The Static in Front of Your Dreams by Sashiko Yuen

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Secure in the knowledge that there is no such thing as too many tofu marinade recipes, here are three rad, simple ones for you to sample. One tangy and citrus-y, one soy-based with a little chilli-lime kick and another featuring simple, satisfying curry flavours.

Tofu is the blank slate of the food world, soaking up whatever flavours you are in the mood to throw its way. For this reason, it is made to be marinaded! This is one of the many things makes it an awesome addition to almost any meal you can think of.

I have been marinading a lot o’ tofu lately. It is a protein and calcium mega-punch, full of vitamins and plenty of minerals. See also: delicious and superlatively versatile.

If you are new to the world of marinading tofu, there are exciting times ahead! To get a feel for a few different flavour combinations, start with some recipes that catch your eye in cookbooks and on blogs (there are a few goods ones below 😉 ), then you will feel more confident going wild and experimenting with your own creations. Before you know it you will have a roster of delicious marinades to choose from whenever the urge strikes.

I have given instructions for baking, but the marinaded ‘fu can definitely be fried if you prefer. The pieces would also be great crumbed, or even battered. Do your thing.

 

Tofu Three Ways

 

Ze tofu:
For any of the marinades, use either one half or one whole block of firm tofu (around 150 – 300g), drained and pressed

Marinade ingredients:

The Citrus One
juice of one lime
juice of one lemon
1/2″ piece of ginger, crushed
1 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp garam masala
pinch of ground chilli
1/4 cup orange juice

The Spicy Soy One
juice of two small limes
2 tbsp tamari soy
1 tbsp sesame oil
1 tbsp water
1 tsp ground coriander
1/4 tsp turmeric
1/4 – 1/8 tsp ground chilli

The Curry-ish One
1 tbsp rice wine vinegar
1 tsp tamari soy*
1 tsp ground coriander
2 tbsp curry powder
1/4 cup water

 

What to do:

Cut tofu widthwise into thin rectangles. A half block of tofu should yield around 6 pieces, a full block 12 pieces.

In a small bowl, whisk together marinade ingredients for the chosen recipe. Pour into an 11 × 7″ baking dish.

Add tofu pieces, flipping them to cover both sides.Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, up to overnight. Turn the tofu pieces once or twice during this time.

Bake in a 190 C preheated oven for 20 minutes, then flip each piece and cook for another 10 – 20 minutes, until tofu begins to brown and marinade is greatly reduced.

Enjoy as a snack, side dish or part of a main meal.

Serves 1-4.

 

* Use good ol’ regular soy sauce if you don’t have tamari ♥