First, a haiku for Fried Tofu:
crispy golden skin
satisfies eggplant, curry, rice.
beef? pork? forgotten.
Since transitioning to a non-meat diet a few months ago, I have been integrating a tremendous amount of soy products into my diet. The challenge of finding a tasty protein source to bolster my zillion stir-fries was difficult. Regular tofu is fine, but it lacks the flavor and texture complexity that meat typically brings to a dish. So, I experimented with adding some visually appealing subs like sun-dried tomato tofu sausage, unbeef strips, non-chicken patties, etc. Uh, let’s just say that sometimes no meat is better than horrifically bad-tasting fake meat. Even the dog wouldn’t eat the left-over fake meat. Would my Sweet & Pungent sauce in all it’s tangy glory only grace the tops of cauliflower and pineapple from now on?
Then, last month, I ordered a spicy chili-eggplant and fried tofu dish at the Seven Star Peppers Sichuanese restaurant on the corner of 12th and Jackson and Wowwwwwwwwwwww!… is all I can say. It kicked fried chicken’s butt and opened my palate to a whole new world of food substitutions. And I began to feel really great about balancing my desire to only serve sustainable, humane foods to my family and satiating their craving for something crispy to sink their teeth into.
Since that radical lunch, I have ordered every dish available with baked or fried tofu. And all have been delicious and perfectly prepared. You see, it’s darn near impossible to overcook, undercook or buy poor quality fried tofu and it takes on the flavor of whatever you cook it with. Plus, there’s no threat of salmonella, trichinosis, mad cow disease, avian bird flu nor the consequences of environmental pollution. So we eat our sweet & sour fried tofu with piece of mind.
You don’t believe you could fall in love with this masterful monk creation? Tofu is bland and you don’t like the texture you say? Let me take you to Seven Stars Pepper restaurant to taste what the fuss is about. You may hate it as you suspected, but then again, you may leave the table with a fortune cookie that reads: “Enlightenment comes in unexpected forms”.
And the form that comes to your mind is a rectangular crispy piece of heavenly soy bean cake.
The world is our oyster, let’s top it off with a little cocktail sauce!
