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Saturday, April 17, 2010

Pan-Fried Tofu


Tofu doesn't have to be a scary thing. I'm not afraid to admit that I like to eat it once in a while. It may taste bland to some people, but it all depends on how it's prepared. It's great paired with sauces, dips and veggie stir-fry. I purchased myself one package while at Whole Foods the other day. I remember in Trader Joe's, there's this ready to eat teriyaki flavored tofu that I would snack on sometimes. So I thought I make sometimes similar, but lightly pan-fried. I purchased myself the firm variety. Extra-firm works also as they keep their shape very well.

I used my usual Filipino BBQ sauce as a marinade, except instead of using yellow mustard, I used dijon mustard. One of the great things about tofu is that is absorbs flavors and marinades really really well. Marinated overnight, but you can make it the day of. The next day cook away. I lightly pan-fried these on my cast-iron skillet. A nice light crunch on the crust and soft BBQ flavor inside. Tofu is made soybeans, I served it with a handful of sliced mushrooms. See it doesn't look so scary. If I can cook with it, you can too.

I've got one other tofu recipe coming up, but that will have to wait as this weekend I'll be working on another production. Luckily, this one I don't have to worry about much.

Makes 4 tofu steaks.




Pan-Fried Tofu

1 14 oz package firm or extra firm tofu - water drained

Marinade
1/2 c soy sauce
juice of half a lemon
3 Tbsp ketchup
2 Tbsp dijon mustard
1 tsp sugar
1 large garlic clove - fine chopped


Combine the ingredients for the marinade together in a shallow dish. Make sure the sugar has dissolved. Set aside.

Remove the tofu from the package and carefully pat dry with a paper towel. Slice them into 4 or 5 3/4-inch to 1 inch steaks. Places the slices into the marinade.

Marinate the tofu steaks for at least an hour before cooking. Even better is done the night before for better flavors absorption.

Prepare your grill or skillet. Heat a little olive oil. Just enough to lightly cover the bottom of the pan.

Place the tofu steak and cook each side until it gets a slight char on the edges. roughly 3-5 minutes -- on medium heat. Be careful of splatters.

Serve warm with some of the BBQ marinade. 

17 comments:

lisaiscooking said...

This looks great with the mushrooms! I really like tofu, and the marinade sounds delicious.

chow and chatter said...

oh it looks yummy I think your right cooked well its great

Tangled Noodle said...

The hot oil splatter is what scares me when cooking marinated anything! But I've always wanted to make pan-fried tofu; the texture is so much nicer than just stir-fry, when it can get a little soggy. Love this!

Christo Gonzales said...

I love how this looks - simple - tasty and I dont know why this is appealing but it looks organized - I love tofu and this would be a once a week dish in my book.

Sippity Sup said...

Your presentation is just so lovely in this one! GREG

teresa said...

i really need to try this. i like tofu, but i haven't figured out how to prepare it myself. great job!

vanillasugarblog said...

this is a sauce i could get used to and use for french fries, hash browns, etc...

Anonymous said...

This look excellent. I love it that you paired the tofu with mushrooms.
I hope you have a wonderful weekend daaaaaaaaaaaaaahling.
*kisses* HH

Andrea@WellnessNotes said...

I love marinated tofu. Your dish looks and sounds delicious!

Happy Weekend! :)

Phyllis said...

WOW. Gorgeous presentation of one of my favorite foods (for real - I love tofu, just ate some with broccoli last night) You've made it look and sound really appealing, even to any haters out there. I hope everyone tries your delicious marinated tofu :)

Anonymous said...

I don't always like tofu but I love it pan-fried and the marinade sounds terrific!

Cucinista said...

I love tofu too and this looks like a good way to spice it up. Great photos. I've been working on a few tofu recipes myself so have a lot of blocks to get through.

Anonymous said...

My mother used to lightly fry tofu and I'd put soy sauce all over it.

I really like your marinade!

Dewi said...

You know what Jenn, I love tofu. I can eat tofu everyday for the rest of my life. This pan-friend version of yours, would be nice to try it.

OysterCulture said...

This looks amazing, and this from a timid tofu eater - I've had some less than desirable stuff in my time, but you make me want to cast aside my fear and grab my frying pan!

The Duo Dishes said...

It's crazy that so many people do not like tofu. It's so veratile, which is one of the best things about it. Love how you can do almost anything with it.

Unknown said...

I don't have ketchup do you think it'll still taste good.

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