I thought I would do a Vegan Basics Series on this blog; something that I would have liked to have used on my vegan journey that would have helped me feel less overwhelmed and not just limp alone haphazardly. The basics recipes will also form the foundation of some other recipes so they are easily linkable and you can refer to them without fuss.
Okay, so, tofu is the MOST versatile when it comes to making the change to being plant-based. You can use soft tofu to make creamy sauces, puddings or even your own mayo, you can use medium-firm tofu to make delicious scramble for the perfect brunch meal and you can use extra firm/super firm tofu as the protein for a delicious meal.
Now I consider myself a well versed VVitch in dealing out some tofu magic. However my first attempt making tofu was.... awful. In 2018 I was partaking in Veganuary, my sister was staying over so I decided to make salt and pepper tofu. I have a video of my sister biting into it and after about 2 minutes processing the bite, turn to me and say "but it tastes of nothing!?"
I hadn't done any research into how to cook the tofu, I just decided to full send it and make it up as I went. I had pan fried wobbly medium firm tofu sprinkled with just salt and pepper (no chilli, 5 spice, or anything else)
I served it with a stir fry mix with bok choi, noodles and some soy and garlic packet sauce sprinkled with coriander. It tasted like a seasoned cloud, we choked down our bland nothingness and I vowed my tofu would never taste like that again!
After hours and hours of watching youtube videos, tiktoks, blogs, recipe websites and some experiments, this is my recipe for crispy baked tofu.
I make this tofu at least once a week, it is a great for meal prepping lunches with rice, veggies and a sauce of choice and it's so versatile you can put ANY flavour on it and it just sings. It is highly requested by my children as "teriyaki tofu rice bowl".
For this recipe I highly recommend using extra firm or super firm tofu. It means there is no need to press the tofu to get rid of the excess liquid and it saves you a little time, making life that little bit easier.
Ingredients
200g tofu (I use Aldi Organic Super Firm Tofu for 99p! )
2 tbsp corn flour
1 tbsp oil (I like to use sesame oil for some added flavour)
salt and pepper
Pinch of chilli flakes
1/2 tsp garlic powder
Any other spices you like, optional
Method
Pre-heat the oven to 180°C fan assisted/Gas Mark 4/ 383°F.
Take the tofu out of the packaging, pat dry with a paper towel and cut tofu into cubes (I like to do this by halving the tofu block lengthways horizontally and then cutting into strips then cubes)
In a bowl mix the flour, salt, pepper and spices if using.
Add the tofu to the bowl and coat with the dry mixture
Once coated add the oil and mix gently with a spatula. This creates a coating on the tofu which will get a nice crisp in the oven.
Transfer tofu to an oven tray lined with greaseproof paper and cook for 20 minutes.
Serve with rice/noodles, veggies and a sauce of your choice (such as katsu, teriyaki, sweet and sour or sriracha)
You can also use an air fryer to make this recipe for even more quickness, I just prefer using my oven.
Please do let me know if you try out this crispy baked tofu, and if you did, what spices/sauce did you put with it?
Blessed be,