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That’s the only way I like tofu. I guess it would work the same if you cut it into little pieces? Thanks for the lesson.
You just made my night. I’ve not cooked with tofu at all, and I’ve just come around to enjoying it. I fell in love with the fried variety we had in SE Asia. It’s the only way I like it and now I can make it at home. Thanks!
@Claire@ClaireKCreations,
Yes, it works for little pieces. I’d however still recommend this size cause less flips are required and it is easier to have every piece yielded the golden crust. Anyway, have fun and enjoy!
Great tips on pan-frying tofu! I love pan-frying too although it may be a little bit more time-consuming but totally worth it 🙂
@Tastes of Home (Jen),
Just takes a couple of minutes, though is longer than deep-frying yet uses less oil which is also healthier : ).
Love the crispy crust on tofu skin. Even better with the pan-fry method. Thanks a lot for sharing the tips!
Always enjoy your great tips on great food! The pan-fried tofu looks perfect!
I like tofu with crispy crust too but frying tofu is a pain! The oil splatters like mad.
@pigpigscorner,
This is no pain : ). Blot dry tofu enough and, with low heat and minimal oil shall cause little or no splatters. Hope you will soon get a chance to enjoy this.
Yummy! I love tofu dishes.
What a perfect time…I got tofu from Costco and was wondering how to fry them as I love the crispy crust when served in restaurant…will definitely try your recipe. The pictures are awesome, very inviting…yummie! Have a great week 🙂
Great tip! Yes, agree with you. Panfrying tofu really tests our patience. Cannot rush.
I always pan fry them before using it in my stir fries. Perhaps I should just served it like the way you did.
I love crispy crust on tofu and this is great!
I seldom coat mine too. The key is to blot the tofu dry like yours.
I always love this kind of tofu..tender yet very crisp..lovely to dip with some chilli soya sauce.
I tried frying tofu once but the skin did not brown at all… so really grateful for your tutorial which will come in handy to me next time 🙂
It looks so golden, I shall try it! Thanks for sharing! :_
Didn’t know that salt was the factor in making it crispy. I usually just blot dry and pan-fry it over a little oil. Just bought some tofu and will try it later:)
@mumusings,
Salt helps draw moisture from tofu while acting as a seasoning, but not necessarily makes it crispy. Just to clarify.
‘Be gentle and don’t rush’ – this is a good philosophy even for life and all the good things we enjoy. 🙂
Your tofu recipe is lovely as always. I have tried two of them so far and have cooked them for friends and family…so far I have received compliments of the dishes and nothing else. 🙂 And recently I have cooked a dish of pan fry firm tofu with sesame sauce too. My daughter loves it. The pan fry tofu without any garnishing or sauces smell really nice by itself. I am glad you are sharing this recipe. Thanks!!
@milkitchen,
Thanks for writing and keeping me informed of how you enjoy this. I bet you must have made great adaptations. Wish you enjoy more with your friends and family.
As long as I blog here, I do hope to share more recipes on tofu, which is one of my favorite ingredients, to be honest.
[…] best oil pan frying tastehongkong.com […]
I have been cooking naked pan fried tofu for years. I have always used nonstick pans and added different simmer sauces at the end for flavor . I am now moving to carbon steel and find its a whole other technique. The description here is the best. I found it worked without sticking even with soft/medium tofu. My other attempts did not. I will be playing with the flavoring sauces I used on my nonstick though I know I must be careful with anything acidic.
It makes sense that “Taste of Hong Kong” would get it right!
Simple, healthy, delicious, and cheap. Thank you for sharing your method!
@Inside Nine,
Great! Happy to learn that you could even tackle the soft tofu with this.
Best description? Thank you for your kind compliment!
@rubin427,
You are welcome!
When would be the best time to add a little flavor? Marinate it or during cooking?
@Lyndsey,
After pan-fried, accompany the tofu with a dipping sauce if you serve it on its own. That way, you would be able to enjoy the fried tofu crisp. We don’t marinate it before pan-frying; only salting, as above, is needed. In stir-fries or in stews, you may need to briefly simmer the tofu with other ingredients to infuse the flavors before adding seasonings in the last 1 to 2 minutes. Do take this as a rough guide; details highly depend on the type of ingredients that are cooked together with the tofu.
