Expert Tips For The Best Marinated Tofu You Ever Had

When it comes to cooking delicious, flavorful tofu, marinating first is a must. With this in mind, Daily Meal spoke with an expert to find out all the tips and tricks to ensure the marinated tofu is as perfect as possible. The expert is Nisha Vora, who wrote the New York Times bestselling cookbook, "Big Vegan Flavor." One simple but essential tip? Choosing the most beneficial ingredients for the marinade. First, Vora suggests adding a sweetener, such as brown sugar. She explains, "It helps form a caramelized, golden brown surface on the tofu."

Other sweetener options include maple syrup, agave, or honey. After marinating and before frying or baking, if you want extra-crispy tofu, Vora suggests coating it in arrowroot powder, a white and flavorless starch somewhat similar to cornstarch. She notes that adding arrowroot powder will make the exterior extra crispy, but first, Vora says, "Choose a marinade that has a somewhat viscous texture so it can cling to the tofu."

If you follow a recipe, you should end up with this texture thanks to common marinade ingredients, such as maple syrup and various sauces. You can also make your own easy marinade to keep on hand for future tofu-based recipes.

If you have the time, Nisha Vora suggests freezing your tofu before preparing it for a marinade. The process consists of freezing it until it's solid (which will take about 10 hours), thawing it, cubing it, and finally marinating it. She says, "It takes a little longer, but the freezing process creates these tiny air pockets in the tofu, making it extra spongy and absorbent. This allows the tofu to soak up even more marinade, resulting in a deeper, richer flavor in every bite." The cooked tofu will also be both chewier and crispier.

While freezing the tofu takes a good chunk of time, it takes away one tedious step: pressing it. There is no need to press tofu before you freeze it because freezing it helps remove all of that extra water stored in the tofu block. Instead, all you have to do is lightly blot all sides of the tofu before freezing.

Additionally, if you don't want to freeze the block whole, you can choose to cut the tofu into either slabs or cubes before freezing it. Cutting into pieces has a few benefits — for example, you're getting some of the prep work out of the way, and the tofu will also take less time to freeze if it's in smaller pieces (closer to four or five hours, instead of 10).