BBQ Tofu Recipe - The Big Man's World ® (2024)

FAQs

Why pour boiling water over tofu? ›

It may seem counterintuitive to add water to something you're trying to dry out, but boiling water will actually cause the tofu to squeeze out more moisture, bringing it to the surface and making it easier to blot off, while the salt gently seasons the slices.

Firm, non-silken tofu is best for grilling. Tofu comes in two basic forms: silken and cottony, which are made using two different coagulating agents. Within these two categories, you'll find varying degrees of firmness from custardy soft to very firm and meaty, depending on their final water content.

Press it. Tofu contains a lot of water, and you'll want to squeeze most of it out, especially if you're baking, grilling, or frying it. I recommend using a tofu press to do this, because it gives the tofu a delicious chewy texture and makes cleanup a breeze. But having one isn't necessary.

Oil Your Grill Grates

"As with any protein, make sure the grates are thoroughly preheated, cleaned and lightly rubbed with oil," she says. Liang suggests going one step further: "Oil both the grill grates and the tofu as well to prevent sticking."

What to not serve with tofu? According to studies, a high volume consumption of tofu and spinach together can increase your risk of kidney stones. Tofu and spinach contain calcium and oxalic acid respectively and the combined can form kidney stones.

Here's the thing: even though tofu might be labeled firm or extra-firm, it contains a lot of water. This excess water can cause the tofu to crumble when you cook it, and it will also have a hard time crisping up. But when you press tofu, you remove the excess moisture.

(Optional) Press the tofu gently using your hands or a few layers of paper towel to get rid of excess water. Use this step if you're short on time and need to use less time to marinate the tofu. You can skip this step if you're going to marinate the tofu overnight.

Tofu Nutrition

For relatively similar serving sizes, the nutrition differences between silken and firm tofu are pretty big. Silken tofu contains only about half the calories and fat, while firm tofu contains over twice the protein. The reason for this is water content.

How to safely eat raw tofu. While tofu comes in a variety of textures — silken, firm, and extra firm — technically any of them can be eaten raw. Before enjoying raw tofu, drain off any excess liquid from the packaging. It's also important to store tofu properly to prevent germs from growing on any unused portions.

Press tofu and cube it. Coat it in garlic, black pepper, salt (plus more of your favourite seasonings), liquid aminos and some olive oil. Then mix it into some cornstarch and toss it all together, then bake for about 20 minutes. Cornstarch also helps to draw out excess moisture so it really gets the tofu crispy.

What can I marinate tofu in? ›

In a mixing bowl or measuring cup with a spout, whisk together the marinade: soy sauce, maple syrup, rice vinegar, olive oil, sesame oil, garlic powder, smoked paprika, ginger, and Sriracha. Drizzle over the tofu. If any pieces look bare, turn them over in the marinade a few times so all of the sides are coated.

If your crispy tofu isn't getting crispy, it could be because there is too much moisture in the tofu. Another issue could be the oil isn't hot enough to fry the tofu. Or you forgot to add the corn flour. These three reasons can cause your tofu to be soggy or not crisp up as much as you'd like.

Don't forget these steps before grilling tofu

Step 1: Wrap your extra firm tofu block with a dish towel and place it on a plate. Step 2: Place a wooden cutting board on top. Step 3: Put something heavy on top of the cutting board like a pot of water, books, etc. so that the water begins to squeeze out into the towel.

Tofu that has been cooked and incorporated into a dish will generally last about 4 to 5 days in the refrigerator, or about 3 months in the freezer. This is assuming the tofu hasn't been prepared with other ingredients that have a shorter shelf life, which will in turn shorten the shelf-life of the entire dish.

Marinate the tofu for at least 30 minutes to infuse it with flavor. Alternatively, you can skip this step and season the tofu right before cooking with a dash of salt and pepper or paprika and chili flakes.

Heat, however, helps the flavours to permeate. Boiling tofu to obtain a more reliably solid texture and to impart flavour is not a new method, but it's not commonly used in Western styles of cooking. This method of seasoning tofu is suitable for varying levels of firmness, but not for silken or soft tofu.

Steaming is an easy and healthy way to prepare tofu, and ensures a velvety smooth texture. You should only steam regular or silken tofu; other types of tofu are too firm. Place the natural tofu in a container and put this container in the basket of a steamer.

Tofu can be eaten raw, and so cooking it is completely optional and is mostly done for texture or to bind the sauce to the tofu. You can pan-sear the sides and add it to a colorful stir-fry or deep-fry it and coat it in a savory and sweet sauce.

However, in the end, our preferred method was our old standard: Submerging the tofu in plain tap water (and not changing it) kept the tofu as fresh-tasting as straight-from-the-package tofu for 10 days and didn't require any maintenance.