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Panfried Tofu with Oriental Garlic Sauce

Pan-fried tofu served with a sauce of soy, vinegar, Scotch, sugar, and garlic.

From the Recipes Wiki (Fandom) · 14 ingredients
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Why it works: Clove and ginger match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 6,038 recipes. Both carry estragole, which smells anise, licorice. The science ↓

Panfried Tofu with Oriental Garlic Sauce

2 plates
Time20 minutes

Ingredients

Directions

Prepare

  1. Cut the tofu crosswise into 4 slices and let the slices drain between a double thickness of paper towels for 20 minutes.

  2. In a small bowl dissolve the cornstarch in 1/4 cup of water. Stir in the remaining 3/4 cup water, soy sauce to taste, vinegar, Scotch, sugar, and salt.

Make the sauce

  1. In a heavy saucepan heat 1 1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking.

  2. Stir-fry the garlic in the oil until pale golden, being careful not to burn it. Add the gingerroot and stir-fry for 30 seconds.

  3. Stir the soy sauce mixture, add it to the garlic mixture, stirring, and bring the sauce to a boil. Simmer the sauce for 2 minutes, stir in the sesame oil, and keep the sauce warm.

Cook and serve

  1. In a non-stick skillet heat the remaining 1 tablespoon vegetable oil over high heat until hot but not smoking.

  2. Brown the tofu on all sides, turning with tongs, and transfer as browned to paper towels to drain.

  3. Divide the tofu between 2 plates and spoon the sauce over it. Sprinkle the scallion over each serving and serve the tofu with rice.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

1043Calories
26 gProtein
34 gFat
157 gCarbs

Counts 11 of 14 ingredients. The other 3 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.

What these numbers assume: 11 portions
IngredientPortion assumedkcal
Flour1 cup (125g) all-purpose455
Rice1 cup cooked (158g) white206
Sesame1 tbsp (14g)120
Olive Oil1 tbsp (14g)119
Tofu100g firm76
Sugar1 tbsp (12.5g) granulated49
Soy Sauce1 tbsp (15ml)9
Garlic1 clove (3g)4
Vinegar1 tbsp (15ml) distilled3
Ginger1 tsp grated fresh (2g)2
Salt1 tsp (6g)0
Waternot in our table0
Cidernot in our table0
Scotchnot in our table0

One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.

Recipe from the Recipes Wiki (Fandom).

Steps grouped into stages for easier reading; the method is the source's own.

Explore the science

The flavor team

The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.

  1. Clove + gingertop 1% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together6,038 recipes

    Shared aroma: estragole (anise, licorice).

  2. Garlic + gingertop 6% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together6,402 recipes

    Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).

  3. Cider + vinegartop 6% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together3,431 recipes

    Shared aroma: 4-ethyl-2-methoxyphenol (smoky, clove).

  4. Tofu + gingertop 8% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together284 recipes

    Shared aroma: methyl 2-methylbutyrate (fruity, apple).

  5. Tofu + garlictop 9% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together604 recipes

    Shared aroma: linalool (floral, citrus).

Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs

What each ingredient does

Extra-firm tofu
Its firm body holds its shape and browns on the outside while staying tender inside.
Cornstarch
Thickens the sauce so it clings to the tofu rather than running off.
Garlic
Gives the sauce its pungent aroma and savory base when gently fried to pale gold.
Soy sauce
Adds salty, savory depth to the sauce.
Cider vinegar
Adds acidity that balances the sugar and soy in the sauce.
Fresh ginger
Adds warm, sharp aroma that complements the garlic in the sauce.

The step that matters

Browning the tofu in a hot dry skillet. Tofu must be well drained first, or moisture steams it instead of browning. A hot pan and turning on all sides builds a golden crust that holds up under the sauce.

Swap the garlic

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (tofu, sauce, cider, vinegar, sugar, clove, ginger):

  1. Cinnamonfits better
  2. Allspicefits better
  3. Turmericfits better
  4. Garlicthe original

Fit is the average pairing score against tofu, sauce, cider, vinegar, sugar, clove, ginger. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.

“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.

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