nguyen.angela•1mo agoProlific Poster

Found a trick for crispy tofu at a Vietnamese spot in Houston

I was at this place called Thien An in Houston last weekend and their air fried tofu was crazy crispy on the outside but still soft inside. I asked the owner how they did it and he said they press the tofu blocks for 20 minutes then toss them in a tiny bit of cornstarch and salt before air frying at 375 for 12 minutes. Tried it at home with a half block and it worked way better than my usual method. Anyone else tried cornstarch for tofu in an air fryer?

3 comments

3 Comments

barbara_grant41mo ago

I've been using the cornstarch trick for about a YEAR now and it changed my whole tofu game. The key is to REALLY press it dry first, like 20 minutes is bare minimum, I usually go 30 with paper towels on both sides. Also I found that 375 is perfect but you gotta flip them halfway or the bottom gets soggy. Another thing that helps is tossing the tofu in a bowl with the cornstarch instead of sprinkling it on, makes it stick BETTER. My wife thought I was crazy when I started doing it but now she ASKS for tofu stir fry every week.

sagecooper1mo ago

Guess I'll add "tofu wizard" to my resume.

blake7921mo ago

Oh man, @barbara_grant4, you're spot on with the bowl toss method - I've been doing it that way for months and it makes such a difference in how the coating stays on. I do mine at 400 but I bet 375 would give it a little more time to crisp up without burning.

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