Crispy Baked Tofu
I adapted this slightly from Simply Recipes' Easy Crispy Tofu, mainly by ad-libbing some of the toppings.
Ingredients
- 1 18 oz. package firm or extra-firm tofu
- 1 T soy sauce
- 1 tsp. neutral oil
- 1 tsp. sesame oil
- 1 tsp. rice vinegar
- mirin to taste
- 2 T cornstarch
- 2 T panko
- ½ tsp. kosher salt
- ¼ tsp. berbere (or another spice mix)
Directions
- Press the tofu in a kitchen towel between two appropriately-sized pans or cutting boards for 30 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 425°.
- Mix liquid ingredients in a medium bowl.
- Mix dry ingredients in a small bowl.
- Prepare a medium to large baking sheet with parchment paper and cooking spray.
- Slice tofu into at least 24 cubes (e.g., by cutting in half the long, skinny way and in quarters the other two ways).
- Toss very gently in the liquid, preferably with a rubber spatula.
- Sprinkle dry mix on top and mix gently again.
- Spread tofu evenly on the baking sheet.
- Bake 20 minutes or until golden brown.
Variants
The original recipe called for ½ tsp. sugar rather than mirin, and black pepper rather than spice mix.
The original recipe called for spraying the pan of tofu with cooking spray as well.
There are a lot of recipes out there with other tricks, like salting the tofu to drain it.
Vegan blogger Tracy makes a similar recipe for serving with pasta and sauce; I just used my recipe with Italian spices instead of spice mix, and olive oil for the oils.
