Indian Style Baked Tofu Recipe | Eggless Cooking (2024)

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Indian Style Baked Tofu Recipe | Eggless Cooking (2)

Baked Tofu: Next to cauliflower and broccoli, tofu is my husband’s favorite. I’m in the constant look out for tofu recipes. Actually he would eat anything vegetarian if it’s healthy. For me the criteria is, it has to taste good. So I experiment with tofu recipes to satisfy both our needs.

So far our favorite is tofu paratha. I drain the tofu well, grate it, add some Indian spices and divide the mixture into small balls. Then proceed to prepare the parathas as usual, using the tofu stuffing.

The Tofu Mango Pudding did not get his vote. The truth is he is not a “dessert” person. My son, my mother and I loved it very much.

Paneer is my most favorite and his least favorite. He doesn’t eat it because of the fat content and caloric value. I wish I have the self control like him, I would be 30 pounds lighter! Because he doesn’t eat paneer and I love dishes made with paneer I try to make tofu recipes Indian style. Over the years have tried a variety of Indian tofu recipes substituting tofu for paneer.

The key is to use extra-firm tofu so that it would hold it’s shape. Also draining the water is a crucial step. Another important procedure is marinating the tofu with spices and herbs for it to soak the taste and flavor in few Indian tofu recipes. Once these three are taken care, you can prepare almost any recipe using paneer with tofu in Indian style. Tofu sides, tofu snacks, tofu desert, you name it you can make it.

Recently I was going through a South Indian cookbook and found a recipe for paneer tikkis. The original recipe mentioned to grill it in a convection microwave oven. Of course I had to use tofu and because I did not have that sort of microwave oven I had to use my regular oven to make this baked tofu recipe. I also mixed up some spices that I had in my kitchen counter and this baked tofu Indian style turned out very tasty.

Want to make something similar? A healthy, quick, no fuss snack? Then try this baked chickpeas recipe too.

Indian Style Baked Tofu Recipe | Eggless Cooking (3)

TOP RATED

Prep TimeCook TimeMakes
1 Hr40 Mins32 Pieces
AuthorCategoryMethod
MadhuramSnacks/AppetizersBaking

Indian Style Baked Tofu Recipe | Eggless Cooking (4)

4.9 from 11 reviews

Want to try tofu recipe Indian style? This baked tofu recipe is a good one to try. With a blend of flavourful Indian spices, marinating it enough, helps the tofu to soak up the flavour and the result is this delicious baked tofu.

Ingredients:

  • 1 Packet (14Oz) Extra Firm Tofu

For The Marinade:

  • 3 Tablespoons Oil
  • 1 Tablespoon Curry Powder
  • 1/2 Teaspoon Red Chili Powder
  • A Pinch Turmeric Powder
  • 1/2 Teaspoon Salt (As Per Your Taste)
  • Juice Of 1/2 Lemon Lemon Juice
  • As Needed Red Food Color (Optional)

Procedure:

  1. Open the tofu packet and drain the water. Wrap the tofu in paper towels and place some weight on it and leave it for 30 minutes. After draining the water cut the tofu into cubes of 1cm thickness. I got around 20 pieces.
  2. Take a 1 gallon ziploc bag and add all the ingredients required for the marinade in the bag.
  3. Whisk it with a fork and add the tofu cubes in the bag. Remove the air out and close the bag and toss it well to coat all the tofu pieces with the marinade.
  4. Leave it in the fridge for 30-45 minutes.
  5. Meanwhile preheat the oven at 425F/220C for 15 minutes.
  6. Grease a baking sheet lightly, place the tofu pieces and bake it for 25-30 minutes, turning once in the middle.
  7. To have a crispy outer, broil it for another 8-10 minutes.

Taste:

  1. We don’t eat very spicy foods. So taste the marinade to check the spices and add accordingly to suit your taste. Since tofu is bland, it definitely requires more seasoning than you would normally use.

My Notes:

  1. If you are a paneer fan like me you are not going to like the tofu tikkis immediately. For those who have not tasted tofu before, though they both look alike, the taste is totally different. So don’t expect the taste of paneer tikka. Try to appreciate the taste of tofu and then you would love it. After eating 3-4 pieces, I started liking it. Now this is my husband’s favorite.
  2. The marinading can be done in a bowl too. I saw the ziploc bag method in Food TV, so I thought of giving it a try. It’s definitely easy and no clean up. Simply toss the bag in the trash later.

Indian Style Baked Tofu Recipe | Eggless Cooking (6)

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Indian Style Baked Tofu Recipe | Eggless Cooking (7)
Indian Style Baked Tofu Recipe | Eggless Cooking (2024)

FAQs

Why is my baked tofu not crispy? ›

2) Squeeze out as much moisture as possible.

