Tofu power (Philips)

Tofu is a hearty and versatile yet  simple soft food that can be cooked in many different ways or even eaten raw. Tofu is high quality protein that provides healthy fat, calcium, folic acid and iron for growing children and it is also famous amongst vegetarian as a meat substitute (some call it the poor man's protein).

Tofu is produced by grinding soybeans to form a milk like substance, which is then compressed and left to coagulate. If you don't desire to make your own tofu, fret not as it is easily available and is very affordable. But be careful when purchasing tofu and ensure that the soy beans used in making these tofu are Non-GMO and are not laced with certain chemicals which help prolong the life of beans and stop early sprouting. Organically grown beans would be a good choice.

There are 2 main types of tofu

1) Silken/Soft tofu - very soft, smooth and contains a lot of moisture, usually sold in tube form. This can be eaten raw or steamed for a couple of minutes.

2) Regular tofu - comes soft, medium firm and very firm, usually sold in a tub filled with water. Is very famous in stir fries and usually retains it's shape even after frying.

Tofu is quite good and safe for children because of its soft texture which makes it easy to chew.

Today's recipe is Fried tofu

Preparation time: 35 minutes (inclusive of the draining time but you may omit this step if you are pressed for time)

Cooking time: 25 minutes

The ingredients

A block of Organic Non-GMO firm tofu

2 Tsbp Cornstarch

1/4 cup rice flour or cornmeal

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese (optional)

Salt & pepper to taste (optional)

2 Tsbp Olive Oil

The method

Preheat the Airfryer to 185'C.

First you must drain* the tofu and cut it into unanimous cubes or into bite size pieces. In a separate bowl mix together cornstarch, rice flour and cheese (I forgot to add cheese because I was too busy taking pictures with my camera phone). Place the cut tofu pieces into the mixture and coat well.

Drizzle oil onto tofu and transfer into the preheated Airfryer basket. You will need to cook these tofu in a couple of batches because you cannot overlap them. They must be neatly arranged to ensure you get an even cooking. Since I wanted perfectly golden cubes of tofu, midway through the cooking process (at 7 minutes), I over turned each tofu instead of shaking the basket (like you would do when frying chips).

Since I made more than just a block of tofu, I had to cook in several bathes and at the end of the cooking process, I was quite impressed to see how little oil was left in my airfryer tray and the tofu weren't very oil to touch either (as apposed to my deep fried version).

*How to drain tofu:

Wrap tofu in a couple layers of paper towels and place on a plate. Cover that with a second plate and place something heavy on top of the second plate to help press the tofu. This will help drain water out of the tofu. After about 20 minutes remove the paper towel and wrap with some fresh pieces of paper towel and repeat the process for another 5 to 10 minutes.

Serving suggestion

For my toddler

You can prick some toothpicks into the fried tofu of just serve them direct.

She had this with some clear chicken soup.

For the rest of my family

Sprinkle some salt and pepper and serve tofu with some homemade chilli sauce or whatever you are having for lunch.

We had some ginger clams which by the way can be made in the airfryer if you have the baking tin. My demo airfryer didn't come with it, so these were fried in a wok.

Results

The tofu were fried to perfection and looked like little golden nugget. It had a crispy exterior which gave way to a tender whitish flesh at each bite and were  not too oily to touch. This thanks to the it's Patented Rapid Air Technology which allows you to cook your food with up to 80% less fat.

Disclaimer: I am not a licensed Dietician/Nutritionist and the information provided is for educational and entertainment purposes only. It is not intended to diagnose, cure or treat any medical or other condition. Always seek the advice of your Heath provider prior to starting any diet.

Some important notes

Key Features

• Patented Rapid Air Technology - combines hot air with grill component to 'fry' food
• In-built time - lets you set cooking times of up to 30 mins
• Adjustable temperature control - cooks food at steady rate up to 200'C
• Food separator accessory - lets you cook multiple food items at th same time without mixing the flovours
• Integrated air filter - reduces vapours and odours

Specifications

• 30 minutes timer with auto shut-off
• Product dimension (W x H x D) 287 x 315 x 384 mm
• Capacity 800gm
• Weight appliance 7kg
• Cord length 0.8 m
• Voltage 230v
• Ready signal and temperature light
• Cool-touch handgrips

Retail Price

• RM1,190

Disclosure : I have not received any compensation writing this review. I did receive a demo Air fryer (which has been returned) to help me share my experience using it. This article was featured in Babytalk magazine (May 2014 issue)

Life Simplified note: You could premix tofu with the batter and refrigerate it. But the batter has to be thicker than the recipe given above because tofu tends to sweat once its cut. 

Thanks to Philip's Airfryer, I am able to serve freshly fried food every time with a little advance planning and prepping. Life is so much simplified with these wonderful small kitchen appliances.  

For more recipes, please head over to my Recipes page

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