Fake Meat on A Stick: Chinese BBQ'd Tofu

When I was a kid in southeast Asia, I loved tofu. In America, however, I am not a fan. The tofu here is 'silky' and soft, with no texture. Though even silky tofu can take on a wide range of tasty flavors, the texture always puts me off.

A few months ago I was researching grilled tofu recipes for a friend who likes tofu when I ran across a number of websites that recommended freezing your tofu, then defrosting it, to change its texture. I gave the technique a try and was pleasantly surprised by the toothsomeness of the final product.

Here's what you do:
1.  Take the tofu out of its original container. Discard the liquid and the packaging.
2. Cut the block of tofu in half or into slices.
3. Wrap the pieces well in plastic wrap and freeze over night or until you want to use it.
4. Defrost the tofu at room temperature.
5. At this point, you will notice that the tofu is no longer silky but has developed a spongy texture. Gently squeeze all remaining water/liquid out of the tofu sponge.

Defrosted tofu 'sponge'

Squeezing out the liquid

Liquid is removed. This tofu is ready to use.

Chinese BBQ'd Tofu

This is a very easy recipe.

All you need to do is cube your frozen-then-defrosted tofu, slather it in your favorite brand of prepared hoisin sauce, and allow it to marinate for thirty minutes to several hours (but probably not over night). When you're ready to grill, thread the tofu cubes onto water-soaked bamboo skewers, interspersing them with vegetables (onion, red bell peppers, or whatever), if you like.

Tofu cubes

This is the hoisin sauce I used for this recipe, but any brand will do. If the hoisin is especially thick, you may need to thin it a bit with water before using.

Tofu cubes hanging out in hoisin sauce.

Marinated tofu and raw veggies on soaked bamboo sticks waiting for the grill.

Grill the tofu on a very hot grill. Do not fuss with these while they are grilling, or you will risk breaking up the tofu and losing it through the grill. I turned these only a few times, every 3 or 4 minutes.

Chinese BBQ'd Tofu on a bed of grilled asparagus.

I love this dish! In my not-so-humble opinion, it was the best meat-on-a-stick of the day!

Meat-on-A-Stick Extravaganza

[Note: Links will appear as I post each entry, but they may not all be available for several weeks.]

For 4th of July this year, I decided to sample a variety of different meat-on-a-stick recipes from Asia. The offerings included:

• Chinese BBQ'd Tofu
• Indonesian Beef Satay
• Japanese Chicken Yakitori
• Indian Chicken Tikka
• Filipino Barbecue Pork

The end result was, obviously, too much food. I had a lot of fun, though, planning and cooking. Plus, I learned a lot and we all ate well. Which is what it's all about.

In the weeks since Independence Day, I've been pre-occupied with a sick dog that needed an expensive operation and close attention. I have not, until now, taken time to write up the blog entries for this meat-on-a-stick extravaganza. I am still planning, however, to write about each recipe separately, giving each one its own blog entry. (Just click on one of the links above--as they appear in bold--to read more about that recipe.)

It may take some time before all the recipes/blog entries are completed. Thanks for your patience.