Baked Ginger Soy Tofu Squares

When I saw this baked tofu recipe pop up on The Kitchn's Facebook feed last week, I ran downstairs to add tofu to my grocery list.

I'd recently made a divine coconut peanut sauce inspired by a simple recipe I found on the Thai cooking blog, SheSimmers, and was looking for things to show it off on. And baked tofu squares certainly fit the bill...

I started by unwrapping the tofu and placing it under pressure (in this case, a cutting board topped with a small dutch oven to provide some serious heft) to drain.

While the tofu drained, I whipped up a simple marinade - soy sauce, garlic, ginger, sesame seeds, sesame oil, a dash of tabasco sauce and a little bit of organic apricot jam for sweetness.

Twenty minutes later, my tofu had shed some water weight and was ready for cubing. I used firm tofu which is very easy to cut (soft tofu is more prone to crumbling or tearing.)

I placed the squares in the marinade and left them to soak up the sesame soy goodness for about half an hour. Then I dropped the marinated squares onto a heavy baking sheet and popped them into the oven.

I flipped them once. 35 minutes later, a tray full of delightfully chewy, flavorful tofu squares was giving me a "come hither" look I found myself powerless to resist.

I served them with the coconut peanut sauce, brown rice and baked yams and 'twas mighty tasty.

Directions

1. Drain and rinse the block of tofu. Set it on a rimmed dinner plate. Place another plate on top and weight it down with something heavy, like a handy can of tomatoes or a heavy skillet, to press out some of the excess liquid. Let sit 15 - 30 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, make the marinade. Combine the soy sauce, sesame oil, ginger, garlic, jam and sesame seeds (feel free to adjust amounts and add or delete ingredients to suit your taste) and stir well to make sure the jam is dissolved. Set aside.

3. Cut the tofu into pieces. You can do cubes for croutons, sticks for dipping, flat squares to layer on sandwiches, or any other shape you feel like. Thinner pieces will get harder and chewier than thicker ones.

4. Put the cut tofu in a shallow dish, cover with marinade, and let sit for 15 - 30 minutes. Flip the tofu a few times so the marinade is absorbed evenly. The longer you let the tofu sit, the deeper the flavor will be.

5. While the squares are soaking, pre-heat your oven to 350-degrees. Place the squares on a greased baking sheet (I used peanut oil) and cook for 10 minutes and then flip them over. Continue cooking and flipping every 10 minutes until the tofu is as baked as you like it, 20 - 45 minutes total.