Oven toasted tofu marinated with sesame, soy sauce and sherry, serve with Kekap Manis.
Myra didn’t include tofu on her menu for many years. I never used this recipe, because The Cactus Club (where I was the Executive Chef) was all about Prime Rib and lamb chops—the opposite end of the food spectrum! I may have made something with tofu once or twice in the 20 years I worked there. I remember Mom showing me her easy way to bake tofu when I was visiting from Denver. And she LOVED a sweet soy sauce from Indonesia called Kekap Manis. It was always around when she cooked at home. She put it on everything for a while, and she made a sauce with it goes with this Baked Tofu recipe.
Did you know that freezing tofu gives it a better texture for many recipes? I learned that from the wonderful cookbook “The Now and Zen Epicure” by Miyoko Nishimoto Schinner, a well-known vegan chef.
Figuring out this recipe was almost a science experiment! I was working off of Myra’s original notes shown here. Be sure to freeze the tofu overnight and thaw it out before you cut it. I tried a few different ways of slicing the tofu. As long as you end up with 8 slices less than 1/2 inch thick, you are good. I’ve included an image in the recipe to show you a couple of ways to cut it. Use a metal sheet pan in the oven.
I like Baked Tofu with Gado Gado, Myra served Baked Tofu over Spicy Sesame Noodles, or with brown rice drizzled with Kecap Manis. You can also use it as a filling for sandwich.
You do you!
Baked Tofu
Equipment
- 1 set measuring spoons
- 1 small bowl to mix the sherry, soy and sesame oil
- Several paper towels
- 1 sharp knife and cutting board to slice the tofu
- 1 bowl or platter to marinate the tofu
- 1 metal sheet pan to bake the tofu
Ingredients
- 1 12.3 oz. package of firm tofu, thawed
- 2 TBLS dry sherry Aji Mirin, or a rice wine will work also
- 2 TBLS soy sauce
- 1 TBLS toasted sesame oil
Kekap Manis Sauce: 1/4 cup Kekap Manis, 2 TBLS lime juice, 2 TBLS tahini
Instructions
- Freeze tofu overnight and thaw out completely.
- Cut the tofu into 4 slices and press between paper towels for 5 minutes. I put it on a cutting board and put paper towels underneath and put another cutting board on top.
- Cut the slices in half again, so that you end up with 8 slices the same thickness.
- Place in a dish or on a platter and spoon the sauce evenly over the 8 slices.Refrigerate for 20 minutes.
- Turn on the oven to 450 degrees.
- Turn the tofu slices over and put them on a metal baking sheet in one layer. Bake at 450 for 25 minutes
- Drizzle or dip slices with Kekap Manis.
Notes
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