Where to buy good fried tofu? [General]

2011 Aug 21
I frequently cook asian dishes that could benefit from using fried tofu (instead of just plain ordinary tofu), but the idea of deep frying (or pan frying it) and picking up the mess is less than tempting.

I bought some packaged fried tofu in Chinatown a couple years ago, but it tasted of rancid oil, and was very greasy (I know, fried tofu should be somewhat greasy, but...).

Does anyone know of a reliable source of good quality packaged fried tofu, anywhere near Ottawa?

2011 Aug 21
I'm pretty sure I've bought it frozen. If frozen, it shouldn't be rancid.

2011 Aug 21
Oh, you don't happen to remember where you found it frozen? It's even better when the fried tofu is frozen (the spongy texture soaks up all the tasty sauces)...

Was it in Chinatown?

2011 Aug 21
TNT have a wide selection of fried tofu

2011 Aug 21
@abstract,

Unfortunately, I think it was at New 168 Market . . . which closed earlier this year.

You are right though, it has a spongy texture and really soaks up sauces and broth. I bought two induction heaters and we did Mongolian hot pot at home. One pot vegetarian, one pot with meat and seafood. I put some melon (chilacayote aka shark fin melon) in the broth and it came out really nice.

I'm sure T & T would have it, or Kowloon Market.

2011 Aug 22
i saw it at kowloon on sunday. i'm not sure if they had any frozen, but they had bags of fried tofu in the front case, near the cash.

have you tried dry frying your tofu? i've been doing that and it soaks up sauce really well.

melissaraydavis.hubpages.com

2011 Aug 23
i've sort of devolved into a shill for both vendors, but Win Tai Market is a good source in the east and among other brands, they carry Soyarie, a local producer of decent quality (organic even) soy products, inc. fried tofu.

apologies if the following are obvious ... but:

re. the rancidity, was your tofu past its freshness / best-before date? Or maybe it sat unrefrigerated too long (e.g., at the store or en route). Either way, tofu's best fresh, incl. the fried stuff. Related, avoid products w/ v. long expiry dates (frozen brands excluded, of course).

re. the greasiness, a common practice is to pour hot (boiled) h2o over the tofu. Don't leach all the goodness (or oil) out, just quick a quick pour/soak to get the excess out.

HFF - that method looks great!

2011 Aug 25
Usually when I fry it myself it more dense and less spongy than the restaurant kind. I wonder how they do it, or perhaps they just buy it frozen. Or maybe I need to freeze it after frying.

2012 Jun 13
Apparently freezing it first works:

www.slate.com

2012 Jun 14
Freezing tofu is definitely the way to go, it absorbs marinades like nobody's business and the texture once you fry it is much improved.

I buy those dirt-cheap three-packs at Costco and just throw the whole package in the freezer when I get home. I find draining, then freezing dries it out and makes it crumblier than I'd like once it's thawed.

Also worth noting that it will turn yellow while it's in the freezer (some brands/types more than others) -- don't freak out, it's normal.

2012 Jun 14
quite a few of the markets do not have best before dates on the fried tofu packages in their refridgerator. I know Win Tai and Kowloon do not so you do not know how long it had been there.

Thus, I would suggest T&T in the summer since that is one of the few that regularly have best before dates on their packages.