Three Cup Tofu with Awesome New Pan-Fried Tofu Technique

This post couples a new tofu cooking technique with a new recipe I've been wanting to try for some time.

The good news is that the new tofu prep technique worked fantastically well.  The bad news is that the recipe I cobbled together from various Internet sources (Three Cup Tofu) fell short of expectations.  

The tofu prep technique was disarmingly simple and produced restaurant-quality textures.  I first learned of this approach from a friend who had me over for the most delicious tofu meal and nonchalantly described his approach as just tossing the tofu with cornstarch, pan-frying and then adding to the other ingredients you want.  

Doubting it could be this simple, I turned to the internet to find a more "formal" approach because I assumed there was a lot more I needed to do.  Learning more though, it turns out my friend's directions were completely right!

Using the Kitchn's approach, I started by pressing out excess water from my firm tofu block with a large can of tomatoes.  

After about 30 minutes, I then cut the denser tofu into 3/4 – 1 inch cubes.

Then sprinkled the tofu with salt and a heavy amount of cornstarch (approx. 3 tbsp), ultimately coating evenly.  The tofu started to look a bit gummy and sticky at this point.

Then I warmed a tablespoon or two of vegetable oil on medium-high heat.  When hot, I added the tofu and tossed every few minutes until all sides were browned.

I then started preparations for my attempt at Three Cup Tofu, the modified Taiwanese version of the famed Three Cup Chicken.  I cobbled together a few internet recipes to come up with my approach, heavily relying on The Vegan Word and The Cooking of Joy for my version.  

Unfortunately, what I ended up with was incredibly salty and heavy, and didn't feature the lightness of my favorite restaurant version.  I think I'll significantly reduce the amount of soy sauce in the next go-round and also add more basil.  It definitely was a tasty dish, just really had too much salt to be enjoyable.

Three Cup Tofu – first attempt

Ingredients

• 1 package prepared tofu (see above)
• 1.5 tbsp .vegetable oil
• 4 cloves garlic, sliced
• 2 tsp. sliced ginger
• 1 scallion, diced
• 2 tsp. sesame oil
• 4 tbsp. Shaoxing cooking wine
• 4 tbsp. soy sauce (1 tbsp. dark, 3 tbsp. light – will probably go to 2 tbsp. light next time)
• 1/3 cup chopped basil

Directions

• Heat oil with 4 cloves garlic in a nonstick skillet on medium-high heat.

• When garlic starts to cook, add ginger and scallion.  Saute for 15 – 30 seconds or until fragrant

• Add the tofu, and then the remaining sauce ingredients.  Cook the mixture down on medium-high heat for approx. 10 minutes.

• Add chopped basil, stir the mixture, and turn off the heat.  Serve immediately.