Raise your hand if tofu is your favorite food! Yeah, I thought so. Not all that many of you. Us tofu-lovers don’t get a whole lot of understanding ’round these parts. In large part, it’s because—at least in this country—tofu has the unfortunate reputation of being a meat substitute. Few Americans see it as a fantastically flavorful and nutritious ingredient in its own right. I’ve loved tofu for far longer than I ever contemplated vegetarianism or even knew that veganism existed.
There’s a lot of bad tofu out there (particularly bad grilled tofu, I’d add), and more often than not, it’s because people try to cook it like it’s a piece of meat. Tofu is really easy to dislike when it’s soggy, mushy, bland, or burnt. But great tofu—tofu with a tender center surrounded by a well-seasoned, crisp crust—is one of the most satisfying bites of food I can think of, a food that can and should be appreciated by all serious eaters, no matter their diet. It’s a unique product ,and it takes a unique approach to cook well.
Here are eight tips to help you grill or broil tofu so good even tofu-haters might come around to it.
Rule #1: Use Firm, Non-Silken Tofu
Tofu comes in two basic forms: silken and cottony, which are made using two different coagulating agents. Within these two categories, you’ll find varying degrees of firmness from custardy soft to very firm and meaty, depending on their final water content. Some brands conflate soft with silken, but traditionally, the two are orthogonal measures (that is, it is possible to have soft cottony tofu just as it’s possible to have firm silken tofu).
I prefer silken tofu for stews and soups like this Korean Soondubu Jjigae (warning: not vegan) or Sichuan Mapo Tofu (that’s a fully vegan version). The custardy texture gives the finished dish a pleasing slipperiness.
But for frying or grilling, I prefer the heartier texture of a firm, non-silken tofu. Non-silken tofu has the added benefit of being more porous, allowing it to draw more flavor from sauces and marinades.
Some folks recommend freezing and thawing tofu before cooking it, which can open up its pores and give it an entirely different texture, allowing it to absorb even more marinade. I personally find that this ends up making for tofu that is too absorptive. I want some of that dense, subtle tofu flavor to remain in my finished dish.
Rule #2: Cut Your Tofu Wide
Plenty of recipes suggest spearing chunks of tofu on a wooden skewer or slicing it into thin slabs. I don’t recommend either method. As you’ll soon see, my method requires slow cooking, which means that your tofu ends up losing quite a bit of moisture and volume during the process. Thin or small pieces of tofu end up turning to leather.
In order to maintain a nice, dense, juicy core encased in a crisp crust, I cut my tofu relatively thick—about 1/3-inch or so, leaving it in slabs that are as large as possible for easier handling down the line.
Rule #3: Dry Well
It takes a lot of heat energy to convert liquid water into steam, and liquid water has to be driven off before foods can start crisping in earnest. It stands to reason, then, that removing excess moisture should be one of your priorities before placing your tofu on a grill. Some recipes for tofu suggest removing the whole block from the packaging, then pressing on it with a weighted paper towel to remove excess moisture. This is a wildly inefficient way to do it. Instead, slice the tofu first, then lay it out on paper towels, press with more paper towels, and you’re done.
When I’m pan-searing tofu in oil, I’ll also accelerate the drying process by pouring boiling water over the sliced tofu (this actually helps it to dry faster by causing the tofu to squeeze out excess internal moisture. A grill is an environment highly conducive to evaporation (lots of circulating air on all sides of the tofu), so we don’t need to be quite so careful. I skip that step for grilled tofu.
Rule #4: Season Wisely
Marinades and spice mixes are often used as a vegetarian or vegan’s crutch. Tofu is so bland, I’ve got to add something to spice it up! is how the thought process goes. The fact is, if you’re cooking it right and seasoning it with the right amount of salt and pepper, tofu can be quite flavorful even on its own. You should strongly consider not using any marinade at all when cooking. But if you do decide to marinate, I’d recommend a marinade that is relatively thick (watery marinades can inhibit good browning) and contains some amount of sugar, which helps the tofu brown and crisp better.
Your favorite barbecue sauce or one of our barbecue sauce recipes would be a good place to start. Jerk marinade would also be great here (especially if you’ve got some pimento wood to add some smoke to your fire) as would the marinade for this Peruvian-style grilled chicken. Any marinade intended for chicken, fish, or pork is a good fit. In this photo, I’m using a marinade similar to the one I use to make Thai-style grilled chicken (gai yang). It’s great on tofu.
No matter what marinade you choose (or don’t choose, as the case may be), apply it very, very sparingly and don’t worry about marinating for too long. Overnight is fine, but even 15 minutes will work here, especially when we get to rule #8.
Rule #5: Preheat and Clean Your Grill
I can’t tell you the number of times I’ve been to a vegetarian cook-out and watched the crisp crust that forms on the outside of a piece of tofu end up getting fused to the grill grates, leaving you with pale, pock-marked tofu with just a faint specter of flavor. Tofu is almost more difficult to cook than fish in this respect.