Baked Curry Tofu Cube

These baked curry tofu cubes are seasoned with garlic powder, curry powder and a marinated freshly squeezed lemon juice. They are nicely spiced and surprisingly tangy! I like to use super hard tofu for its density and material.

No recipe will help you prepare your meals more than a great versatile protein. These delicious, tangy grilled curry tofu cubes have become one of my favorites.

My meal preparation cookbook, The Vegan Week, has an entire chapter dedicated to protein. In the intro to that chapter, I wrote, “I learned to make plant protein the backbone of my diet.”

This was not always the case. I was always able to include two other macronutrients (carbohydrates and fats), such as carbohydrates and fats.

However, the selection and preparation of plant protein sources was not intuitive. This is probably because they grew up eating carbohydrates and fats (grains, olive oil, nuts, etc.), while not growing on tofu, tempeh, seitan, or even many beans.

My RD understood that all three macronutrients were important players in a balanced diet. Over time I trained each homemade breakfast, lunch and dinner plate to contain high quality protein. This is still a guideline principle when I plan my menu.

In the world of plant proteins, tofu is my favorite. I love the flavor, its shape and ability to absorb texture.

Balsamic tofu cubes and tiyaki tofu cubes are already the staples of my house. Recently I thought I might mix things a bit with new marinades and spice blends.

These baked curry tofu cubes were what I came up with. There are several dishes that you can imagine adding them from the start, such as a tandoori cauliflower bowl, creamy curry quinoa, or spiced potatoes, lentils, and peas.

However, I found that cubes can be useful in many other ways. I love it being put in my pita pocket with spinach and roasted broccoli. And they can give a vibrant boost to a bowl of otherwise simple rice and beans.

The cubes even make a good tasty snack.

Gently spices and very tangy marinade

The flavor profiles of these curry tofu cubes are a great example of a happy cooking accident.

I was meant to season the recipe with curry powder, but I wasn’t intended to be directed towards citrus.

Looking back at the paneer-style baked tofu that I included in the book’s power plate, I added some lemon for its sourness. When my first batch came out of the oven they were way more tangy than I thought so I was worried I might have gone too far with it.

I decided I really like the lemon flavor, despite it not being planned. They lift and bring in a tofu cubes, in contrast to the earthy spices.

If you don’t like the tangy flavor, you can reduce the lemon juice to 3 tablespoons.

When it comes to spices, most spice blends labeled “Curry Powder” in the US are similar to curry powder formulated by British colonies in the 18th and 19th centuries. Typically, this type of curry powder contains a mixture of turmeric, coriander, cinnamon, cumin, fenugreek, black pepper and cardamom.

Curry powder has a heat, but it usually doesn’t get hotter than Madras curry or Vindal Curry powder. (For details and history, this article is useful.)

In my kitchen, I like to use burlap and barrel “curry”. I also like organic curry powder. You can choose the blend with more heat if you like.

If you have garam masala at home rather than curry powder, the blend will work well with your recipes.

Baking tofu

Of course, there are many ways to prepare tofu: saute, scramble, deep-fried foods, etc. But my favorite way to prepare is always to bake.

I like the tofu is solid as long as I’m not making pudding, sauce or soup. I’m not a huge fan of crispy style tofu with dr in cornstarch. I think the texture is uncomfortably rough and sponge-like.

Over the years, we have found that oven baking retains the hardness and density of tofu, giving its edges a hint of sharpness and helps trap the flavor. This is the tofu I love to eat.

Baked tofu can be prepared in slabs, slices or cubes. As far as tofu types go, hard, extra sturdy, and super hard tofu are all good for oven baking.

Super Farm sounds exactly like that: especially the solid, dense type of tofu. This type of tofu has become a relatively popular item recently. Its compressed texture has a high protein content.

Super Farm is currently one of the tofu varieties I cook most often. That’s something I always get to when I make smoky tofu or marinated grilled tofu with lemon and I think it works especially well for these baked curry tofu cubes.

If you can’t find super hard tofu, that’s fine. Tofu, which is very easy to source, is also a great recipe.

How to make baked curry tofu cubes

In addition to being lemon, salty and spices, these curry tofu cubes are easy to make.

Like most of my baked tofu recipes, this benefits from the plan. Cubes develop more flavor in longer marinades. If you remember to marinate overnight, that’s ideal, but the trick is done in a minimum of 4 hours.

Step 1: Whisk the marinade together

The marinade is a very easy mixture of freshly squeezed lemon (or lemon + lime) juice, avocado oil, garlic powder, curry powder and salt.

If you’re wondering why you should use garlic powder rather than garlic, then that’s a few reasons. For one thing, the powdered garlic whisks very easily into the marinade. Whether you have fresh garlic bulbs or not, that’s what I always have in the pantry.

And finally, the powder stands up nicely in a hot oven, but terrible garlic can easily burn when used in such a marinade.

Step 2: Marinate the tofu

The Super Farm Tofu in this recipe should be cut into 3/4 inch/2.5 cm cubes.

After this, I recommend placing them in a single layer (or in a larger flat storage container with a lid).

Pour the marinade over the cubes, cover the container with its airtight lid, giving it a gentle shaking to disperse the marinade.

You can marinate the tofu for just 4 hours or overnight. The longer the better.

To ensure that the curry tofu cubes are evenly permeable, it is recommended to gently shake the container at least once during marinade.

Step 3: Bake

Finally, it’s baking time.

It is recommended to line the baking pan with parchment or foil. Transfer the tofu pieces to a baking sheet, but do not throw the marinade. It is necessary to bake cubes during roasting.

Transfer the baking pan to a 400°F/200°C oven. Bake the curry tofu cubes for 12 minutes and remove the pan from the oven.

Using a temporary brush, gently brush the cube, turn it over and then polish the other side.

Return the sheet to the oven. Bake the cubes for another 7-10 minutes or until lightly browned and crunchy at the edges.

that’s it! Plant proteins are ready to enjoy even if you like it for the next few days.

Preparing and storing meals

If you do not use curry tofu cubes in your recipe right away, you can store them in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. Tofu can be frozen for up to 6 weeks and can also be thawed in the fridge overnight before reheating.

In addition to being flavorful and nutritious, the cube has a sunny golden colour that can enhance many meals.

I think these basic vegan recipes return the most over time. I hope you agree!

xo