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Extra Tangy Tofu


Several months ago Sesame Garlic Tofu was made. It was the first time ever anybody at this table had eaten tofu. Other than taking way, way too long to cook, the dish was tasty. Since then tofu recipes have been searched out and read on extensively. Apparently there is a great debate as to how to cook tofu to ensure its crispy texture. Oven baked vs skillet fried.  Skillet fried then debates one step further, cornstarch dusted or plain.  Always appreciating one less ingredient or step in a meal a non cornstarch recipe was sought.  Vegan Sticky Lemon Tofu  was just the ticket. 

Modifications Made: 
Extra firm tofu was pressed in paper towels until towels no longer soaked up moisture. Taking close to two hours to achieve very dry tofu, the tofu remained in the fridge during this process. Once dry, tofu was cut into 1" cubes and skillet fried in olive oil on two sides.

Lemon sauce was made in a saucepan not a wok. Agave was replaced with 1 tablespoon of white sugar. Chicken broth replaced vegetable broth.

Lemon sauce was added to tofu skillet and cooked until warm and sticky.

Scaled for Likability: Good
Neither myself or the table counterpart are fans of classic American Asian meals of deep fried chicken pieces covered in a sticky sweet sauce. Not orange, sweet and sour, or ven lemon. Therefore cooking lemon tofu was an extreme meal. An extreme that paid off favorably. Not a favorite but favorably. Tofu was crunchy on the inside, tender on the inside, and full of flavor. Sauce was super sticky, sweet without excessiveness, and very lemony.

The uncoated, WELL drained tofu is the ticket. Using this process I can't wait to try it on Sesame Tofu.
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