foto: freepik.com
Brilio.net - Tofu is a versatile food ingredient that is easy to process into various delicious dishes. However, many people experience obstacles when cooking it because its soft texture is often easily destroyed. Instead of producing crispy tofu or maintaining its shape when cooked, tofu can actually disintegrate before it reaches the plate.
This problem often occurs because of improper handling of tofu. Starting from cutting techniques, frying methods, to the selection of the type of tofu used, all can affect the final result. Some types of tofu are indeed more fragile than others, so they need special treatment to stay intact when cooked.
In addition, careless processing, such as stirring too often or using the wrong temperature, can also cause tofu to disintegrate quickly. Therefore, understanding how to process tofu properly is very important so that the results are not only delicious, but also have the right texture and remain attractive when served.
To keep it firm and not easily broken, you can process tofu in the way that YouTube user Resep Mudah Resep Masakan does. Through one of the videos uploaded, he revealed a simple trick in processing tofu so that it doesn't break easily. But not only that, this trick can also make tofu softer and crispier when you want to fry it.
photo: YouTube/Easy Recipes Cooking Recipes
As reported by BrilioFood from YouTube Resep Mudah Resep Masakan on Thursday (30/1), the trick is to boil the tofu. So, the tofu will be boiled together with a number of kitchen ingredients, namely salt and garlic. Well, these two kitchen ingredients will make the tofu denser and chewier, but also tastier later.
For a clearer method, prepare water in a pan if it is ready, add salt and chopped garlic. Then, add the tofu that is to be processed. After that, boil the tofu for about 10 minutes. Make sure you don't boil it for too long because the tofu can be destroyed.
photo: YouTube/Easy Recipes Cooking Recipes
Basically, boiling tofu with salt and garlic before processing it turns out not only to add flavor, but also helps maintain its texture so that it does not crumble easily. This boiling process makes the surface of the tofu denser, so that when cooked, the tofu remains intact and does not crumble easily. Salt plays a role in removing some of the water from the tofu, making it firmer and not too soft when held or cut.
In addition, the hot water used in the boiling process helps bind the protein structure in the tofu. That way, the tofu becomes stronger and does not easily fall apart when stirred or fried. The garlic added to the boil not only provides a natural savory aroma and taste, but also helps eliminate the distinctive smell of soybeans that sometimes still sticks to the tofu.
When tofu that has been boiled and then fried, the result is also crispier on the outside but remains soft on the inside. This happens because the water content in the tofu has decreased during the boiling process, so that when it enters the hot oil, the tofu does not release too much water vapor that can cause it to explode or absorb excess oil. As a result, fried tofu becomes crispier without feeling oily and remains soft when bitten.
Now, after boiling, remove and drain the tofu if you want to cook or fry it straight away. In addition, you can store the boiled tofu. Just let it sit until the water is cold, then transfer the tofu and the boiled water into an airtight container to be stored in the refrigerator.
(brl/far)