Tofu Sheet Krupuk

Background

This recipe is an experiment to create a krupuk-style cracker using tofu sheet. It is inspired by traditional Indonesian krupuk, which is typically made from a gelatinized and dried paste of Tapioca Starch, Rice, and often Shrimp. This version explores if tofu sheets, when boiled in baking soda, can produce a similarly puffed and crispy result when fried.

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Recipe

Ingredients

Tofu Sheet

Baking Soda

Instructions

1. Boiling
   Boil the tofu sheets in water with baking soda.

2. Dehydrating
   Remove the sheets from the water and dehydrate them until they are completely dry and brittle.

3. Frying
   Fry the dehydrated sheets in hot oil until they puff up.

Notes and Observations

• When fried, the dehydrated tofu sheets puff up dramatically, much like traditional shrimp crackers.
• The mechanism in standard krupuk involves the gelatinization and subsequent retrogradation of starches. This process traps microscopic pockets of water within the dried cracker, which turn to steam and cause it to puff when fried.
• It is unclear why this process works with tofu sheets, but a similar phenomenon occurs.