Text 11047, 122 rader
Skriven 2014-03-18 21:49:00 av JIM WELLER (1:123/140)
     Kommentar till en text av DAVE DRUM
Ärende: a better hot dog
========================
-=> Quoting Dave Drum to Jim Weller <=-

 -=> JIM WELLER wrote to DAVE DRUM <=-
 
 DD> I druther have a knackwurst
 
 JW> a Smokie which is a bratwurst sized
 JW> Ukrainian-Albertan kielbasa

 DD> I assume that is a fresh kielbasa made with ground but not emulsified
 DD> meat(s). Similar to the fresh kielbasa I brought (along with the garlic
 DD> sausages) to the Canadian Caper picnic in Hemmingford.

Yes and yes.

MMMMM-----Meal-Master - formatted by MMCONV  2.10

     Title: How To Cook Crispy Tofu Worth Eating Pt 2
Categories: Tofu, Info
  Servings: 4

           Tofu

Coating: If you like it plain then the way to do it is to fry the
slices in a heavy cast iron skillet over moderate heat until deep
brown and crispy on both sides, using a thin metal spatula to flip
the slices as they crisp. Taking your time is key: the more gently
you brown the slices, the more evenly and deeper brown you can get
them without burning them.

If, on the other hand, the tofu is destined for a stir-fry or some
other saucy application, you'll want to give them a crispy coating
that can both absorb a bit of sauce, and provide a layer of
protection so that the tofu can stay crisp even after saucing.
I tried coating tofu with various blends of of flour, potato starch,
rice flour, and corn starch, both pan-frying and deep-frying, and
found that the crispest, cleanest-tasting results came from a
deep-fry in a simple coating of cornstarch.

Crisp fresh out of the fryer, that is. After a few minutes of
resting while I prepare the rest of my stir-fry and sauce, the crisp
coating had softened. What if I were to use a wet batter instead?
I'd spent a long time working out a recipe for a Korean Fried
Chicken batter which worked equally well on a batch of Crispy
Buffalo-Fried Cauliflower. Would the same coating work on my tofu?

Indeed it did: a quick dredge in dry cornstarch followed by a dip
into a cornstarch, water, and vodka mixture before a plunge into a
wok with a quart of 350 F oil resulting in ultra-crisp bites of tofu
that stay crisp even after you finish them off in a stir-fry.

How To Stir-Fry Crispy Tofu

When stir-frying, the order in which you cook your ingredients is of
vital importance. A standard wok range in a Chinese restaurant has
separate controls for the gas and oxygen flow, allowing them to
reach heat outputs in excess of 80,000 bTUs. This allows cooks to
add ingredients in quick succession, keeping everything hot enough
to produce smoky, browned flavors without any excess steaming or
boiling. It's this high heat that gives a good stir-fry a
tender-crisp texture, bright color, and a lightly smoky, charred
flavor.

A home burner, on the other hand, is about an order of magnitude
weaker than a restaurant wok range. This means that rather than
adding all of your ingredients to the same wok, it works far better
if you cook your individual ingredients in batches, reheat the wok
between batches, and combine them all at the very end. Most stir
fries follow the same basic formula: two or three main ingredients,
cooked one at a time, followed by some aromatics, and a sauce to
bind it all together.

For instance, to make a crispy tofu and broccoli stir-fry with a
glossy, garlicky sauce, I start by deep-frying the coated tofu in
the wok, then transfer it to a paper towel-lined plate to drain. I
then pour off the oil, wipe out the wok, and heat a little bit more
oil in it over high heat until it really starts smoking.

In go the second main ingredient: broccoli florets, cut into
bite-sized pieces. For the best flavor, you want a combination of
browning through direct conductive heat, that is, heat from the
wok, as well as the flavor gained by tossing the broccoli into the
air, allowing the hot air rising from the burners to vaporize some
of the micro-particles of oil that get sprayed up during the
process.

As soon as the broccoli is browned but before it's completely
tender, I add the aromatics. Chinese dishes incorporate a wide range
of aromatic vegetables and spices, but for this particular dish, I'm
using what's sometimes called the Holy Trinity of Chinese cuisine:
finely chopped ginger, scallions, and garlic,. I go heavy on the
garlic. 30 seconds-worth of tossing and they're done. The broccoli
and aromatics go into a bowl to rest while I cook the sauce.

This particular sauce balances some acidity with some salty, sweet,
and savory elements: Chinese rice wine, soy sauce, bean sauce, vegan
sugar, vegan stock, and toasted sesame oil. Some cornstarch binds it
all together: As it cooks in the hot wok, it should reduce into a
syrupy, flavor-packed glaze. All that's left is to toss your tofu
and broccoli in it, garnish with some toasted sesame seeds, and
you're ready to eat.

The result is tender-crisp crowns of broccoli and crunchy bites of
tofu with moist, tender cores, all coated in a glossy, flavor-packed
sauce. The beauty of the technique is that with this coating under
my belt, I'm now equipped to incorporate crisp tofu into any number
of stir-fries

Posted by: J. Kenji Lopez-Alt

  From: Serious Eats                    
 
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YK Jim


... I'm so old I can remember when vodka only came in vodka flavour.

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