Pan-fried Tofu (No Pressing Needed!)

5 from 5 votes

Pan-fried Tofu (No Pressing Needed!)

Pan-fried tofu, the Chinese way, is much easier than you think to make—without much oil, no pressing or drying, and just 2 ingredients.

Prep Time5

Cook Time20

Total Time25

Course: Tofu

Cuisine: Chinese

Servings:

Calories: 204kcal

Author: Sarah

Ingredients

For the pan-fried tofu:

1 pound firm tofu (1 block)
2 tablespoons neutral oil (such as vegetable, canola, or avocado oil)

For the dipping sauce:

1 tablespoon neutral oil
¼ cup cilantro (leaves and stems, chopped)
2 scallions (white and green parts chopped)
2 teaspoons minced garlic (about 2 cloves)
2 teaspoons Sichuan chili flakes
2 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon sugar
½ teaspoon rice vinegar

Instructions

For the pan-fried tofu:

Slice the block of tofu in half lengthwise, then cut crosswise into 3/8 inch (1cm) slices.
Heat a nonstick or cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. Once hot, add the oil, and spread it around the pan. Add the tofu slices.
Fry for 5-7 minutes until golden brown, rotating the pan as needed so the tofu slices cook evenly. Do not disturb the tofu until they’ve fried for a few minutes. Flip and then cook for another 5 minutes, until golden on the other side.

For the dipping sauce:

To make the dipping sauce, heat a tablespoon of oil in the pan you used to cook the tofu (no sense in dirtying another pan!)
Add the cilantro, scallions, garlic, and chili flakes to a small heatproof bowl, so all the ingredients are side by side. Drizzle the hot oil over the top, paying special attention to the garlic and chili flakes. Use a rubber spatula to scrape out all the oil.
Stir in the water, light soy sauce, sugar, and rice vinegar. Serve with the pan-fried tofu.

Nutrition

Pan-fried Tofu (No Pressing Needed!) by The Woks of Life. Recipe URL: https://body-goals.fit/pan-fried-tofu/%3C/em%3E%3C/p%3E%3C/div%3E%3C/div%3E%3Cscript%3Ewindow.wprm_recipes = {"recipe-83635":{"type":"food","name":"Pan-fried Tofu (No Pressing Needed!)","slug":"wprm-pan-fried-tofu-no-pressing-needed","image_url":"https:\/\/thewoksoflife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/pan-fried-tofu-12.jpg","rating":{"count":5,"total":25,"average":5,"type":{"comment":5,"no_comment":0,"user":0},"user":0},"ingredients":[{"uid":2,"amount":"1","unit":"pound","name":"firm tofu","notes":"(1 block)","unit_id":5275,"id":606,"conversion_item_snapshot":{"amount":"1","unit":"pound","timestamp":1774155026000},"type":"ingredient","unit_systems":{"unit-system-1":{"amount":"1","unit":"pound","unitParsed":"pound"}}},{"uid":3,"amount":"2","unit":"tablespoons","name":"neutral oil","notes":"(such as vegetable, canola, or avocado oil)","unit_id":5259,"id":1095,"conversion_item_snapshot":{"amount":"2","unit":"tablespoons","timestamp":1774155026000},"type":"ingredient","unit_systems":{"unit-system-1":{"amount":"2","unit":"tablespoons","unitParsed":"tablespoons"}}},{"uid":5,"amount":"1","unit":"tablespoon","name":"neutral oil","notes":"","unit_id":5262,"id":1095,"conversion_item_snapshot":{"amount":"1","unit":"tablespoon","timestamp":1774155026000},"type":"ingredient","unit_systems":{"unit-system-1":{"amount":"1","unit":"tablespoon","unitParsed":"tablespoon"}}},{"uid":6,"amount":"\u00bc","unit":"cup","name":"cilantro","notes":"(leaves and stems, chopped)","unit_id":5269,"id":452,"conversion_item_snapshot":{"amount":"\u00bc","unit":"cup","timestamp":1774155026000},"type":"ingredient","unit_systems":{"unit-system-1":{"amount":"\u00bc","unit":"cup","unitParsed":"cup"}}},{"uid":7,"amount":"2","unit":"","name":"scallions","notes":"(white and green parts chopped)","id":259,"conversion_item_snapshot":{"amount":"2","unit":"","timestamp":1774155026000},"type":"ingredient","unit_systems":{"unit-system-1":{"amount":"2","unit":"","unitParsed":""}}},{"uid":8,"amount":"2","unit":"teaspoons","name":"minced garlic","notes":"(about 2 cloves)","unit_id":5273,"id":685,"conversion_item_snapshot":{"amount":"2","unit":"teaspoons","timestamp":1774155026000},"type":"ingredient","unit_systems":{"unit-system-1":{"amount":"2","unit":"teaspoons","unitParsed":"teaspoons"}}},{"uid":9,"amount":"2","unit":"teaspoons","name":"Sichuan chili flakes","notes":"","unit_id":5273,"id":1231,"conversion_item_snapshot":{"amount":"2","unit":"teaspoons","timestamp":1774155026000},"type":"ingredient","unit_systems":{"unit-system-1":{"amount":"2","unit":"teaspoons","unitParsed":"teaspoons"}}},{"uid":10,"amount":"2","unit":"tablespoons","name":"water","notes":"","unit_id":5259,"id":332,"conversion_item_snapshot":{"amount":"2","unit":"tablespoons","timestamp":1774155026000},"type":"ingredient","unit_systems":{"unit-system-1":{"amount":"2","unit":"tablespoons","unitParsed":"tablespoons"}}},{"uid":11,"amount":"2","unit":"tablespoons","name":"soy sauce","notes":"","unit_id":5259,"id":265,"conversion_item_snapshot":{"amount":"2","unit":"tablespoons","timestamp":1774155026000},"type":"ingredient","unit_systems":{"unit-system-1":{"amount":"2","unit":"tablespoons","unitParsed":"tablespoons"}}},{"uid":12,"amount":"1","unit":"teaspoon","name":"sugar","notes":"","unit_id":5268,"id":273,"conversion_item_snapshot":{"amount":"1","unit":"teaspoon","timestamp":1774155026000},"type":"ingredient","unit_systems":{"unit-system-1":{"amount":"1","unit":"teaspoon","unitParsed":"teaspoon"}}},{"uid":13,"amount":"\u00bd","unit":"teaspoon","name":"rice vinegar","notes":"","unit_id":5268,"id":347,"conversion_item_snapshot":{"amount":"\u00bd","unit":"teaspoon","timestamp":1774155026000},"type":"ingredient","unit_systems":{"unit-system-1":{"amount":"\u00bd","unit":"teaspoon","unitParsed":"teaspoon"}}}],"originalServings":"4","originalServingsParsed":4,"currentServings":"4","currentServingsParsed":4,"currentServingsFormatted":"4","currentServingsMultiplier":1,"originalSystem":1,"currentSystem":1,"unitSystems":[1],"originalAdvancedServings":{"shape":"round","unit":"inch","diameter":0,"width":0,"length":0,"height":0},"currentAdvancedServings":{"shape":"round","unit":"inch","diameter":0,"width":0,"length":0,"height":0}}}