Pressing Tofu like a PRO!

If you love, LOVE having Tofu in restaurants – crispy fried, with so much flavour and bite to it, but when you try to replicate it at home, the results are so much more disappointing, I am pretty sure it’s because you forgot to ‘press’ your Tofu. Here’s all you need to know about Pressing Tofu like a PRO!

Properly pressing tofu ensures two things: 1. Springy, firm tofu that fries to a crispy crust 2. Getting all the water out lets the Tofu absorb any flavour/marinade you put it in, giving you a much more delicious result.

There are Tofu presses in the market in so many price ranges. Here’s one I found with good reviews – Simple Tofu Press. But if Tofu isn’t a part of your regular diet, then this method works just as good with just a few things you can find in your home.

You will need:

1. Firm Tofu
2. Kitchen towels / paper napkins
3. Wire rack
4. Weights – books, wooden blocks, anything that is heavy and can distribute weight equally.

Cut open the Tofu packaging and drain out the liquid within. Cut up the Tofu block in half then in half again. This will speed up the draining process. Wrap the slices in the kitchen towel. If using paper towels, you’ll need to use a lot of them.

Move the wrapped tofu on the wire rack and place a chopping board on the wrapped tofu to distribute the weight. Add books (or whatever heavy things you have around) on top of the board.

Let it drain this way for at least 30 minutes or longer. When the towel is too damp to soak any more liquid, replace with a fresh towel. The point is to keep draining as much liquid as you can.

You know you’re done when you press a cube between your fingers and you don’t feel any water inside.

That’s it! You’ve now learned all about Pressing Tofu like a PRO! Once all the water is out, the tofu will act like a sponge and absorb any flavour you want to throw at it!

With this freshly pressed tofu, let’s get cooking!

This marinade consists of 1tbsp of Sesame Oil, 1tsp Soy sauce, 1/2 tsp fried red chilli flakes, 1 tsp ‘This is Sparta’ Meditteranean Mix from Legion of Spice and Salt to taste. Just toss it with 1 cup of pressed tofu and let it marinate for about an hour.

Bake at 350°F/180°C for 30 minutes on a foil lined baking tray to get a crisp skin and a perfectly baked tofu – as healthy as healthy can be!