Hope this helps.
This is just the recipe I was looking for! Can’t wait to try it tonight. Thank you!
THANK YOU!!
I have never been able to make fried tofu.
I didn’t know all these little secrets. 🙂
Your other recipes look great too.
what type of oil should be used?
@DerekB,
Oils good for frying will do, I usually use grape seed oil, canola oil, or sunflower oil.
[…] time handling tofu, so I wasn’t quite sure how it would turn out. I pan fried it, and followed these instructions.It is definitely something you need to be patient with, if you rush it then it burns the outside […]
[…] one I settled on was this one. It’s pretty simple and has some nice pictures. I followed it and got the same result: […]
[…] Add the TOFU, and fry until the pieces are lightly golden brown on all sides. (Here are some tips on frying tofu so it has a light crust.) […]
This is wonderful! I’ve tried for months to get my tofu to come out right, this really helped me! Thank you!
@Merry Wanderer,
Am happy to hear that this helped you, thanks for your feedback.
Thanks for posting this. My son loves tofu like this, and I wanted to make it without deep frying it. 😉
@Sunny,
You are welcome! Hope you and your son will soon enjoy this lighter, healthier version : ).
thank you… thank you … thank you I can’t wait to try your method for crispy crusted tofu. I’m confident now that I can prepare a recipe with delicious fried tofu.
This recipe is missing cornstarch…That makes it crispy in such a wonderful way.
@Lauren,
Excuse me, I thought I had effected an reply to you but just noticed that it was missing here! Just want to tell you that I’d love to hear how yours had turned out.
@zach,
Right, we don’t need any cornstarch for making that crust.
As I cooked the tofu, I put chili garlic sauce on it. Then I ate it with spiced vinegar. So good! 🙂
I wish I read this BEFORE dinner. I will do this simple method next time!
Thank you !
@Drake,
You hot and sour style sounds nice.
@Dennis,
Enjoy next time!
What is the best oil for pan frying tofu? thanks!
Nevermind…I just reread everything and see you mentioned canola. Sorry!
I love the pan fried tofu but the krill should be left alone for whales and other marine life.
I am trying to incorporate tofu into my diet so I tried this naked-fry recipe. OMG, it is horrible! It looked as pretty as the picture but tasted worse than its usual tastelessness.
This was my last hope. My dog won’t even eat it.
@Linda S,
Yes, the fried tofu is rather tasteless, so I served it with soy sauce, sesame seeds and spring onion. And, recommended to cook it with a meat sauce, or simply to put it in a soup. Am afraid I don’t have the experience that it tastes worse after fried.
Or, like Drake suggested, serve it with chili garlic sauce.
[…] find tofu incredibly hard to cook well so I am trying a technique that I found hereand I won’t combine it with the curry. Rather, the tofu will be served, with some soy sauce, […]
[…] 1(12-ounce) package water-packed extra-firm tofu, drained (Optional:Pan-fry the tofu) […]
This was fabulous! Thank you so much for posting this so a novice like me can do a beautiful fried tofu.
@Ths,
Great!
I used to serve my fried tofu scrambled with the golden crust scraped off and sprinkled on top. 🙂 Your tips have been invaluable. I was amazed when my tofu seemed to glide in the fring pan.
@H,
Bingo, you did a great job : )!
[…] je devais écouler, poêlé de façon à ce qu’il soit croustillant (une technique apprise ici, sur l’excellent blog "Taste Hong Kong") et taillé en lamelles, histoire […]
Who are you? What’s your name? I love fried tofu just like you do. Thank you
Bobbi Ysmael
@Bobbi Ysmael,
This is Maureen at tastehongkong.com.
thank you so much! been wanting to know how to do this for awhile and so glad to find an easy way to do it. success in first try. thank you so much tastehongkong. pls keep up good work. looking forward to trying more of your recipes. yipeee!
Thanks so much. Simple and clear and we got to enjoy great toasty tofu. Best, Hema
Oh, my gosh! I’ve been preparing (if you could call it that) tofu for 30yrs, and it was ALWAYS awful! Used your instructions this evening, and what a delight! It tastes GOOD! I mean, REALLY GOOD!!!
Thank you so much!
Yes! This method works perfectly! Thank you so much!
