January 28, 2020

Best answer: That crust is a tough call, and I suspect it's the result of a very specific dredge, and I think wheat flour (or wheat + another) is likely for a crust you could call "thick" - we routinely use rice flour or cornstarch and it's never as crisp as I want, even if I'm standing over the pan eating them the moment they cool enough to eat.

It might even be a batter, flour and water or beer. If the menu explicitly states the tofu is vegan it's not egg, but otherwise it might be egg. Did the menu say it was gluten-free by any chance? That would resolve the wheat flour question.

I find that shallow pan-frying gives you a comparatively pudding-y texture, even with extra-firm tofu, because it's cooked so briefly. I use the freezing method to squeeze my tofu (there are purpose-built containers for this but you can also do it in Gladware, you just need something to hold the tofu up about a quarter to half inch off the bottom) and that still stays pretty soft.

I'm afraid you may have to engage in some very delicious trial runs to dial in the exact coating.
posted by Lyn Never at 7:52 PM on January 28, 2020 [1 favorite]

like leontine

(1) white flour, (2) beaten egg, and (3) panko.

IME the tofu has to be *really* dry for this to work without massive splattering.
posted by j_curiouser at 7:52 PM on January 28, 2020

Best answer: In Japan this is made by liberally dusting silky tofu (definitely not firm) with potato starch/flour.
posted by smoke at 9:11 PM on January 28, 2020 [2 favorites]

Best answer: One fall after pumpkin picking my family went to White Dog for a late lunch. They had this squash soup as a seasonal special and my uncle couldn’t get enough of it. He jokingly asked the server to get the recipe. Before the meal was over, the chef came out and shared all the secrets of the soup, even giving my uncle a small bundle of unique herbs that can be difficult to get.

So if you live nearby, go back and ask your server if the chef will share the technique. It probably helps to go between lunch and dinner crowds. If you don’t live nearby, give them a call and ask, you never know!
posted by covercash at 10:46 PM on January 28, 2020 [6 favorites]

Best answer: Soft inside + super crispy outside is from frying in abundant oil in a very hot pan/wok. You can't get the really crisp outside without the grease. However, the hotter it is the less oil they will actually soak up, and if you put them on a paper towel afterwards it does pull out a lot. I never have to use any flour or cornstarch on the outside to achieve this. You just lower them carefully into the hot oil, let them cook until you can see the edge puffing up a golden brown, then carefully flip and do the other side.
posted by SinAesthetic at 7:56 AM on January 29, 2020

Best answer: I bake tofu on a sheet pan, on parchment paper. No marinade, no squeezing, just cubed about 3/4" square and carefully lined up on the pan, into the oven for 20-25 mins at 350-400 f. Firm or silken give different results, obviously, and I have no idea if either matches what you ate, but it produces a crispy, browned outside and a soft inside - that for me usually goes into another dish or gets topped with sauce alongside something else.
posted by niicholas at 9:56 AM on January 29, 2020

Best answer: For the last decade, I've relied on the method used by the old Horizons restaurant (predecessor to Vedge in Philly and the Fancy Radish in DC). It can read a little fussy, but once you do it once or twice it's straightforward and simple. It's best as written below, but in a pinch I'll do this with just salt and pepper rather than the full spice mix because I'm mostly after the delectable textures this approach gives. Since White Dog is in Philly, I wouldn't be surprised if they're using an adapted version of this recipe since Horizons was so well known for it.

The Rich Landau / Kate Jacoby method, from their 2007 "Horizons" cookbook:

Pan-seared tofu:

This is the restaurant's signature way of cooking tofu. With minimal oil, the result--once mastered--is a wonderful golden crust that is full of flavor. The keys are salt and pepper here. Use whole spices, grind them separately in a coffee mill until they are coarse, and then mix them together. Use whatever supporting spices you like or those that you have available. Here is a basic recipe to get you started.

Tofu Spice:
2 tablespoons coarse salt
2 tablespoons peppercorns
1 teaspoon corainder seeds
1 teaspoon caraway seeds
1 teaspoon fennel seeds
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 teaspoon celery seeds (do not grind)

Directions:
1. Liberally coast a 1-inch slice of tofu with the tofu spice on one side.
2. Place a shallow layer of canola or olive oil in a saute pan [cast iron is *great* for this].
3. Heat until very hot (you'll see slight ripples, but don't let it smoke).
4. Turn off the heat and gently lay in the tofu, spice side down.
5. Return to heat, spice the other side, and cook until the bottom looks golden.
6. Turn off the heat and *carefully* flip it with tongs or a spatula.
7. Turn the heat back on and cook the other side until golden brown.

When done properly (e.g. at high enough heat) most of the oil should still be in the pan.
posted by late afternoon dreaming hotel at 10:30 AM on January 29, 2020 [2 favorites]