Do you hate buying packets of fake soy meat with stripes painted on them? Feel terrible yet decadent ripping into a fake corn dog with ketchup? Shall we try something the hell different?

Behold! TOFU BACON. Or BACON TOFU. I think that second one has a better ring to it, how about you?

Bacon tofu is easy. All you do it cut good tofu thinly, quickly fry it in sesame oil and ginger, and toss it into a bowl. Then you eat it. It is crispy. It is savory. It is salty and tasty and crispy and BACONY BACONY BACON. And yet it is tofu, and requires no frozen processed product of any kind. I don't know, do you really count tofu as processed? I don't.

I think this stuff is particularly great because it comes close to the crumbly texture of well-cooked bacon.

Bacon tofu!

good nigari tofu
fresh ginger
sesame oil
optional things such as garlic or sesame seeds

Cut tofu into thin slices. You want them to be 1/8 inch thick at the most, and preferably a little thinner. Cut the slices whatever shape you like; we like them in squares or rectangles a couple inches long.

Peel ginger and chop. If you want garlic, chop that too. Use a big piece of ginger the size of your thumb or so.

In a good sauté pan, warm a big slug of sesame oil. Get it pretty hot, then add the tofu pieces in one layer. Fry until golden brown and crispy on one side, then flip and get the other. When the second side is about halfway done crispening, add the ginger and potential garlic. If you want sesame seeds, or maybe some hot pepper sauce like Sriracha, you can add them in here too. Toss things around a bit and continue to cook.

Make sure everything is crispy, then remove from heat. You are done!

What are you going to serve it with? A salad of some sort, to combat the oil with some juicy greens! We used half a head of frisée for ridiculous curly deliciousness. Spinach would also be good, for fake bacon and spinach salad. Torn romaine would be good. I am having trouble thinking of a salad green that would not be good. Just toss the sesame-ginger oil left in the pan over the greens and whack the tofu on top. This way you not only get crispy bacon tofu, but also warm dressing.

You win!