What is tofu that's crispy outside and fluffy inside called?

Question

I sometime eat asian dishes having tofu cubes. The tofu looks a bit fried, it is a bit crispy on the outside but quite soft and fluffy inside. I love this texture combo, I would eat a whole wok of it! Unfortunately I know neither how this kind of tofu preparation is called nor how it is made. What is the name of this preparation style so I can learn how to make it myself?

Welcome, Stphane -- recipe requests are not on topic for this site, so I have tweaked your question a bit to ensure it isn't closed. Hope you find what you're looking for :) — Erica, Apr 22 '19 at 10:42
Sharing a link to a [video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9WN3knltIos) might be relevant. — Stphane, Aug 27 '20 at 06:27

Tetsujin · Accepted Answer · 2019-04-22T13:41:57.750

Traditionally, it's first dropped into boiling water & allowed to sit as the water cools for 15 minutes before drying off & deep frying.

There's a 'cheat' method, though.
Press to dry, sprinkle with a little cornflour & shallow fry, on its own. Add to the dish when cooked. Dress with anything you fancy - chilli, soy sauce, sesame oil, rice wine vinegar...
It's not quite the same as deep fried, but it's a whole lot quicker & easier.

Start with firm tofu; otherwise you'll have to give it the 15 mins in boiled water to firm it up.

Edit: The question changed direction slightly after I'd posted this - as to what it's called; other than 'deep fried' or 'crispy' tofu, I really don't know.

score 3 · Answer 2 · answered Apr 23 '19 at 22:21

3

This sounds like fried tofu puffs.

answered Apr 23 '19 at 22:21

bdsl

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5

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While this link may answer the question, it is better to include the essential parts of the answer here and provide the link for reference. Link-only answers can become invalid if the linked page changes. - [From Review](/review/low-quality-posts/66424) – Divi Apr 24 '19 at 00:08
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The question is "What is the name of this preparation style". I thought I'd answered that, whether or not the link works. – bdsl Apr 24 '19 at 07:16

score 1 · Answer 3 · edited Apr 22 '19 at 08:10

My understanding from watching it being cooked is that it's fried hot and fast in a lot of oil. The tofu itself seems to be a firm variety and the outside dries and crisps from the hot oil. As the inside heats up some steam will be formed, and I think this is what makes it fluffy.

I've never managed to replicate it myself except for a few test pieces - I suspect I'm being mean with the oil and my wok isn't really hot enough to start with (domestic wok rings aren't as powerful as commercial ones), so adding a lot of tofu drops the temperature too much. Deep frying might work but the rest of a typical dish would need stir frying and I'm not set up for deep frying so I've never tried it.

What is tofu that's crispy outside and fluffy inside called?

3 Answers3