Tantalizing tofu

My friend Brad would sooner shoot tofu with his 9-millimeter then eat it. At least, those are his vibes. But when I found myself in his hometown of Houston and emailed him for a restaurant recommendation, I was blindsided by his hyper-specific instructions. With so many meaty options in the vicinity, including Texas barbecue and some very large steaks, Brad insisted that I visit a certain Vietnamese restaurant and order the tofu.

“That peppery broth,” he wrote, wistfully recalling the luscious liquid that contained the golden cubes of crispy tofu. “And the mushrooms and celery. I miss it so much!” Considering the source, I was intrigued. I had no option but to visit Van Loc and order the clay pot tofu.

It arrived simmering at my table. Shards of cracked black pepper coated lengths of celery, whole shiitake mushrooms and delectable cubes of deep-fried tofu that had somehow absorbed the penetrating aromas of the broth without losing their pleasing resistance to my canines.

There was so much black pepper that the dish was spicy in the absence of chili pepper. This makes sense given that Vietnam is the world’s largest producer and exporter of black pepper, while chili peppers, though popular in Asian food, are from the Americas.

Elsewhere in the pot, humble pieces of celery took a rare post at center stage, their flavor balanced artfully with the earthy gravitas of the mushrooms. Shiitake mushroom is the most authentic variety to use in clay pot tofu, but it’s not mandatory. I recently made a batch with wild-harvested oyster and morel mushrooms and cultivated creminis. (Full disclosure: I also added sliced jalapeño, which isn’t authentic but was oh so good.)

This recipe begins with the preparation of the crispy tofu. If it ended there as well, few would complain. Because of the corrupting delectability of these golden cubes, the wise cook will often double the quantities of tofu, egg and cornstarch so that after the inevitable attrition due to snackers and nibblers, a satisfactory quantity of cubes will remain for the pots.

 

Clay pot tofu

While “clay pot” is in the name and procedure, you don’t need an official clay pot to prepare this. You just need a vessel that is small, oven safe and has a lid.

Serves two, with plenty of leftover fried tofu

Ingredients

• One 16-ounce brick of firm tofu,  drained
• One egg
• 6 tablespoons cornstarch ( or sweet potato or tapioca starch)
• 3 cups fry oil (I use wagyu beef tallow)
• 2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
• 2 large cloves garlic, minced
• Three green onions, chopped
• One jalapeño, sliced thinly (optional)
• One medium onion, sliced into  thin rings

1 cup whole shiitake mushrooms  (or other kinds of mushrooms),  cut or whole depending on their  size. If using dried mushrooms,  soak them in three cups of boiled  water and don’t discard the  soaking water

• Two celery stalks
• 1/4 cup soy or ponzu sauce
• 1/4 cup rice vinegar
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 teaspoon white pepper
• 2 tablespoons fish sauce
• Jasmine rice for serving

Procedure

Cut the tofu into 1-inch cubes and place them in a medium-sized bowl. Heat a quart of water with 1/4 cup of salt. When it boils, pour the hot brine over the tofu. Let it soak for 15 minutes. Drain the brine and pat all the faces of each chunk of tofu dry with a paper towel. 

This technique is one of several ways of removing water from the tofu, which is essential for making it crispy. You can also freeze the cubes, which will give them a durable, spongy texture that makes it easy to squeeze out the water and renders them extremely pleasing to eat.

However you remove the moisture from the tofu cubes, you then place them in a mixing bowl, beat the egg and pour it over them. Stir gently by lifting from below to thoroughly coat all faces of each cube. Add the starch and gently stir it in to coat the cubes.

Add 2 tablespoons of toasted sesame oil to the fry oil for extra flavor and heat it to the point where it sputters angrily when you flick in some water (about 350 degrees). Submerge the tofu cubes in the hissing oil. Don’t overload the fryer or let the pieces touch, or they will adhere together 

Remove and drain the fried chunks. Keep them in safe place, away from snaggers, snackers and tangy sauces.

Add 2 tablespoons of the fry oil to a wok or pan on medium heat and fry the garlic, onions, green onions and mushrooms.

Break each celery stalk in half and pull the strands out. Then cut the de-fibered halves into 2-inch pieces and add them to the wok. Cover and simmer for about five minutes on medium heat.

Whisk together the black and white pepper, sugar, soy sauce, fish sauce and rice vinegar and add it to the stir fry. Add 1 cup of stock or mushroom soaking water, taste, and adjust the seasonings until it tastes how you want it.

Add the tofu to the wok. Stir fry on high heat for two minutes, then transfer the tofu, mushrooms and celery to the clay pots and pour in as much broth as you can. Put the lids on the pots, place them in a pre-heated oven at 350 degrees and bake for 10 minutes. Serve the simmering pots. Be careful not to let anyone burn themselves. Eat the contents straight from the pot or spoon them over jasmine rice.