today we're making one of the most
addictive fried vegetarian dishes out
there
salt and pepper tofu a vegetarian
version of the famous salt and pepper
style dishes in cantonese cuisine
there's a lot to love about this dish
from the nuanced spicy and salty
seasonings to the crispy yet tender
texture of the tofu in each bite thanks
to skillshare for sponsoring this video
more on them later but first my dad will
show you how to prep the vegetables like
a chinese chef
we'll dice up just the white parts of
four pieces of green onion here
to prepare these sweet peppers we'll
slice them first in half lengthwise then
we'll remove the core and any seeds with
our hands
[Music]
we'll then cut them into strips
lengthwise
then turn 90 degrees to dice
using three different colors of peppers
here to give the dish some more visual
appeal
we'll peel smash and mince two cloves of
garlic
now we're ready to introduce the star of
the show the tofu
first we'll drain the water from the top
[Music]
my dad prefers to give the tofu a quick
rinse with water before cutting it
first we'll turn our knife sideways and
cut our tofu in half
then we'll cut our tofu lengthwise in
half then those two pieces each in half
ending up with four equal parts
we'll then cut it horizontally the same
way into four equal parts if you prefer
slightly smaller pieces you can cut the
block into more parts but my dad prefers
this larger size which is about one inch
by one inch smaller pieces will fry
quicker so adjust your cooking time
accordingly now this next step is my
dad's special technique to get that
perfect tofu texture or flavor
now
we'll stir the water to make sure the
salt is all dissolved
after we add the tofu we'll make sure
all the pieces are submerged then we'll
cover our pot with the heat on high
we'll wait for it to
when boil water boils or after about two
to three minutes we'll remove the lid
and turn the heat to low and we'll let
it boil for two more minutes
this seems counterintuitive but due to
osmosis boiling the tofu and water and
adding salt will actually dry out the
excess moisture in the tofu with the
bonus of also seasoning it doing this
will result in a firmer texture a better
flavor and make it much easier to fry
later since less water will come out
when frying
it
up
now we'll pour out our tofu into a
strainer letting the water drain from it
we'll set it aside to let it drain and
cool off a bit
in the west tofu sometimes has this
connotation that is a substitute or that
it needs to be dressed up to taste good
but in asian culture tofu is often the
star of the show also known as daofu in
cantonese it originates from china
dating back to at least the 10th century
if you're wondering how it's made tofu
starts off as soy milk coagulated to
form kurds and depending on the final
product it's pressed to form tofu cakes
there are countless types of tofu from
silken to extra firm pickled fermented
pre-fried or mixed with egg tofu is
celebrated in chinese cuisine as a
wildly adaptable source of protein
featured in a variety of dishes from
silken tofu with syrup as dessert to the
savory and saucy marbled food to our
deep-fried salt and pepper dish today
now my dad will show us his technique
for getting that perfectly crispy
outside
we'll add four to five tablespoons of
cornstarch and spread it out on a plate
we'll beat our egg and set it aside
we'll pour our tofu cubes onto a plate
covered with a clean kitchen or paper
towel
now
we'll also use some paper towels on the
top to dry the tofu as much as we can
[Music]
now we can transfer the tofu to a large
bowl
we'll pour in just half of the egg here
now we'll gently mix the egg in with the
tofu
then place the tofu onto the cornstarch
we spread out on the plate earlier
making sure each piece is touching the
cornstarch on the bottom
with our hands we'll spread about
another tablespoon of cornstarch over
the top of the tofu what's the best
flour to dredge the tofu resulting in an
airy type crunch
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trial
with the heat on high we'll add about 16
fluid ounces of oil to the pot
[Music]
we have all of these ingredients listed
on our blog at madewithlao.com along
with step-by-step instructions and video
clips to guide you as you make the
recipe at home as the oil heats up we'll
prepare to drop in our tofu with our
spider strainer when the oil reaches
around 400 degrees fahrenheit or 200
degrees celsius we'll drop in our tofu
gently being careful not to splash the
oil
[Applause]
once the tofu is in be careful not to
mix it too much right away or the batter
will fall off
but we'll make sure to separate any
pieces that are stuck to each other
we'll add in the remaining pieces on the
sides they don't stick to any of the
pieces
come on
[Music]
we'll gently mix the pieces around so
they fry evenly
i also wanted to make a special shout
out to thank all of our wonderful
patreon supporters for helping bring
this video to life if you enjoy our
videos and are interested in supporting
us directly head on over to patreon.com
madewithlow
[Music]
when the tofu is golden brown or after
about five to six minutes of frying at
360 to 380 degrees fahrenheit we'll turn
off the heat and scoop out our tofu
now we'll set the tofu aside to let the
excess oil drain and get our wok ready
for our final cooking steps
this year
first we'll add some dried chilies
after just 10 to 15 seconds of stir
frying the chilies we'll add our garlic
then we'll remove the dried chilies
[Music]
after the garlic is slightly browned or
about 15 to 20 seconds we'll add the
rest of our veggies
after a quick 20-30 seconds of
stir-frying we'll add in our cookies
[Music]
after a quick toss we'll sprinkle on
about half of our seasoning with our
hands
we'll be a bit conservative with how
much to add here since we can always add
more later my dad likes to serve the
remaining seasoning with the dish so
each person can add more if they want
we'll toss for another 30 seconds making
sure the seasoning is evenly mixed
okay
and we're ready to plate first of all
now for a brief summary of the cooking
process with the tofu all cut and coated
one will heat oil in a pot up to 400
degrees fahrenheit then two gently place
the tofu pieces into the oil but don't
move them around too much initially or
the batter will fall off if you're new
to deep frying fry it in batches to make
it easier we'll deep fry the tofu for
five to six minutes at 360 to 380
degrees fahrenheit or until they're
golden brown make sure to separate any
pieces that are set together and to
gently move the pieces around three then
we'll remove the tofu from the oil and
let the oil drain for moving to our wok
we'll add oil then we'll add dried
chilies taking them out after 10 to 15
seconds then add garlic followed by our
veggies and stir fry for 20 to 30
seconds five then we'll add our tofu
followed by half of our seasoning toss
for 30 seconds then plate now let's see
if cam cam likes the salt and pepper
dish
do you like it bud
do you like it
tasty huh
do you want more you want more yeah yeah
what is your favorite salt pepper
food yeah mine is squeezed i think mine
is tofu is your favorite yeah i love
salt and pepper tofu
tofu shrimp squishy
how
[Music]
thank you for watching youtube thinks
you'll like this recipe next let's see
if they're right