This straightforward marinated tofu recipe requires no cooking and delivers unimaginable umami taste with low effort! Flavored with soy sauce, sesame oil, and ginger, it’s excellent for meal prep and wholesome weeknight dinners.
I’ll admit it—I wasn’t at all times a tofu believer. However then I found this game-changing marinated tofu (and some different straightforward tofu recipes) that fully remodeled my relationship with this plant-based protein!
This marinated tofu is filled with savory umami flavors from toasted sesame oil, contemporary ginger, garlic, and soy sauce, plus inexperienced onions and sesame seeds for texture and freshness. One of the best half? You don’t even must cook dinner it! Simply press, marinate, and revel in. It’s develop into one in every of my favourite meal prep staples! Throw it in a bowl with rice, soba noodles, or quinoa and a few contemporary veggies, and also you’ve received an immediate wholesome lunch or dinner!
Learn how to make this straightforward marinated tofu recipe
Alex and I truly received the concept for this marinated tofu recipe from a dinner we ate on the Chicago Halfway airport. Wait: an airport? Sure, I do know, I can confidently say that that is the primary and solely recipe on this web site that has ever been impressed by airport delicacies!
O, so we have been at Chicago Halfway and we wanted a wholesome dinner quick. Miraculously, Alex discovered some sushi and a field of marinated tofu. After the primary chew, neither of us might cease consuming it! It was critically savory and satisfying, however tasted contemporary and wholesome on the similar time.
This marinated tofu is the definition of straightforward: there are principally two steps. Press, then marinate. There’s fairly a little bit of water in tofu, so so as to infuse it with taste you’ll must press it. Nonetheless: we’ve developed a fast method to do it!
A tip for urgent tofu—quick!
Many tofu recipes require urgent tofu for about 1 hour to empty it earlier than beginning the recipe. That is tough on a weeknight, so I made a decision to analysis quicker methods to press the water out of tofu. There’s truly a stunning trick for dashing up urgent tofu: the microwave!
Oddly sufficient, should you microwave tofu for two minutes, it extracts fairly a little bit of liquid. Then place the items on a dry towel, place a slicing board on prime, and prime it with a heavy object. The load will extract extra water, and will probably be finished after simply quarter-hour.
Learn how to marinade tofu
After urgent the tofu, all it’s a must to do is marinade the tofu for half-hour. Merely let it sit in a bowl with the marinade. The flavors are balanced with savory, candy, tangy, and spicy: soy sauce, garlic and sesame oil, tangy rice vinegar, maple syrup and a contact of gochujang scorching sauce for a touch of warmth.
Throw that every one along with some minced inexperienced onion and sesame seeds, and it’s so flavorful, you gained’t know what hit you. After we first served this marinated tofu to our 2 yr outdated, it disappeared instantly!
No cooking required (however you possibly can should you like)
With this straightforward marinated tofu, you don’t cook dinner it. This makes it 100% simpler than any baked the tactic. Tofu is suitable for eating uncooked as a result of it’s heat-treated throughout its manufacturing course of.
After all, you possibly can cook dinner it should you’d prefer to! You possibly can pan fry it or make baked tofu. However this straightforward marinated tofu recipe actually doesn’t have to be cooked: it’s extraordinarily flavorful with out the fuss.
Is tofu wholesome?
Sure! Tofu is a part of a nutritious diet. In accordance with Harvard, soy is a nutrient-dense supply of protein that may safely be consumed a number of occasions per week. It’s seemingly to supply well being advantages—particularly when eaten as a substitute for purple and processed meat.
Serving solutions for marinated tofu
This marinated tofu is so easy as a result of it’s largely fingers off: there’s actually solely about 10 minutes of energetic time. This offers you ample time to arrange the remainder of a meal. As a result of it may retailer refrigerated for as much as 5 days, it’s excellent for lunches! How would we serve this marinated tofu? Attempt serving it:
Lunch bowls: I like pairing this tofu with seasoned quinoa and pan fried broccoli for a protein-packed lunch. Add some tahini dressing to carry all of it collectively.
With noodles for dinner: Serve it with peanut noodles or fast soba noodles with steamed greens.
Grain bowls: Layer it over brown rice with straightforward edamame and contemporary greens. I usually add sliced cucumber and shredded carrots.
Stir fry addition: Toss it into fried rice or cauliflower fried rice over the last minute of cooking for further protein with out further cooking time.
Wholesome snacking: Take pleasure in it straight with chopsticks—it’s that good! It’s nice for workplace lunches with some crackers and greens.
Dietary notes
This marinated tofu recipe is vegetarian, vegan, dairy-free, gluten-free, and plant-based.
Simple Marinated Tofu
This straightforward marinated tofu recipe requires no cooking and delivers unimaginable umami taste with low effort! Flavored with soy sauce, sesame oil, and ginger, it’s excellent for meal prep and wholesome weeknight dinners.
- Prep Time: 45 minutes
- Prepare dinner Time: 0 minutes
- Whole Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 4 1x
- Class: Important Dish
- Methodology: Marinated
- Delicacies: Asian
- 12 to 16 ounces block of additional agency or agency tofu
- ¼ cup soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
- 1 teaspoon maple syrup
- 1 garlic clove, finely grated
- ½ teaspoon contemporary ginger, finely grated
- 1 teaspoon gochujang sauce
- 2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
- 1 teaspoon sesame seeds (or toasted sesame seeds)
- 1 tablespoon minced inexperienced onion
- Take away the tofu from the bundle and drain liquid. Lower tofu into half lengthwise and place it in a big bowl. Microwave on excessive for two minutes; this helps to extract liquid.
- Drain off extra liquid launched within the microwave. Place the 2 items on a towel; place one other folded towel on prime and add a slicing board and a heavy object. Enable to press for quarter-hour till the water is drained.
- Lower every sq. into 16 items, for 32 squares whole. Place all of them within the bowl with the marinade and stir very gently. Add marinade and place within the fridge for no less than half-hour, stirring gently midway by way of. Eat instantly (this tofu is served with out cooking it, which is completely secure; see Notes). Shops refrigerated for five days.
Notes
With this straightforward marinated tofu, you don’t cook dinner it. Tofu is suitable for eating uncooked as a result of it’s heat-treated throughout its manufacturing course of. After all, you possibly can cook dinner it should you’d prefer to: you possibly can pan fry it or make baked tofu.
