Hello everybody welcome to Mrs. Lin’s Kitchen
Crispy fried tofu is
one of the popular food that you can order
in Boba Tea shop in the US
In this video, I will show you the secret
to make the tofu crispy outside and soft inside
I will also show you
how to make the garlicky soy sauce
and chili sweet and sour sauce
that will go with it
So let’s get started
Here is the ingredients overview
I added cilantro into my sauce
but if you don’t like it, you can leave it out
If you want to make the garlicky soy sauce spicy,
you can add sriracha as well
I used firm tofu for this recipe
but medium firm or extra firm are okay, too.
I wouldn’t recommend soft tofu
because it is too soft for frying
I used black vinegar in my garlicky soy sauce
and it might be difficult to find
at a non-Asian supermarket
Black vinegar is less tart
than regular vinegar
but it has more malty and smoky flavor
Let’s prepare the ingredients
I will show you how to make the two sauces first
grate the garlic
Next, chop the cilantro
If you don’t like cilantro,
you can leave this ingredient out
To make the garlicky soy sauce,
add 1 tablespoon of soy sauce in a clean bowl
1 teaspoon of grated garlic
1/4 teaspoon of sesame oil
1/4 teaspoon of black vinegar
and 2 finely chopped cilantro
Mix everything together
To make the chili sweet and sour sauce,
in a clean bowl
add 1 tablespoon of ketchup
1 teaspoon of white vinegar
1 teaspoon of sugar
1/4 - 1/2 teaspoon of sriracha
a dash of grated garlic
and a dash of salt
Mix well and make sure the sugar is all dissolved
I added ¼ tsp of sriracha
but you can add more if you like the sauce spicier
Now, I will show you how to make the fried tofu
open the tofu box and drain out all the water
Then put some paper towels on a flat plate
or baking sheet
and place the block of tofu in the middle
Place some more paper towels on top of the tofu
You want to add some weight on top of the tofu
to help squeeze out all the excess water
I used donabe pot filled with water
but you can use food cans,
exercise weight or anything else you can think of
Leave it for about 30 to 50 minutes
Getting rid of excess water this way
will make the tofu crispier
when frying
Change paper towels if needed
After about 30 minutes,
tofu should be ready for cutting and frying
Cut the tofu into 16 equal portions
I cut the tofu into triangular shape
but if you want to cut it into rectangular shape,
it’s fine too
Let’s fry the tofu now
Add oil in a pan or a wok
and heat it up on medium high heat
When the oil temperature reaches about 200 degree F,
add tofu into pan and fry on both side
for about 5 minutes
or until the outside is slightly hardened
and the color of tofu turns lightly yellow brown
Take tofu out
and let it rest for about 5 minutes
After 5 minutes,
fry the tofu for the second time
until it becomes golden brown
and crispy on the outside
It took me about 2 minutes more
When tofu is ready,
take it out and serve warm
with sauces we made earlier
This crispy fried tofu
is such a quick and easy recipe
and makes a delicious appetizer or afternoon snack
I hope you enjoy today video
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Thanks for watching
Happy eating and see you next time.