Tofu and Aubergine Chermoula (Vegan) | Community Recipes | Nigella's Recipes (2024)

FAQs

Does marinade penetrate tofu? ›

Why Marinate Tofu? It comes down to flavor. You can absolutely do a quick toss in your favorite sauce when you're in a time crunch. However, when you marinate tofu for longer, more flavor will have the opportunity to really penetrate into the tofu and give your dish more flavor.

The 61-year-old TV cook told The Sunday Times: “I couldn't be vegan, though I do love vegetables. I don't see the point. I'm very happy to not eat so much meat, but I do love it.”

If you want the flavor to get all the way inside, you have to get heat involved somehow, whether that's in the form of a dip in boiling salty water, or by pan-frying, baking, or my new favorite pre-marinade technique: Air-frying. Cold, raw tofu rejects marinades because of its high water content and low porosity.

In this recipe I introduced a well balanced Asian sauce that is savory, a little spicy, and full of aroma. It takes no time to put together. Once the tofu is marinated, I use a cornstarch coating with some cumin powder in it.

If you suddenly start craving eggs, cheese and meat, you may be protein-malnourished. Vegans and vegetarians, athletes, dieters, pregnant women, and those with anaemia must make sure their protein intake is sufficient, or else they run the risk of becoming malnourished.

​ Black Pepper is vegan. A vegan dietitian reviewed this note on black pepper for Fig.

After all, the Garden of Eden was vegan: “Then God said, 'I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food'” (Genesis 1:29).

Don't use oil in a marinade

Depending on the amount of moisture in the tofu, the oil can form a layer around the tofu, preventing it from absorbing flavours. For example, when grilling tofu, brush with oil only after it has been marinated. Due to its high water content, tofu takes up little oil during preparation.

First things first: Press your tofu

But tofu that's full of water is less likely to absorb spices and flavors. This can also make the cooking process much longer. Luckily for the home cook, it's fairly easy to squeeze out the excess water. Simply wrap your block of tofu in a kitchen towel or paper towels.

Considering that we often cut tofu into bite-size pieces with greater surface area (thus creating more points of entry for marinade), marinating can have a profound impact, seasoning the tofu not only at the surface but also deep inside.

How do you make tofu absorb sauce? ›

Use a wooden spoon or spatula to break or 'scramble' the tofu into small pieces. Step 2: Once the tofu is scrambled, add some sauce or seasoning to the pan. Cook for about 3-4 minutes stirring or until all the tofu has been evenly coated in the seasoning or sauce and it has started to absorb into the tofu.