Tofu curious? Tofu ninja? Or just plain intrigued as to what these little pigs could do with a highly nutritious yet undeniably bland block of soybeans...
Regardless of your reasons for being here piglet, we're thrilled you are as this really grate tip is one that makes a regular appearance in our meal kits & gets rave reviews as a fab technique to have up your sleeve for taking the humble block of tofu and transforming it into a deliciously tasty topper for your salad, stirfry or noodle bowl. The true beauty of tofu shines through in its ability to take on whatever flavours it's cooked with, so don't let your mind (and cooking creativity) be stifled by the plainness of tofu - it's true beauty is just a good marinade, technique or glaze away.
Without further ado (and without regaling you with a story about a crisp fall morning in Rome - see below for that context) here's what you'll need to create some tofu magic.
Ingredients
- Firm tofu block
- 30ml olive or peanut oil
Tofu marinade:
- 1tbsp tamari soy sauce
- 1tbsp teriyaki sauce
- 1tbsp sesame oil
Tofu salt & pepper sprinkle:
- 1tsp garlic powder
- 1tsp salt
- 1tsp white pepper
- 1tsp five spice
- 1tsp castor sugar
*even ratios work best for this sprinkle but you can taste and adjust before you add if you like things more salty than sweet, for example (halve sugar).
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Method of grateness (no it's not a typo piglets, it really is a grate technique...)
- Take your tofu block and press between paper towels gently but firmly (as if it's a relative who needs a good boundaries reminder) to remove any excess moisture.
- Cut in half (for ease of grating) and gently grate using the larger side of your box grater until you've got what might resemble a pile of anemic shredded cheese (we don't suggest snacking on it at this stage as you might do if it was indeed delicious shredded cheese...mucho disappointment would follow.
- Toss your grated tofu in a bowl with the tofu marinade & ideally set aside overnight to rest, relax and contemplate his actions - if you've got no time then straight onto the next steps is fine, marination time just adds more flavour.
- This next step? It's a real choose your own adventure moment. If you want a super crispy, crunchy finish then go for the oven baked method. More after a juicy yet still slightly crispy finish? Then go the frypan route. Both are delicious, just slightly different textures.
Oven
- Pre-heat oven to 230°C.
- On a lined oven tray, spread your marinated tofu out well & bake until golden & crispy - stirring/flipping once or twice, as needed to evenly brown and crisp.
- Allow to cool slightly before tossing in a bowl with your tofu salt & pepper sprinkle & then either cool completely and store in an airtight glass container for up to 3 days or devour immediately as a lovely textural, flavour packed hit of protein on top of a salad, rice bowl or stirfry. Our fave? Pile sushi rice into a bowl, top with slices of avo, crunchy pickled carrots, runny fried egg, your crispy tofu sprinkles, fresh chilli, lime and a whack of herbs for flavour. Satisfying, delicious & very nutritious.
Frypan
- Heat your frypan & add your oil.
- Spread out your marinated tofu in the hot pan and then stir constantly, gently picking up any crunchy bits sticking to the pan as you go while you wait for it to turn a lovely caramelised golden brown colour with some pieces starting to crisp up.
- Take off the heat while you still have some juicy golden bits (you're going for textural joy here) and stir through your Tofu Salt & Pepper Sprinkle before serving. This method? It's crying out to be spooned over a delicious fried rice, packed with sweet corn, finely diced capsicum, spring onion, scrambled egg, fresh chilli, a squeeze of lime and some torn Thai basil over the lot if you can find it.
Some other tofu tricks we love?
- Use honey, maple syrup or sweet chilli sauce in your marinades for a sweet depth and caramelised cooking finish.
- Time = flavour so get marinating ahead of time for extra oomph in your dish. Just keep in mind that firm tofu will keep a lot of moisture, so if you've marinated overnight there's going to be extra liquid in there by the time you come to cook, so drain well before cooking for a nice crispy finish.
- Serve with a sauce, i.e. cook your tofu with just a simple base marinade like soy, teriyaki or even just garlic, then serve with a sauce like a lush satay or sticky caramelised glaze.
- Go big or go home with fresh flavours adding to the already immaculate nutritional profile of tofu. We love freshly grated garlic and ginger in the marinade or cooked with your tofu (especially in the pan fried method above), then served with aromatics like fresh lime, lime leaf, coriander, mint, Thai basil & fresh chilli.
