Crispy Sesame Tofu

A snack, a meal, an appetizer, this crispy tofu is so flavourful and versatile!  Drizzle it with spicy mayo for a delicious appetizer.  Serve it with fried rice.  Garnish your next bowl of ramen with it!  

1 pc extra firm tofu, sliced into 1/2 inch thick slices 
2 Tbsp Soy sauce
1 Tbsp Rice vinegar
½ tsp Brown sugar
½ tsp chili garlic sauce (or more for more spicy) 
⅛ cup cornstarch
¼ cup sesame seeds (mix of black & white)
¼ cup panko (regular or gluten free), optional 

1. As an optional step if your tofu is quite moist, place 2-3 sheets of paper towel on. top and bottom of tofu slices. Place a plate on top of tofu covered with paper towels and place a pan or a couple of cans on top. Allow to sit at room temperature for 5-10 minutes.
2. Gently press from time to time to remove as much excess liquid as possible. You may need to change to fresh paper towels, depending on how moist your tofu is.
3. Whisk together soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, brown sugar and chili garlic paste in a. shallow bowl or plate. Place pressed tofu in marinade, and flip from time to time so that tofu is fully coated in the marinade. Allow to marinade for 5-10 minutes.
4. In a bowl, mix together cornstarch, sesame seeds and panko, if using.  
5. Sesame crust tofu: Press the marinated tofu into the sesame mixture, coat both sides.
6. Place crusted tofu on a clean plate until ready to fry.
7. Preheat a heavy-bottomed frying pan over medium heat. Add enough oil to coat the bottom of the pan. Place the tofu slices (you may need to cook in batches in order not to overcrowd the pan) in the hot oil and cook until golden on the first side, turn over, cooking until golden on the second side, about 1-2 minutes per side.  Remove cooked tofu to a cooling rack or a. plate lined with a paper towel.
8. Serve as desired and enjoy!