As anyone who loves tofu knows, there’s something rather magical about baked tofu. A little bit of marinating and browning turns a bland, even boring, food into a chewy, crispy, scrumptious treat. And today, I have for you a tofu recipe that’s all of these things – chewy, crispy, scrumptious, and absolutely not bland and boring. This marinated and baked tofu, which is perfect for use in Indian inspired tofu dishes. If you love air fried tofu, you will love this recipe. Until a few years back, and certainly until the time I left India to make my home in the United States, tofu was not a food eaten in that country. At all. And that was certainly a pity, because had it been, a few cows – and a few people perhaps – might have lived longer. That’s because tofu makes a marvelous substitute for the Indian cottage cheese, paneer, and it is, of course, not loaded with unhealthy fats, the way paneer is. As I adapted to a vegan lifestyle here in the United States all those years ago, I started to regularly sub paneer with tofu in recipes like Palak Paneer and Matar Paneer and Tofu Paratha, and I shared those recipes with you on the blog. Many of you not only began to make them in your own kitchens, you loved them and wrote back to tell me so. Now, of course, the web is inundated with versions of Indian recipes that substitute tofu for paneer, and that’s a good thing.
What kind of tofu should I use to sub for paneer in Indian recipes?
A few years back, the unequivocal answer would have been extra firm tofu, with some prep to remove the excess water out of the sponge-like tofu block, making it more dense and therefore a more apt substitute for paneer. But now that super firm tofu is easily available, I have a clear winner. Super firm tofu is very dense out of the box, which means you can skip that extra step of squeezing out the excess water and the time it required. Super firm tofu also has a texture that’s closer to paneer’s, and it tastes amazingly like paneer in Indian recipes, more so than any other kind of tofu. Besides, we Indian cooks like to cook the tofu further once we add it to the sauce, and another kind of tofu would simply not be able to stand all the additional tossing and turning. But with super firm tofu, it’s just not a problem.
Why marinate tofu for Indian dishes
You don’t really need to marinate the tofu before adding it to Indian dishes. You don’t even need to bake it. But the extra step takes little effort and it adds so much flavor to the bland tofu. When you cook Indian food, you build up the flavor in layers, and layering extra flavor into your tofu will take your recipe from good to great. Besides, the marinated and baked tofu makes a great snack on its own, or you can toss it into salads and wraps without any additional dressing up. And when you add marinated and baked tofu to a recipe like Palak Paneer, you’ll automatically dial up the flavor quotient.
I don’t like cilantro. Can I mix up the flavors in this marinade?
Yes! The ingredients in my marinade are those a cook would use to make a basic marinade for meat or paneer, but you can certainly tweak things to your liking. If you don’t love cilantro, add mint, which is a common enough herb in Indian kitchens (but not basil or rosemary or oregano or thyme because that would just be…weird.) Check to get new recipe updates by email.
I wouldn’t recommend doing away with the ginger and garlic, though, because these two add incredible and essential flavors to any Indian recipe. And if you’re not used to Indian ingredients, don’t mix things up just because. The herbs and spices used in Indian cuisine are carefully balanced and thought-out, and you shouldn’t experiment just because you feel like it. On the other hand, if you are used to Indian ingredients and understand them, go ahead by all means.
Ingredients for tofu marinade:
Super firm or extra firm tofu Ginger garlic paste Cilantro or mint, or both Green chili peppers like serrano or jalapeno Lime or lemon Vegetable oil Garam masala
More Indian tofu recipes
Vegan Palak Paneer Tofu Cubes in a Black Pepper Curry Sauce Vegetable Biryani Instant Vegan Methi Malai Paneer Tofu Tofu Curry Tofu Tikka Masala
You can also roll up the tofu cubes in a naan wrap with fresh veggies like salad greens, onions, cucumber and tomatoes. I have a delicious, very Bombay-style vegan wrap for you next where I’ll be using these marinated and baked tofu cubes in, and it’s so delicious, you’ll be making this recipe again and again. It’s called a vegetable frankie.
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