Five Spice Pressed Tofu
Tofu has become my most recent obsession. My former Meat team employees will be giving me such a hard time once they read this because in my previous career as a butcher, I talked mad shit about tofu and the people that ate it. So did the rest of my team. I promoted this type of ignorance, without ever really trying tofu. This was a butcher’s mentality. How very wrong and close minded I was. Fast forward to 2+ years later. Man, do I fucking love tofu. This is a great way to prepare it without any frying. The point of pressing is to squeeze out as much moisture as possible before braising it to add the five spice flavor. So firm or extra firm tofu is what you will want to use. The tofu will get it’s dark color from the dark soy sauce.After the braising the tofu is then baked in the oven to dry up the liquid. While it is optional, I added toppings to the tofu squares. In the same braising liquid, I added sliced mushrooms, shallots, garlic, and chopped up the ginger that was currently in there. I simmered the toppings for 10 minutes to get them infused with the liquid. Then the last 15 minutes of baking, I evenly distributed the toppings on each of the tofu squares. After they have been baked, the toppings get slightly caramelized.These tofu squares can be eaten as an appetizer or as a main course. If you aren’t going to put the toppings on, the tofu can be used as a meat substitute in various stir fries and other dishes or be eaten cold. The pressed tofu will keep for up to a week in the refrigerator.
Ingredients
- 2 blocks extra firm tofu
- 2 1/2 cups water
- 1/2 cup dark soy sauce
- 1/4 cup shaoxing cooking wine
- 1/2 tsp five spice powder
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 5 slices ginger
Toppings (optional)
- 2 button mushrooms sliced into 4 pieces each
- 2 shallots sliced in half horizontally
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- 5 ginger slices from the tofu simmer minced
Instructions
- Wrap the tofu in either cheese cloth or multiple layers of paper towel. Place on a rack on a baking sheet.
- Place a cutting board or another pan on top of the tofu. Weigh down with something heavy, like a gallon of water, cast iron pans, etc. Press the tofu for 4 hours.
- When the tofu is done being pressed, cut each brick into either 2 or 4 pieces.
- In a medium sized pot, add all of the ingredients except the tofu. Bring to a boil.
- Add the tofu and reduce to medium heat. Simmer for 30 minutes. The tofu should always be submerged on all sides.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a bak9ng sheet with parchment paper. Place each of the tofu squares on the baking sheet. Bake for 15 minutes.
- While the tofu is baking, add the topping ingredients into the same braising liquid that the tofu was in. Simmer on medium heat for 10 minutes, until the toppings turn the color of the liquid.
- Take the tofu out of the oven. Flip to the other side. Take 1 slice of mushroom from the braising liquid and place on the top of each of the tofu squares. Then evenly distribute the rest of the toppings from the braising liquid to the tofu. Bake for another 15 minutes.
- When finished, the tofu should be free of an liquid. The toppings slightly caramelize.
