Marinated Pan-fried Tofu

This is a versatile ingredient in many of my favorite dishes that I decided to dedicate one post to it entirely.

I like Extra Firm tofu for this; the size of the chunks and the marinade depends on my mood and the dish I want to use them in; I usually make a few batches of marinade and reserve some for later use or to be used as sauce as in ginger-soy-eggplant-tofu dish

Here are a couple of options:

ginger-soy-sesame marinade:
2 Tbsp fresh grated ginger
4 Tbsp light soy sauce
2 Tbsp red wine vinegar
2 Tbsp tamarind concentrate
2 tsp cayenne pepper (less if you prefer)
1 Tbsp brown sugar
1 tsp sesame seeds (toasted, if preferred)
1 finely chopped green chili
1 Tbsp black bean paste (optional)


red-chili-soy-sesame-oil:
3 Tbsp red chili paste (or sambal oelek)
1 Tbsp sesame oil
2 Tbsp soy sauce
1 Tbsp mirin

Preparation

1. cut the tofu into chunks and marinate for 10-15 minutes, if desired
2. alternately, add the marinade and refrigerate it overnight or for about 8 hrs - shake it once or twice to spread the marinade around
3. heat about 2 Tbsp oil in a pan, place the tofu cubes without crowding the pan too much, leave heat in medium and pan fry till sides turn brown - turning the tofu chunks as needed so they are evenly fried on all sides
4. pan-fried tofu refrigerates well - lasts about 4-5 days, but freezes fine too - lasts about a month or so (i've not stored it longer than that, so am not sure if it will last longer...)
5. toss it with noodles or in ginger-soy-eggplant-tofu dish