Pan-fried silken tofu with ginger lime dressing

Silken tofu has less soy and more water and is harder to work with than regular tofu. Stir frying silken tofu is hard due to its custardy texture; pan frying silken tofu is actually quite simple. All you need is some kind of flour to form a barrier between the fat and the tofu. I like using rice flour for pan frying since it is really light and gives the tofu a very thin crisp crust. The textural contrast is great when silken tofu is cooked this way with the crisp crust on the outside and the soft silky texture inside.  I dress it with a gingery dressing of, fried ginger, tamari, lime juice and scallion. It makes a great first course for a Chinese meal.

Pan fried tofu with ginger lime dressing

12 oz organic firm silken tofu {Mori Nu brand}
1 tablespoon ginger, cut into 1 inch sticks
2 tablespoons + 1 tablespoon canola oil
1 scallion, cut into long slivers
½ cup rice flour

Salt to taste
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 tablespoon tamari sauce
1 tablespoon chopped cilantro leaves

1. Drain the tofu of the excess liquid and cut them into 1.5 inch rectangles and place on a kitchen towel to dry out the liquid.
2. In the meantime, heat 2 tablespoons canola oil in a small skillet - (the smallest you can find, since you are trying to deep fry the ginger with the least amount of oil) and add the ginger strips. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes over medium heat till the ginger strips are golden brown and crisp. Remove with a slotted spoon and place in a small bowl. Mix the ginger with the tamari and lime juice and chopped cilantro leaves. Set aside to dress the tofu.
3. Transfer the remaining oil as well as another tablespoon of canola oil to a 10 inch heavy bottomed non-stick skillet to fry the tofu.
4. Dust the tofu pieces with rice flour just enough to form a light coating. Gently place them in the canola oil and fry over medium high heat for 2 minutes on each side. Remove with a slotted spoon and place in the serving dish. Sprinkle a little salt over the while it is hot.
5. Drizzle the dressing over the fried tofu and sprinkle the scallions on top.

Serves 3

Note: Here are some other tofu recipes that you might like:
Tofu in a sweet and sour sauce
Kung Pao Tofu