This is one of the easiest and most satisfying tofu dishes I know of. Other than the tofu there are just 3 ingredients. Long ago I tried this at our local Down to Earth grocery store. I was immediately hooked, like many other people I know. The original recipes calls for pan frying the tofu however baking it is much easier. You just set the timer for 30 minutes and using a foil lined pan for the tofu means there’s no clean up.
The key to making this correctly is to use extra firm tofu such as Wildwood. Though I like House Foods brand tofu for other dishes, House extra firm tofu is not firm enough for this recipe.
I use my TofuXpress all the time and highly recommend it if you bake tofu often. In just 1/2 hour a third of a cup of water was pressed out of the tofu block. Worth the price and no more wasting paper towels.
Cut the tofu into 4 slabs then break each slab into 4 random pieces for a total of 16 pieces.
The other three ingredients are soy sauce, Spike seasoning and nutritional yeast. You can find nutritional yeast in the bulk section of your local health food store.
Baked Mock Chicken Tofu
Adapted from Down to Earth’s Mock Chicken Tofu Recipe
Serves 2 as a main course
Ingredients
1 package (14 oz) extra firm tofu such as Wildwood
olive or canola oil
1 1/2 teaspoons soy sauce, lite or regular
1 teaspoon Spike seasoning
1/4 cup – 1/3 cup nutritional yeast flakes
Note: Exact measurements are not critical for this recipe. I don’t measure the soy sauce, Spike or nutritional yeast when making this dish, however, the above measurements are typically the amounts I use. Some prefer less of one ingredient and some prefer more. I’m very fond of nutritional yeast so I pour it on generously. I think it’s the key savory ingredient that makes this dish so tasty.
Preparation
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. If using a toaster oven there’s no need to preheat.
If you have a TofuXpress press the tofu for 30 -45 minutes. Drain water, cut tofu into four slabs and break each slab into 4 random sized pieces (total 16).
No press? Slice the tofu into four slabs and place in a single layer on paper towels. Layer additional paper towels on top of the tofu slabs. Place a cutting board on top of the tofu with a few books or heavy cans to help press out the water quickly. Follow the steps above, breaking slabs into random pieces.
Place the tofu on a foil lined baking pan. Drizzle a bit of olive or canola oil over the tofu pieces and toss to coat all sides. You won’t need much oil, just enough so the tofu doesn’t stick to your pan.
Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.
Let tofu cool for 10 minutes then transfer to a large bowl. Drizzle soy sauce over the tofu, tossing to coat all pieces. Add the Spike seasoning and toss again. Lastly, add the nutritional yeast flakes and toss so that all of the tofu is well coated. If you have any leftovers it will keep for a couple of days and makes for a tasty lunch served with brown rice.