I’ve been experimenting to get myself out of a tofu rut lately, stepping away from the usual Asian flavour profile, and decided to try something completely new to us. I don’t recall having eaten barbecue sauce for many, many years so, for this recipe, I just looked at half a dozen lists of ingredients and went from there, tweaking quantities until I got something that I liked. It’s slightly sweet, slightly tangy, slightly spicy, definitely mouthwatering! Kid approved, too!

We had these barbecue marinated tofu steaks baked for dinner with salad, then we had the leftovers fried and stuffed into a baguette with salad for lunch the next day. Both cooking methods work really well.

One important thing to remember when marinating tofu is that, even after draining and pressing, it still has a high water content, so any oil in the marinade will prevent it from being absorbed as efficiently.

Ingredients

100g (3 1/2oz) firm tofu per person
salad of choice

Marinade

(makes about 2 cups – enough for 600g (21oz) of tofu)

240ml (1 cup) ketchup
120ml (1/2 cup) water
50g (1/4 cup, packed) brown sugar
3 tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 tbsp soy sauce
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp sweet paprika
1/2 tsp cayenne
salt and pepper to taste

Directions

Drain, dry and cut the tofu. Place in a single, flat layer on several layers of paper towel, cover with more layers of paper towel, place a heavy cutting board on top and put some cans or jars on top to weigh it down a bit. Let it sit for about an hour.

Combine all ingredients for the marinade in a small, heavy based saucepan, bring to the boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer for 20 minutes.

Place the tofu in a single layer in a baking dish, pour the marinade over the top and make sure the pieces are coated all over. Let marinate for two to three hours (I just left it on the bench).

Baked

Preheat oven to 200°C (400°F).

Bake tofu in the marinade for 20 – 25 minutes, turning once or twice.

Serve tofu with remaining marinade brushed over the top.

Fried

Preheat oven to 150°C (°F).

Heat a large skillet with a dash of peanut oil until oil is shimmering, then fry the tofu in batches until hot. Place on a plate in warm oven while continuing to fry batches.

Return any remaining marinade to saucepan or microwavable bowl and reheat.

Serve tofu with remaining marinade brushed over the top.