Introduction: Savory Marinated Tofu
Truly Tasty Tofu. This tofu is anything but squishy and tasteless. It is sweet and salty and a little bit sour, with a hint of Asian flavors. The texture is firm and slightly dry, like thick jerky. It's easy to make as long as you have a little patience.
(This is my personal made-up recipe. Please be respectful of my cooking secrets : )
Step 1: Ingredients
Extra firm tofu
(see step 3 for amount)
For the marinade (use these amounts for 1-2 tofu bricks, double for 3-4):
3 T soy sauce
1/2 tsp worcestershire sauce
2 T seasoned rice vinegar
pinch of coriander
2 cloves garlic (crushed)
pepper to taste
3 tsp balsamic vinegar
2-3 T olive oil
few drops of sesame oil (optional)
dash of 5-spice (optional)
Step 2: Optional Flavors
Here are some other additions that work well with this recipe. Add in small amounts, if you want and taste along the way. You really can't go wrong - it's just a matter of personal taste.
Step 3: The Taste Is in the Marinade
Make the marinade in the dish you will be marinating the tofu and set it aside.
Tweaking the Recipe
If you like things:
Sweeter - add 1T honey
More sweet & sour - add another T of balsamic
Citrus - add 1/4 cup of OJ
Spicy - hot sauce (like Sriracha) to taste
Step 4: Cut Up
Each tofu block makes about 4 meal servings, but more snacks. I usually make 2-3 blocks at a time. It keeps well and actually improves in texture in the frig.
Cut each tofu block into slices about 6-8mm thick and then cut the slices in half.
Step 5: Marinate
When all the tofu is cut up, put it in an airtight container. Cover with the marinade and swirl the liquid around so that it touches all the tofu. Swirl more whenever you think about it. Mix the batch after a few hours. Keep in the frog while marinating.
You can easily adjust how strong you want the flavor by adjusting the time in the marinade. However, make sure the tofu stays in at least 2-4 hours.
Step 6: The Texture Is in the Baking
It's okay to taste the tofu to see if you like the strength of the marinade. I leave it soaking overnight sometimes. Just remember the flavors won't fully develop until cooking. You can also make the flavor stronger by pouring the marinade over the tofu when you bake it.
When you're ready to cook, set the oven to bake at 350 degrees. While the oven is heating, arrange the tofu on a large, foil-lined, oiled baking tray in a single layer. (You'll see I used parchment in the photos - I ran out of foil and parchment works well too) If you have more than fits on one tray, start another one. No layering. You can choose to pour the marinade over the tofu if you want. This will make the flavor more intense, but also make it a lot saltier.
Put the tray(s) in the oven and bake for 30 minutes. Turn all the tofu over and continue baking until all the pieces darken and shrink (I'm guessing about 20%). This will be another 15 - 30 minutes.
Step 7:
Step 8:
Step 9: Wait. Eat.
These are tasty right out of the oven, but they won't get the dense texture until they've fully cooled. They're best after spending a night in the frig.
Then you can eat them as they are, warm them up, or add them to other dishes.
Shown served warm with arugula, a great combination.
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17 Comments
7 years ago
Is there a good substitute for the Worcestershire sauce because most Worcestershire sauce has anchovies and I don't eat fish.........?
Reply 6 years ago
If you have access to an Asian market, they usually carry a few selections of vegetarian/vegan Worcestershire sauce.
Reply 6 years ago
Good to know! Thanks for the input!
Reply 7 years ago
You can just leave it out or try some (not too much) black bean soy sauce and/or a tiny bit of extra chili sauce. : )
7 years ago on Introduction
I love marinated tofu and I'll try your recipe but I don't own a frog to put it in. ?
Reply 7 years ago on Introduction
Nice to see you have a good sense of humor! I'm making your recipe right now and my husband is out looking for frogs. I'll be back. ?
Reply 7 years ago on Introduction
lol!
Reply 7 years ago on Introduction
Really? I thought everyone has a nice big frog for making tofu : )
Thanks for pointing it out! I may leave it for a while though because it's a pretty funny typo. We'll see who's really paying attention. Have a great weekend!
7 years ago on Introduction
Wow, when I saw all those bottles I got scared, but when I read the whole post I realized that this is quite easy. Great tofu recipe, thanks for sharing!
Reply 7 years ago on Introduction
Thanks! I'll have to remember this during my next overenthusiastic photo session : )
7 years ago on Introduction
Love marinated tofu! Thanks for the recipe!
Reply 7 years ago on Introduction
Me too. You're Welcome!
7 years ago on Introduction
Awesome mix! I will use it with chicken!
Reply 7 years ago on Introduction
Just made used it for chicken and then used the leftover marinade for Japanese eggplant. Both were really yummy!
Reply 7 years ago on Introduction
Good idea! I'll try it too : )
7 years ago on Introduction
I have made a similar tofu snack. The press the tofu with a heavy plate for several hours first. Then I put the squeezed pieces in an oyster sauce/soy/garlic marinade for a day or so. Then I drain the tofu and gently pan sear it. It makes a great snack IMHO.
Reply 7 years ago on Introduction
Thanks! This sounds good. I make it this way sometimes too. It's all about getting the water out and the flavor in : )