From Culinary Class Wars · 2024-2024 · Reconstructed
Kentucky-Fried Tofu
Serve when
Serve the moment the tofu comes out of the fryer crackling-crisp, before the coating has any chance to soften.
In the series
Season 1
- S1E10 · ~00:30:00 White Spoon Edward Lee wins the "Endless Cooking Hell" tofu-themed semifinal mission with a fried tofu built on a chicken-fat sauce, reworking fried-chicken technique onto a tofu base
In the series
The tofu-only "cooking hell" mission strips away the easy flex of a marbled cut of meat, and this dish answers by borrowing fried-chicken technique wholesale — proving a plant-based ingredient can carry all the crunch and richness of the dish it's standing in for.
Ingredients
- For the tofu:
- For the chicken-fat sauce:
Method
- Press the tofu firmly between towels for at least 20 minutes to force out excess water, then cut into planks.
- Soak the planks in the buttermilk and hot sauce for 20 to 30 minutes.
- Whisk the flour, cornstarch, paprika, cayenne, and salt together, then dredge the tofu planks thoroughly, pressing the coating on.
- Fry in about 1 1/2 inches of oil at 350 F until deep golden and shatteringly crisp, about 3 to 4 minutes per side.
- Warm the chicken fat with the honey, hot sauce, and garlic into a glossy sauce, and brush or drizzle it over the fried tofu right before serving.
Substitutions
- Chicken fat: butter or a neutral oil warmed with the same aromatics gets close if schmaltz isn't on hand, though it loses some of the savory depth.