John Myers
Natural tofu tastes boring? Not with delicious marinades. We reveal recipes for marinades that really heat up the tofu: with herbs, spices, coconut, and garlic.
Since natural tofu tastes rather bland, it needs a strong marinade. We recommend a red coconut marinade, a yellow curry marinade, or a green Mediterranean variant. You can find the recipes here.
Marinate tofu with red coconut marinade
Preparation time: approx. 40 minutes (without waiting time)
Nutritional values per recipe:
718.0 kcal / 2971.5 kJ
21.9 grams of protein
58.1 grams of fat
24.0 grams of carbohydrates
6.7 grams of dietary fiber
You need these ingredients for 1 piece of tofu (200 g):
200 g plain tofu
200 ml coconut milk
2 tablespoons ketchup or tomato paste
juice ½ lemon
1 tsp smoked paprika
Salt pepper
1 pinch of beet sugar
How to prepare the coconut marinade:
Squeeze the tofu with a board and weight for about 30 minutes so that it can absorb the marinade better – read below how this works particularly well.
In the meantime, mix coconut milk, tomato ketchup or paste, lemon juice and paprika into a marinade. Season with salt, pepper and possibly sugar (if using tomato paste).
Squeeze the tofu carefully by hand. Then cut into slices or cubes and place in the marinade. Mix well so that the tofu is completely covered with the liquid. Marinate overnight, but at least four hours, covered.
For further processing, heat the coconut tofu in the marinade. It tastes good with rice.
Marinate tofu with yellow curry
Preparation time: approx. 40 minutes (without waiting time).
Nutritional values per recipe:
262.3kJ / 1097.3kJ
21.9 grams of protein
11.6 grams of fat
15.2 grams of carbohydrates
4.9 grams of dietary fiber
You need these ingredients for 1 piece of tofu (200 g):
200 g plain tofu
100 ml soy sauce
zest of ½ lemon
½-1 tsp chilli powder
1 teaspoon curry
2-3 sprigs of lemongrass or green onions
1 large piece of ginger
Preparation of the yellow tofu marinade:
Squeeze the tofu for about 30 minutes (see instructions below).
Meanwhile, mix soy sauce, 25 milliliters of water, lemon zest, chilli, and curry powder.
Clean and finely chop the lemongrass or spring onions. Peel the ginger and finely dice or grate. Mix everything together with the soy sauce mixture.
Squeeze the tofu again, then cut into cubes. Pour into the marinade and cover well all over. Cover and leave to marinate for at least four hours, preferably overnight.
For further use, drain the tofu, fry in oil until crispy, or steam briefly. The tofu goes well with glass noodles, colorful vegetables, and as a filling in pancakes.
Drizzle a little of the remaining marinade over the finished dish.
Squeezing water out of tofu: instructions
In order for the marinade to be well absorbed by the tofu, as much water as possible must be squeezed out of the tofu beforehand. This works best like this:
Place tofu on a flat plate and cover with a cutting board.
Place a bowl filled with water on it or weigh it down with two large jars.
Squeeze for at least 30 minutes. Then carefully squeeze the tofu again by hand.
Cut into cubes or slices for further use. So the surface is nice and big and it absorbs the liquid well.
Marinating Tofu: More Tips
Choose a product that scored “very good” or “good” in our tofu test.
For the marinade, use strong flavors like garlic, onion, ginger, soy sauce, and chili, along with an acid like vinegar or lemon juice.
Lay the tofu in the marinade so that it is completely covered. Leave to marinate for at least four hours, preferably overnight.
Fat interferes with the marinating process but enhances the flavor. Therefore, after marinating, fry the tofu in roasted sesame or peanut oil, for example, or, if it is to be used directly, drizzle a good oil over it.
