Tofu Gan- Basic Recipe for a Chinese Staple

The many forms of Tofu Gan in Taiwan market

Tofu gan is dehydrated tofu sliced into thin strips that is used a lot in Chinese cooking, and that we frequently ate growing up. In the past, we've typically bought this from the store precooked and throw it in with stir fry. But it is SUPER easy to make, very convenient and versatile, and will be something I'll integrate into my diet more in the future.

Last night, I sort of synthesized a baked tofu recipe that Omowale posted in our 'going vegan' forum with a tofu gan recipe my mother had got the night before from a neighborhood friend.

Don't follow this to a T. I was deliberately broad here....experiment, and report back your results!

Ingredients:

Seasoning of your choice

Firm tofu (or whatever tofu, but firm is easier to manipulate), cut in the shape of your choice.

Directions:

1) I let my tofu marinate overnight in curry seasoning, sea salt, and pepper. You can use whatever you'd like depending on how you plan to use your tofu gan. Experiment.

2) I baked on low in a toaster oven, flipping the tofu over every 15-20 minutes or so. Mine took a pretty long time to cook because I had them in a wide shape, and cooked on 200. Just watch it and continue flipping until dry.

3) Your tofu gan is done when it appears dry to the touch on both size and has shrunk to at least half of its original size, if not smaller.

4) (Chinese method, I skipped this part this time around) Simmer the tofu gan in a mixture of soy sauce, rice vinegar, and sugar. This gives it a nice coating and flavor.

3) Slice up and throw into stir fry, salads, whatever you like. (For lunch I tossed in with some garlic and spinach I cooked up. Delicious.)

Enjoy and let me know if you come up with something grand with this. I'd also love to hear from someone who attempts a tofu gan in a dehydrator. Curious to hear the results..