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 put tofu on 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 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.

Thirty-five minutes later, a tray full of delightfully chewy, flavorful tofu squares was giving me a “come hither” look I found myself powerless to resist.