‘Every dish I cooked exhumed a memory. Every scent and taste brought me back for a moment to an unravaged home’
I found some beautiful freshly made tofu at the Larchmont Farmers Market this weekend from Great Joy Family Farm. It reminded me of my time in Singapore where I used to taste it most days in the form of milk, tofu or ice cream. It has a distinctly rich and creamy smell when fresh (yes, I know you can’t smell ‘creamy’ but I swear with soya milk you can).
Organic tofu is delicious and high in protein. It has also been shown to act as an anti-inflammatory, due to containing isoflavones.
I baked the tofu with a marinade in addition to an intermediate coating of cornstarch and baking power. It’s the baking powder that reacts with the heat creating the crispy texture.
The marinade is sweet and salty and can be dialed up or down depending on preference.
Ingredients
- 1 (14-oz.) block extra-firm tofu, drained
- 2 cloves garlic, grated
- 1”-inch piece ginger, grated
- 2 Tbsp. tamari
- 1 Tbsp. Sriracha
- 3 Tbsp. toasted sesame oil, divided
- 2 tsp. rice wine vinegar
- 2 Tbsp. coconut sugar
- 1 1/2 Tbsp. cornstarch
- 1/4 tsp. baking powder
- 2 tbsp. sesame seeds for garnish
Instructions
- Carefully pat tofu dry: On a cutting board, sandwich tofu between doubled layers of paper towels and press down slowly to remove moisture without cracking the block. Remove paper towels and cut tofu into 32 equal pieces: halve tofu laterally across, then cut the block into a 4×4 grid.
- Make marinade: In a medium bowl, whisk together garlic, ginger, soy sauce, Sriracha, 2 tablespoons sesame oil, vinegar, and sugar until smooth. Set aside half this mixture and reserve for glazing later.
- Preheat oven to 400°F. Meanwhile, add tofu to bowl and toss gently to coat in marinade. Let sit 15 minutes, then drain off excess marinade.
- In a small bowl, whisk together cornstarch and baking powder. Sprinkle over tofu and gently toss to coat evenly. Drizzle over remaining 1 tablespoon sesame oil and toss to coat each piece.
- Spread tofu evenly out onto a baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, decrease oven temperature to 375°. Flip tofu pieces to allow for even toasting, then return tray to oven and continue to bake until tofu is crispy on the outside and deeply golden, about 15 minutes more.
- Heat the marinade till it starts to thicken a little and then brush tofu for a glazed finish, then sprinkle with sesame.
