Considering that we often cut tofu into bite-size pieces with greater surface area (thus creating more points of entry for marinade), marinating can have a profound impact, seasoning the tofu not only at the surface but also deep inside. It was easier for tasters to identify the soy and lemon-garlic marinades because the water-soluble flavor compounds in soy sauce and garlic are better at moving through high-moisture tofu than are the compounds found in red wine or yogurt.

That said, some marinades are more effective than others. Marinades are able to seep between curd clumps and migrate toward the center. By comparison, firm tofu is made of coagulated curds of soy protein pressed into block form. The flavors in most marinades don’t get much farther than skin-deep, with a few exceptions-alliums such as garlic and glutamate-rich foods such as soy sauce, both of which have small, water-soluble molecules. Meat is made up of individual muscle fibers bundled together in tight packages by connective tissue, which translates to a dense, resilient texture. Unlike meat and poultry, firm (and extra-firm) tofu can be thoroughly seasoned by marinades of all types due to its relatively loose structure. Toss the marinated tofu with the sesame seeds. Remove the tofu from the marinade with a slotted spoon, but do not discard the marinade liquid yet. Allow tofu to marinate for at least one hour.

Interestingly, the accuracy increased only slightly for the 1- and 2-hour batches. In a large bowl, combine the tofu and marinade. Pour half the marinade into the reserved tofu container or storage. All 10 tasters correctly identified the sample soaked in the soy-based marinade, and eight of the tasters did the same for tofu from the lemon-garlic marinade, while six were accurate for the red wine and yogurt marinades. Whisk the tamari, brown rice vinegar, sesame oil, garlic, and ginger in a bowl to blend. Tasters were relatively unsuccessful at matching the sample to the marinade at the 15-minute mark, but their results improved dramatically for the 30-minute set. We trimmed the outer 3 millimeters off each block and had 10 tasters sample the remaining tofus blind, asking them to identify the marinade for each. Pop your baking sheet into the oven to bake. Arrange your marinated tofu pieces on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, and be sure to hang on to any excess marinade. Gently stir to coat the tofu in marinade. We also baked a control block of tofu that we hadn’t marinated. Place your tofu into a bowl or shallow dish and pour the marinade overtop. Place your block of marinated tofu onto a rimmed baking sheet or baking dish, but hang on to any excess marinade. TIP: To make this vegan, skip the egg or use. We then wiped off the excess marinade and baked the tofu in a 300-degree oven until hot throughout. This easy and delicious Marinated Tofu Fried Rice is the perfect vegetarian dish to serve on a Meatless Monday. Thank you so very much again for sharing this recipe! It’s hard to find a very good tofu recipe, so I am just elated that I’ve found your page.We marinated blocks of firm tofu in four different marinades-using soy sauce, red wine, yogurt, and lemon and garlic as the various bases-for 15 minutes, 30 minutes, 1 hour, and 2 hours.

Toss half of the sauce with the tofu and marinate in the refrigerator for.

I will probably also experiment with bigger tofu pieces, too, just to speed up the coating & frying process. Whisk together the olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, mint, oregano, sea salt and pepper. Next time I make this, I will probably cook a combination of tofu & chicken. There was some marinade leftover when I made this, so I marinated some chicken pieces with it, and they came out great tasting as well. It’s very easy to put together and yields crispy tofu bites that are bursting with flavor! This recipe generates the most flavorful marinated tofu! The tofu pieces are soaked in a savory spicy Asian sauce, then pan fried until crispy.

Marinated tofu