Golden soft tofu slices

There are many types of tofu and many ways of eating it. I like soft tofu best because of its tenderness. It tastes best when cooked as thin pieces, maximizing the surface area that enables the tofu to integrate with the seasoning. However, soft tofu tends to break easily. One very fine way to overcome this is to lightly fry the tofu slices in oil before using them. Frying hardens the surface of the tofu and seals its moisture and tenderness within. The hardening of the surface enables thin slices of soft tofu to hold its shape and moisture better while cooking with other ingredients. Here is a dish I tried out one day with this technique. The tofu was nicely caramelized with the taste of chili on the outside, while its inside remained juicy and tender.


Recipe: Tofu chili with pork and purple onion (for 2)


Ingredients:
- 1/2 pack of soft tofu, cut to 1"x2"x0.25" pieces and drained
- 4 oz lean pork, cut to small thin strips
- 2 tablespoon (TB) oil
- 1 TB sesame oil
- 2 teaspoon (tp)light soy sauce
- 1/4 tp salt
- dash of sugar
- dash of pepper
- 1/2 tp cornstarch
- 1/3 cup thick non-spicy vegeterian chili with beans
- 1/3 small purple onion, thinly sliced


Procedure:
Marinate pork in oil, sesame oil, soy sauce, salt, pepper and sugar for 5 minutes. Add cornstarch and mix thoroughly. Let sit for 5 minutes. Sautee in pan on med-high to high heat until light brown. Take out pork, but save the juice and oil in pan. Spread tofu pieces in pan on top of oil. Let fry for 5-10 minutes on medium heat. Move occasionally to minimize sticking. When bottom is golden and lightly hardened, flip to fry the other side. When both sides are fried, add purple onion and fry for 5 minutes. Then add non-spicy chili and sauteed pork. Mix well without breaking the tofu pieces, and allow sauce to thicken. Let the surface of tofu be caramelized with the chili. Gently flip tofu once to coat the other side with chili sauce. Serve hot.