Water-logged tofu never gets super crispy. The key here is to slice the tofu into pieces before pressing it.

What is the best way to cook tofu? ›

Pan-fried tofu gets a nice crisp texture outside, but stays soft inside," she says. Gently press the tofu, marinate, and coat in cornstarch (see above). Add to a wok or pan preheated with cooking oil and let fry for one to two minutes so it crisps on the bottom. Flip and let cook for another one to two minutes.

Is it better to fry or bake tofu? ›

Baking is my go-to method for how to cook tofu. It yields flavorful, firm cubes that are perfect for adding to a stir fry, salad, or bowl!

Should tofu be fried before adding to curry? ›

If you want a tastier tofu, you can fry it before adding it to the curry. Follow our fried tofu recipe and stir it in the curry before serving it. Our recipe for fried tofu is easy, and you can make it in less than 15 minutes while the curry simmers.

Why is my baked tofu rubbery? ›

Why does tofu get rubbery? Because it was probably overcooked, it was probably exposed to too much heat. I don't know if it was roasted baked air fried or sauteed, but when it becomes, uh, overcooked, it's gonna get very, very tough.

Do you coat tofu in flour or cornstarch? ›

Coating your tofu with a mixture of cornstarch and salt will give it a crunchy coating with great flavor. You can also use potato starch, regular flour, or even gluten-free flour instead of cornstarch, but the cornstarch crisps up the best. You can bake, pan-fry, or deep fry your tofu.

What not to mix with tofu? ›

What to not serve with tofu? According to studies, a high volume consumption of tofu and spinach together can increase your risk of kidney stones. Tofu and spinach contain calcium and oxalic acid respectively and the combined can form kidney stones.

What should I season tofu with? ›

Tofu seasoning rub: Rub the pressed tofu with lots of spices like garlic or onion powder, salt and pepper, nutritional yeast or a spicy taco seasoning, KFC seasoning, Buffalo spice, etc. Tofu marinade: Soak the tofu cubes in your favorite chicken/meat marinade to infuse extra flavor.

How do you know when tofu is done baking? ›

Bake until crispy.

Bake at 400°F for 15 minutes. Then remove the baking sheet from the oven, and flip each of the tofu bites so that they can cook evenly on the other side. Return to the oven for 15 more minutes, or until the tofu reaches your desired level of crispiness. Then remove and…

What is the healthiest way to eat tofu? ›

Healthier - For starters, broiling tofu is a healthier method of cooking than frying, and it requires less oil to create crispier cubes. Easy - It's also really easy to make.

Why does my tofu stick to parchment paper? ›

Draining excess water from your tofu helps to create that crispy texture during the frying or baking process. If you don't properly drain it (or don't drain it at all) you're left with a lot of moisture while cooking and this is what often causes the tofu to stick.

What happens if you don't drain tofu before cooking? ›

Here's the thing: even though tofu might be labeled firm or extra-firm, it contains a lot of water. This excess water can cause the tofu to crumble when you cook it, and it will also have a hard time crisping up. But when you press tofu, you remove the excess moisture.

What is the tastiest way to make tofu? ›

Press tofu and cube it. Coat it in garlic, black pepper, salt (plus more of your favourite seasonings), liquid aminos and some olive oil. Then mix it into some cornstarch and toss it all together, then bake for about 20 minutes. Cornstarch also helps to draw out excess moisture so it really gets the tofu crispy.

How to cook tofu for beginners? ›

Cut tofu into cubes. Step 2: Place those cubes in a bowl, and toss gently with 1-2 tablespoons of cornstarch. Step 3: Arrange tofu on a parchment-lined baking sheet and drizzle with some olive oil and salt. Step 4: Bake at 425 degrees for 25 minutes, or until as crispy as you'd like.

How do you cook tofu so it's not mushy? ›

Preheat your pan before adding the fat (the test kitchen likes vegetable and olive oils) and tofu, and don't crowd the pan. Adding too much tofu at once will cause the surface temperature of the pan to drop, meaning soggy, not crunchy tofu.

Why is my tofu always soggy? ›

Probably it has too much water in it. One good solution is to put the tofu, in its original whole block, on a plate or sheet pan. Tip it at a slight angle by propping up one side. Put a weight — a plate will be just fine — on the tofu.

Why is my tofu not crispy air fryer? ›

Arrange the tofu cubes in a single layer in the air fryer basket, making sure to leave a little space around each one. If the cubes are too crowded in the basket, they won't crisp up as they cook.

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