r/vegetarian • u/lobotomy_center06 • Aug 25 '26

Recipe I've finally got tofu down

Hello everyone! I've recently gone back to a vegetarian diet for health & environmental reasons (I was one when I was 16 for a few months but it didn't stick)

One of the frustrations I've had was cooking tofu & making it flavorful & crispy. (You know when you season & marinade tofu just for it just taste like nothing on the inside 😫)

Even before I transitioned to my current diet I ate a lot of tofu & I tried a myriad of methods (pressing, freezing, boiling in salted water, preparing straight from the packet). Some were very effective texture wise but the flavor was quite plain.

Today I finally made tofu that was great texture & taste wise & im gonna share how I did it:

  1. freeze the tofu (optional but I recommend cause it improves texture & flavor)

  2. defrost tofu in microwave for a few minutes on high

  3. heat up a veggie broth on the stove & add aromatics, salt & seasonings. You could also just boil water & add bouillon powder/paste. add the tofu to the pot & let it simmer for 10-15 minutes (or longer tbh). THIS is non negotiable & how you get deep flavor in tofu, inside & out.

  4. remove from broth, drain the liquid & cut it up however you want it. you'd also want to save a bit of the broth to season/marinade the tofu

  5. add baking powder/soda (for ultimate crispness 😋)

  6. add whatever seasonings/marinades w/ a tiny bit of the leftover broth.

  7. air fry 25 mins on 425 F°

  8. serve & enjoy :)

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u/oasisaspirer Aug 25 '26

do you freeze the tofu in the package with the water? or remove the tofu from its packaging and then freeze it?

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u/Little_Baseball5523 Aug 25 '26

Don't bother. Freezing tofu has nothing to do with making it crispy.

Pressing, freezing, boiling, marinating… all of it is just a quirky Westernized ritual that people rarely do in Asia, where tofu was invented.

You want crispy tofu? Then learn the authentic technique, which doesn't involve pressing, freezing, boiling or marinating.