Tofu skin? Is that the same as bean curd skin? Well, yes and no. Tofu skin is sold in different forms, dried or fresh, but each form has its own uses.
Bean curd (tofu) skin
The skin that forms on the surface of boiled soy milk is gathered to make bean curd (tofu) skin. Technically, the skin isn’t part of the tofu which forms after allowing the soy milk to coagulate.
If you’d like to try tofu skin, out of curiosity or to explore protein sources other than meat, go for fresh tofu skin. No rehydration needed. Just cut and cook. As an example, here’s the simplest way to prepare and enjoy it.
That’s how the fresh tofu skins that were used in this dish look like. We got them frozen and I just thawed them, cut them into fingers, sprinkled them with salt (for a bit of flavor because they are really bland) and pressed them between stacks of paper towels to remove as much moisture as I possibly could.
Then, I fried the cut tofu skin in plenty of oil over low heat. Yes, LOW heat. Fry them over high heat and they will burn before you can scoop them out. So, low heat. Turn them around occasionally for even cooking until they are nicely browned and crisp.
Full recipe below
Crispy tofu skin fingers with spicy honey lemon ginger sauce
Ingredients
- 1 pack fresh tofu skins - thawed
- salt
- 1 cup cooking oil
Dipping sauce
- ¼ cup honey
- ½ teaspoon grated ginger
- juice of one lemon juice
- finger chili - sliced thinly
Instructions
- Cut the tofu skin into fingers about half an inch wide. Sprinkle with salt.
- Line a plate with paper towels and arrange the tofu skin fingers in a single layer. Top with another stack of paper towels and press down to remove excess moisture.
- Over low heat, fry the tofu skin fingers in batches until crisp then drain on a stack of paper towels.
- Make the dipping sauce by mixing together the honey, ginger, chili and lemon sauce. Stir in enough salt for balance.
- Serve the crisp tofu skin fingers with the dipping sauce on the side.
