This simple marinated tofu recipe requires no cooking and delivers unbelievable umami taste with low effort! Flavored with soy sauce, sesame oil, and ginger, it’s good 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 simple tofu recipes) that utterly reworked 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. The perfect half? You don’t even must cook dinner it! Simply press, marinate, and luxuriate in. It’s develop into considered one of my favourite meal prep staples! Throw it in a bowl with rice, soba noodlesor quinoa and a few contemporary veggies, and also you’ve acquired an on the spot wholesome lunch or dinner!
Find out how to make this simple marinated tofu recipe
Alex and I truly acquired 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 had been at Chicago Halfway and we would have liked a wholesome dinner quick. Miraculously, Alex discovered some sushi and a field of marinated tofu. After the primary chew, neither of us may 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 simple: there are principally two steps. Press, then marinate. There’s fairly a little bit of water in tofu, so with the intention to infuse it with taste you’ll must press it. Nonetheless: we’ve developed a fast approach 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 shocking trick for dashing up urgent tofu: the microwave!
Oddly sufficient, if you happen to microwave tofu for two minutes, it extracts fairly a little bit of liquid. Then place the items on a dry towel, place a chopping board on prime, and prime it with a heavy object. The burden will extract extra water, and it will likely be achieved after simply quarter-hour.
Find out how to marinade tofu
After urgent the tofu, all it’s important 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 each one along with some minced inexperienced onion and sesame seeds, and it’s so flavorful, you received’t know what hit you. After we first served this marinated tofu to our 2 12 months outdated, it disappeared instantly!
No cooking required (however you possibly can if you happen to like)
With this simple 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 if you happen to’d wish to! You may Pan Fry it or make baked tofu. However this simple 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 keeping with Harvardsoy is a nutrient-dense supply of protein that may safely be consumed a number of occasions every week. It’s doubtless to supply well being advantages—particularly when eaten as an alternative choice to pink and processed meat.
Serving options for marinated tofu
This marinated tofu is so easy as a result of it’s principally palms off: there’s actually solely about 10 minutes of energetic time. This provides you ample time to arrange the remainder of a meal. As a result of it could retailer refrigerated for as much as 5 days, it’s good 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 convey 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 simple edamame and contemporary greens. I typically 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 additional protein with out extra 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.
Straightforward Marinated Tofu
This simple marinated tofu recipe requires no cooking and delivers unbelievable umami taste with low effort! Flavored with soy sauce, sesame oil, and ginger, it’s good for meal prep and wholesome weeknight dinners.
- Prep Time: 45 minutes
- Prepare dinner Time: 0 minutes
- Complete Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 4 1x
- Class: Primary Dish
- Methodology: Marinated
- Delicacies: Asian
- 12 to 16 ounces block of additional agency or agency tofu
- ¼ cup I’m 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 package deal and drain liquid. Reduce 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 chopping board and a heavy object. Enable to press for quarter-hour till the water is drained.
- Reduce every sq. into 16 items, for 32 squares complete. Place all of them within the bowl with the marinade and stir very gently. Add marinade and place within the fridge for not 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 simple 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 if you happen to’d wish to: you possibly can Pan Fry it or make baked tofu.
