Sesame Garlic Tofu With Scallions

I was thinking about this super-delicious marinade recently, one that I used to make years ago. Of course this was long before I stopped eating meat, but I used to make an  incredible Korean-style sweet garlic sesame scallion marinade for flank steak. I would marinade it for days, and the flavor only continued to get better. It was so good you wanted to put it on everything!

I recreated the marinade, but this time subbing agave for the sugar (and cutting it back a bit), using gluten-free soy sauce, and then marinating tofu in it. I’ve made the tofu several times already, and found that the tofu is great marinated for several hours, but equally good marinated over night. The tofu can then be grilled, eaten straight out of the marinade uncooked (which was fantastic), air-fried, pan-fried or baked. The best part is that the leftover marinade doubles as a sauce, so you can spoon it over your grilled tofu, steamed rice or grains, or even grilled vegetables. We had rice bowls with it last night, and along with the extra marinade as a sauce, I also made my quick peanut sauce. It was sooooo good! 

The flavors of the marinade develop and deepen as it sits with the tofu. If you’re making it for a crowd, you can easily double the recipe. When I made it the first time, I put it in a zip top plastic bag along with the tofu, and then shook and flipped the bag every couple of hours. 

To mix things up, you can add a small drizzle of seasoned rice vinegar and or some chili flakes or finely diced jalapeños. That’s part of the fun of this recipe, as you can customize it to your personal taste. If you prefer a less sweet marinade, you can reduce the agave to 2 tablespoons.

WHAT YOU NEED

Gluten-free soy sauce
Agave
Toasted sesame oil
Scallions
Garlic
Sesame seeds
Extra-firm tofu, cut into 1/2-inch slices
Splash seasoned rice vinegar (totally optional)
Dried chili flakes (totally optional)

MAKING THE MARINADE

Simply whisk together all of the ingredients and marinate your tofu!

Let me know if you make this, and please tag us too @julieskitchenette or #julieskitchenette #besttofu

xo Julie

Sesame Garlic Tofu With Scallions

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• Author: Julie Hasson

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Description

This delicious Korean-style marinade is amazing with tofu, and takes just minutes to make. It’s also gluten-free and vegan.

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Ingredients

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1/4 cup gluten-free soy sauce
3 tablespoons agave
2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
1 tablespoon water
1/4 cup thinly sliced scallions
4 cloves garlic
1 tablespoon sesame seeds
10–12 ounces extra-firm tofu, cut into 1/2-inch slices
Splash of seasoned rice vinegar, optional, to taste
Dried chili flakes or minced jalapeños, optional

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Instructions

In a bowl, whisk together the soy sauce, sesame oil. agave, and water until well mixed. Stir in the scallions, garlic and sesame seeds. You can add a small drizzle of rice vinegar and or some chili flakes, if desired.

Place marinade in a large zip-top bag (or covered dish), along with the tofu and marinate, refrigerated,  for several hours or overnight, shaking and flipping the bag as necessary so that the tofu is evenly coated with marinade. It might not totally cover the tofu with marinade, but it will evenly marinate by flipping it periodically.

When ready to cook, remove the tofu from the marinade and place on a hot oiled grill, preheated and oiled skillet, or air fryer. Reserve the extra marinade to serve as a sauce (or use it to marinate more tofu). You can also eat the marinated tofu uncooked, on a sandwich or diced in a salad.

 

Notes

Variation: If you prefer a less sweet marinade, you can reduce the agave to 2 tablespoons.

Gluten-Free + Vegan