Crispy Crunchy Oven Baked Tofu

Oven baked delicious crispy tofu that is so crunchy from the outside, soft and chewy from inside. Made in less than 30 minutes in simple, quick and easy steps. Perfect vegan, vegetarian and healthy addition to curries, sauces, salads and noodles.

With recent major eating lifestyle switch inclining towards vegan and vegetarian cuisine, tofu has been a staple in my diet for quite some time now. I have spent a good chunk of my life finding answers to "how to cook tofu" or "how to make tofu delicious" as I always thought of tofu as a very bland and boring ingredient & today it has become my favourite source of protein specially for my Asian inspired recipes. 

My verdict on the best possible way to cook and eat tofu? Bake it! In the oven with a little bit of oil, salt, pepper, corn starch or corn flour and in the oven for 25 minutes - you have delicious crunchy and crispy tofu- the texture is amazing and the inside is so soft and chewy. 

What kind of tofu do I use for my recipes?

• Try to find firm or extra firm tofu if you can - it is easily available in super markets and in India, at dairy stores. You can use silken tofu, but they are really very soft - this recipe for crunchy baked tofu calls for firm tofu.

Tips on making the best crunchy tofu in the oven.

• The number one tip to make really delicious baked tofu is to get rid of all possible moisture from the tofu block. The easiest way to make the firm tofu really dry and free of any excess moisture is to wrap it in a kitchen cloth and place something heavy over it, so that the kitchen towel or cloth absorbs all the liquid and every little bit of moisture is drained out of the tofu block. Let it sit covered and pressed for about 15 minutes. Check out the video in this blog post to see how I do this.
• The best way to have the crunchy crispy exterior texture on the baked tofu is by adding corn starch or corn flour to the cubed tofu chunks that make them super crispy, yet very soft from the inside.

Does tofu block need to be washed before cooking?

• The way I cook tofu is by taking the block out of the packet and draining the liquid completely. Then wash it with some mineral water, pat dry with some kitchen cloth. Then wrap it around in a fresh and dry kitchen towel and place something hard over it - like a jar or pasta sauce, or a stiff wooden board or really anything that would add pressure to the covered tofu block, eventually draining all liquid to the kitchen cloth, giving you a nice and dry tofu block in the end to be used for your recipes.

How to make crunchy baked tofu?

Ingredients for baked tofu:

1. Tofu: One block of firm or extra firm tofu - easily available in super markets or local dairy stores (in India)
2. Salt & Pepper: For a little bit of seasoning to make it flavourful.
3. Corn starch or corn flour: For the crispy coating or crunchy texture.
4. Oil: Extra virgin olive oil, or any oil that you like to use.

Steps for how to cook tofu in the oven?

• Start by cutting the drained out, dry tofu block into cubes or chunks of size of your choice.

• To a large mixing bowl, add cubed tofu, oil, salt, pepper, corn starch or corn flour and give it a gentle mix.

• Transfer the corn flour coated tofu cubes to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and bake it in the oven for 25 minutes at 200 degree celsius or until you see the tofu getting browned up from the outside with a really crunchy texture.

• Use the cooked / baked crunchy tofu in Thai red curry or a delicious quinoa salad, or make some peanut sauce tofu or hoisin tofu to serve with sesame rice noodles, or hakka noodles or a delicious serving of ginger garlic fried rice.

Can you store cooked tofu?

• I usually bake a batch and store the crunchy oven baked tofu in an airtight container and store in the fridge to be used for a day or two. The best way to re-heat is to microwave for about 1 minute before adding it to my meals.

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