About this time last year I was making my wife and I dinner and I had the thought, “What if I grated the tofu block with a cheese grater, seasoned it, and just threw it on a tray to go into the oven to roast?” I didn’t think much of this method at the time, as I had only seen a few folks post about it on social media. What came to be from this day was one of the greatest discoveries: When you shred tofu, its gets super crispy yet still remains tender, and the shredding increases surface area to allow for maximum distribution of flavor. Turns out this grated tofu would become one of my most popular recipe reels of 2024. I’ve gotten messages from hundreds of followers who’ve tries this simple tofu hack, and the general consensus is that this is one of the best ways you can have tofu. So allow me to share with y’all 3 different ways I like to use this preparation of tofu. Let’s get into it:
FULL RECIPES
CRISPY RICE SALAD
crispy rice ingredients
1 lb cooked and cooled basmati rice (preferably day old)
3 tbsp sesame oil
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 tbsp sriracha
peanut sauce ingredients
2/3 cup creamy peanut butter
2 tablespoons sriracha
3 tablespoons maple syrup or agave
1/4 cup soy sauce
3 tablespoons rice vinegar
1 to 2 tablespoons pickled jalapeño brine (optional, but PLEASE use it if you have it)
2 tablespoons sesame oil
2 cloves garlic, grated
1 tablespoon fresh grated ginger
grated tofu ingredients
1 block super firm tofu, drained, dried, and grated
1 tbsp smoked paprika
1 tsp salt
black pepper to taste
3 tbsp olive oil
salad ingredients
1/4 head purple cabbage, shredded
2 medium carrots, julienned or peeled
1 large cucumber, de-seeded and thinly sliced
2 red bell peppers, cored and thinly sliced
3 spring onions, thinly sliced
1 small bunch torn cilantro
1 small bunch torn dill
crushed peanuts
preparation
preheat an oven to 400F. combine rice ingredients, spread on a parchment lined tray, and roast in the oven 30 mins. in the meantime, prep the peanut sauce and tofu. mix peanut sauce ingredients in a large bowl and set aside. add grated tofu to a separate parchment lined tray, mix with the tofu ingredients, then spread out on the tray. when rice is done, add tofu to the oven for 20-30 mins. while tofu is roasting, prep all the salad ingredients. when tofu is done, take out, crumble into small bits, then combine everything in a large mixing bowl and toss to coat evenly. reserve about 1/4 the peanut sauce to dress the salad once plated.
TOFU CHIK’N SANDWICH
ingredients
1 block super firm tofu, drained and dried
3 to 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt plus more as specified
black pepper to taste
1 tablespoon smoked paprika
1 cucumber, thinly sliced
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1/4 tsp coconut sugar
1 clove garlic, grated
1/4 to 1/2 head (depending on size) lettuce, thinly sliced into fine shreds
2 tomatoes on the vine, thinly sliced
1/4 cup plain unsweetened vegan yogurt
1/4 cup vegan mayo
1 plain or sourdough baguette, halved and toasted
preparation
preheat your oven to 450F (NOTE: lots of folks have said their tofu burns at this temp in the oven, so you can either start with a lower temp like 400-425F, roast the tofu for less than 30 mins, or a combo of the above. you’re looking for that golden brown crispiness).
on a parchment lined roasting tray, grate the super firm tofu block with a box grater until it all turns to shreds. season with olive oil, 1/2 tsp salt, black pepper, and smoked paprika, then mix together with your hands until everything is well combined. spread the shredded tofu out on the baking tray so that it’s a nice evenly flat square, and fill in gaps so that it looks nice and uniform from above. roast in the oven 30 mins.
while the tofu roasts, add your cucumber to a mixing bowl or lidded container along with the apple cider vinegar, coconut sugar, grated garlic, and a pinch of salt (about 1/4 tsp). toss everything together until evenly coated, taste for seasoning, then set aside. slice your lettuce + tomato and mx together the mayo + yogurt.
once out of the oven, allow the tofu to cool 5 mins. place the entire sheet of tofu on a cutting board, roll the sheet into a cylinder, and then chop through with a knife to created crispy shreds. toast your baguette roll, add the mayo-yogurt mixture to both sides, then layer in the tofu, lettuce, tomato, and cucumber. wrap up, slice in half, and dig in.
SHREDDED BBQ TOFU
ingredients
1 tablespoon smoked paprika
1.5 teaspoons salt
black pepper to taste (I used about 1/4-1/2 tsp)
4-6 tablespoons olive oil
3/4 cup ketchup
1/4 cup soy sauce
4 cloves garlic
2 tablespoons maple syrup
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon liquid smoke
preparation
shred your super firm tofu on a parchment lined tray, season with smoked paprika, salt, pepper, and oil, then bake at 425 for 30 minutes.
throw all your bbq sauce ingredients in pan over medium-low heat, whisk to combine, and then once bubbling, mix together with the finished crispy tofu.
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