There are scads of tofu recipes out there, but time after time I return to this one. It requires few ingredients, is low maintenance and consistently tasty.
This baked tofu’s flavour is heavily influenced by the soy sauce, but that’s certainly not all that you taste. I often pair it with grains and veggies, though it also works really well cold or room temperature in a salad.
I always take the step to press the tofu – this really allows the marinade to invade more of the tofu’s nooks and crannies. All it takes is about half an hour, and it’s well worth it.
Baked Tofu
From The Complete Vegan Cookbook
1 pound firm tofu
1/3 cup vegetable stock
2 tsp soy sauce
1 tbsp dark sesame oil
1 tsp brown rice syrup
½ tsp granulated garlic
½ tsp ground ginger
½ tsp ground cumin
Rinse the tofu and, if necessary, cut it into four slabs that are about 1-inch thick. Place the tofu pieces on a clean, folded tea towel on a flat surface, like a cutting board or countertop. Cover with another clean, folded tea towel and lay a cutting board or other flat object on top. Place a moderate weight on the board (such as a large can of tomatoes) and leave to drain for about 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, in a baking dish just large enough to hold the tofu, stir together the stock, soy sauce, sesame oil, rice syrup, granulated garlic, ginger and cumin. When the tofu has drained, place it in the marinade, cover the dish, and place in the refrigerator for a couple of hours. Turn the tofu pieces over midway through the marinating time.
Preheat a conventional or toaster over to 400 degrees F. Place the baking dish in the oven and cook for 30 minutes, then turn the tofu over and cook an additional 30 minutes. The liquid should be completely absorbed and the tofu should have a nice dark crust.
Must try! Thanks for sharing. I just baked my first gluten-free cake a couple weeks ago (it also happened to be vegan as well) b/c one of my friends has a son who has many food allergies. Looking forward to future vegetarian, gluten-free and dairy-free posts!
Thank you! So nice of you to learn new recipes for your friend’s son.
I’m going to have to try this out. It looks delish!