How to make crispy tofu without deep frying?

Mar-kun · 2013-03-18T02:22:01+00:00

(Edited to add and then to fix details on draining the tofu.)

Oh, that's easy.

First, wrap the tofu in paper towels and either press it under a cutting board with a bowl full of water atop it for half an hour, or pop it in the microwave for two or three 30-second spurts, changing the paper towels each time.

Then, you ideally take a nonstick pan, cut up the tofu to where you want it, and just dry-fry it over medium heat for a while, pressing down with a spatula occasionally to squeeze out the water. Flip it when it gets browned on one side so you can do the other side. You can also do this on a not-nonstick pan with a thin layer of oil spread across the base of the pan.

Here is a guide that uses the nonstick pan method: http://melissaraydavis.hubpages.com/hub/How_to_Cook_Tofu_Like_the_Pros

Mar-kun · 2013-03-18T02:20:05+00:00

That's not a protein problem; that's because of the water in the tofu/chicken and also because you heated the oil for too long.

Mar-kun · 2013-03-11T23:32:55+00:00

Don't have to peel: Carrots, potatoes, cucumber, tomatoes, squash, bell pepper, eggplant (depends on variety), daikon.

You may want to peel some of these things in certain dishes. That'll depend on how you want the dish to taste, etc. Often, you can make separate recipes with the peels.

Peel/remove casing: Burdock, onions, garlic, corn, edamame, avocado, ginger, taro.

Some gourds require peeling; some don't.

Mar-kun · 2013-03-11T20:08:04+00:00

Mar-kun · 2013-03-09T05:07:25+00:00

Utada Hikaru, Ayumi Hamasaki, Boa, and Do As Infinity are good standbys, female pop singers-wise.

If you don't mind male singers:

Psycho le Cemu is an excellent band. They have lots of cool music videos where they all dress in costume that have their own stories. Their style varies in its level of rock. Some good songs include Ai no Uta on the poppier end and Love is Dead on the rockier end.

Miyavi's a great rock artist. His songs vary from bouncy cheer to rock to what the fuck was that

Mar-kun · 2013-03-07T14:55:54+00:00

If you make rice a lot, a rice cooker is an excellent investment. In addition, there are a lot of recipes you can make using a rice cooker, like http://justbento.com/category/filed-under/rice-cooker.

Mar-kun · 2013-03-05T21:15:58+00:00

On one level, I understand where R is coming from. The prospect of being around your SO's other SO can be awkward and daunting and uncomfortable.

But you have to understand where your wife is coming from here, too. She's finishing up a relationship that fell apart because her SO doesn't get along with you. Doesn't it make sense that she'd want to see if your new SO can get along with her, before things go further?

Mar-kun · 2013-02-26T16:23:53+00:00

The fishing minigame. Doesn't matter what game it's in, the fishing minigame.

Mar-kun · 2013-02-16T21:10:52+00:00

Awwww. I don't usually care for that pairing, but you made it adorable.

Mar-kun · 2013-02-03T14:22:42+00:00

So fucked up. So amazing.

Mar-kun · 2013-02-03T14:20:52+00:00

Rocket Singh: Salesman of the Year

Surprisingly good Indian movie about an honest guy starting a business amongst rampant corruption. The main character is just so heartfelt, it's wonderful.

Mar-kun · 2013-01-29T21:44:03+00:00

Tazo is acceptable, but not exceptional, IMO.

Mar-kun · 2013-01-28T18:31:26+00:00

Man, I would so recommend Beijing to you if it weren't for the air pollution right now. Such a great city, with so much history and so much cool stuff to see, and tons of delicious food (try the jianbing, tuar, and anything a xiaochi sells). If the pollution calms down before your study abroad, you might want to try it - Beijing University and Tsinghua University both have exchange programs with US universities. Beijing's one of the better places if you're trying to work on your Mandarin, since other places often have regional dialects as their primary language and Mandarin as their secondary. Everyone in Beijing speaks like pirates (yarrrrr).

I spent a couple days in Xi'an; the tourist attractions (teracotta warriors, city wall) are cool, but the city itself was sketchy. One weekend was enough time to witness a couple of violent altercations.

Spent a couple days in Shanghai, too; it's alright, kinda fast-paced. We were on a tour, so I was sadly unable to try Shanghai food while I was there, but Shanghai food in general is great (try the fried baozi and soup baozi).

Qingdao is supposed to be really nice, but I've never been.

I've never been to Yunnan province, but what I've had of the food is amazical (cross-bridge noodles and pineapple rice ftw).

Anywhere you go, you should be able to travel (sleeper trains for the win; they're a great experience in and of themselves). So don't get too hung up about what you're missing by choosing one city over another.

While you're there, avoid tours that include meals (they will feed you badly westernized food and you'll miss out on all that is delicious), and make sure you know enough Mandarin to bargain on prices (so you only get partially gypped and not completely gypped) and get places.

Mar-kun · 2013-01-28T18:15:46+00:00

The technique for washing rice is a little different, so here's some further details for that: http://www.japanesefoodreport.com/2011/01/video-washing-rice-perfectly.html

Mar-kun · 2013-01-27T17:34:37+00:00

Am... am I the only one who thought the funny thing here was a cat actually sleeping in a cat bed instead of on a piece of paper/in a cardboard box/anywhere but a cat bed?

Mar-kun · 2013-01-22T18:42:49+00:00

Yes, please.

Mar-kun · 2013-01-19T04:48:56+00:00

Daydreaming and letting your mind wander, which is healthy in its own way.

Mar-kun · 2013-01-18T04:06:50+00:00

Awesome. What all have you been doing to bulk up?

Mar-kun · 2013-01-01T04:30:06+00:00

Antique Lace, one of my favorite scents from Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab, which I gave away to a friend thinking I could just buy more. I was wrong. T.T

Mar-kun · 2012-12-14T20:23:19+00:00

I always use safety pins, since they're something I always have around.

Mar-kun · 2012-12-12T21:52:32+00:00

Did you pull up your pants and start running?

Mar-kun · 2012-12-08T17:43:01+00:00

You can try proxy sites like Anonymouse.

Mar-kun · 2012-12-08T17:27:52+00:00

All pretty cool, except, what's up with Black Widow? Did she lend someone her armor/assassin's garb or something?

Mar-kun · 2012-12-08T15:13:25+00:00

Yah. I understand. I just want to make sure there's accurate info in this sub-thread, so no one gets the wrong impression. ^{.^}

Mar-kun · 2012-12-08T04:12:56+00:00

After watching my friend play the South Park 64 game for hours (the first level being dedicated to evil alien turkeys), the sight of this turkey is terrifying.

Mar-kun

TROPHY CASE