Packaged baked tofu is tasty and not all that expensive, but homemade baked tofu is even better. The trick to this chewy, savory transformation of bland white tofu is to make sure it’s well pressed and to let it marinate for plenty of time. These baked tofu slices are so flavorful that you can serve them as a side dish, add them to the dinner plate for extra protein, or use them to make sandwiches on toast or rolls along with vegan mayonnaise and/or mustard and sprouts or dark green lettuce. They also make a fantastic addition to wraps.
If you want your baked tofu strips to be extra firm, you can place a cutting board over them and top it with some sort of weight. Then let the strips rest for 20 to 30 minutes or so. Or, although it’s entirely optional, I particularly like to use my TofuXpress or EZ Tofu Press for this dish—it makes the tofu superfirm.
Recipe information
Yield
3–4 servings
Ingredients
Preparation
Step 1
Drain the tofu and cut into 8 slabs crosswise. Blot well between paper towels or clean kitchen towels (or use a tofu press). Cut each slab into strips.
Step 2
Combine the remaining ingredients in a small bowl and whisk together. Arrange the tofu slices in a single layer in a shallow container or baking dish and pour enough marinade over them to cover. Let stand for an hour or two—the longer the better.
Step 3
Shortly before you’d like to bake the tofu, preheat the oven to 400°F. If this is the only thing you’re making, use a toaster oven—it’s the perfect size. Remove the tofu slices from the marinade and transfer to a parchment-lined baking pan in a single layer. If you’re using the full-size oven, roast some veggies at the same time (I like to use the excess marinade to roast eggplant or green beans).
Step 4
Bake for 20 minutes, then turn the strips and bake for 15 to 20 minutes longer, or until the tofu is firm and starting to turn light brown along the edges.
Variations:
Step 5
Add 1 teaspoon liquid smoke (or more to taste) to the marinade for a subtle smoky flavor.
Step 6
Instead of baking, cook these tofu slices on a grill. About 5 minutes per side should do—make sure there are nice grill marks on each side.
Recipe notes
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