The Vietnamese Cuisine - Deep fried tofu

When I talk with my Western friends at Hanoi about meatless meals, the conversation always comes around to Vietnamese tofu. I find two ways of thinking: (1) 50% hate it and are sure it is always tasteless and (2) the rest want to like it, but aren’t really sure how to work with it to make it delicious. 

I’m here to help!!! 

There are many different kinds of tofu and ways to prepare it. You can buy it anywhere from soft as custard to extremely dense; it can be fermented, pressed, deep fried, dehydrated, etc. You can even make it yourself as I always do at my word place – Cau Go Vietnamese Cuisine restaurant. In such case, we (me and my buddy chefs) can easily create the tofu with exceptional level of softness while preserving its subtle and sweet flavor. 

 For me, tofu is best understood as a food with a long history throughout Asia. As I talk about with my foreign visitors to Hanoi, it is not a meat substitute; in fact in many traditional dishes from China, Korea, etc. tofu is served with meat. But back to the point: Today, I’m not going to teach you a bunch of ways to cook tofu. I’m going to teach you one basic method for making deep-fried Vietnamese tofu with a crispy, browned crust that is our signature dish here at Cau Go restaurant. It is easy to do, take just minutes, and the results are far superior to simply cutting up cubes and throwing them in your stir-fry. 

Deep-fried Vietnamese tofu is our signature dish here at Cau Go restaurant.

Step 1: Buy Good Tofu 

Don’t panic if this doesn’t work for you, but if you live in a big city, there is a good chance that there is at least one store that is making fresh tofu every day. For example, in Hanoi, you can find good tofu branded “Lang Mo” at many super markets. When I walk into Big C super market in the afternoon, I can buy a pack of extra-firm tofu for about $1.50. (If you want to recommend other market for good tofu in Hanoi, please add them in the comments below.)

You can find good tofu everywhere in big city like Hanoi

 Step 2: Cut Your Tofu 

Open the package, drain out the water, and cut your tofu into cube about 3 centimeter each dimension. That will give you a nice ratio of exterior crust and interior softness. 

Optional Step 2.5: Soak Your Tofu in Hot, Salted Water Bring some well-salted water to a boil and pour it over your tofu. Let this stand for about 15 minutes, then drain. Such technique is the main key to create the crispy and crunchy ” Deep fried tofu” of Cau Go restaurant. 

Cut your tofu into cube about 3 centimeter each dimension

Step 3: Dry Your Tofu 

What we need to do is get the surface of your tofu dry. Put down a clean dishtowel. Lay the tofu out in a single layer on said dish towel. Put another clean dishtowel on top and pat well, all over, to remove as much surface moisture as possible. This is what is going to allow it to brown. It will also reduce dangerous and unpleasant sputtering when you put it in the skillet. 

Lay the tofu out in a single layer on said dish towel

Step 4: Deep Fry Your Tofu 

The optimum pan for this job is a big cast-iron skillet. It holds a ton of heat, and develops a lovely non-sticking surface. We are going to cook this over very high heat, so you probably shouldn’t use a non-stick pan as it might damage the coating or even be dangerous. Otherwise, the flat bottomed skillet works better because it allows the tofu to stay in contact with the hot surface for longer periods of time. Cook on one side until it is deeply golden brown, then flip (preferably with a slotted spatula). If you are doing cubes, it becomes impractical to get all 6 sides of every piece, so instead you’ll just toss them every minute or so and hope to get most of them. When both sides are done, remove to a plate and, depending on what you are going to do with them, possibly season with a little sea salt. Done. 

The optimum pan for this job is a big cast-iron skillet

 So again, the keys: buy good tofu, get it really dry, fry in a hot skillet with a decent amount of oil, don’t crowd the pan, and cook until it is really brown. Care for a taste, come to see me at Cau Go Vietnamese Cuisine, 7 Dinh Tien Hoang Street, Hoan Kiem, Hanoi!

Care for a taste, come to see me at Cau Go Vietnamese Cuisine, 7 Dinh Tien Hoang Street, Hoan Kiem, Hanoi!