Tell me that's not meaty (Tofu Kebabs)

Tofu. It's so fast, so delicious - and yet, there is something elusive about cooking with it. I think the most common question people ask when they find out we cook vegetarian meals is, What do you do with tofu?  

I didn't fully get the tofu possibilities until a neighbor grilled marinated tofu for us a few years ago. Wow! And (cue choir) the kids loved it too! But it still took some practice to figure out how to get our tofu to not crumble into cottage cheese-like pieces and slide onto the barbecue grates. 

The secret: Give the tofu time to drain, and time to marinate.

Extra-firm firmness varies. Trader Joe's brand holds together well. Some people suggest freezing first, then thawing, to help get the water out. I think the frozen texture can be a little spongy, but for grilling I don't notice a difference when I made some of both in the same batch.

We like Asian-flavored marinade, but any marinade for chicken or fish should work. We usually serve grilled tofu without any additional sauce except soy sauce at home, but this peanut sauce is great, too. We brought it to our "food on a stick" themed dinner with neighbors a couple of weeks ago and it was a hit.

Drain and Marinate the Tofu

Open and drain 2 1-lb tubs of extra-firm tofu. (portion note: 1 lb is just enough for my family of 4 if we have a couple of sides, but with 2 lbs we will have leftovers. The picture below shows how much 2 lbs makes.) 

For kebabs, the cubes need to be pretty large, so slice each hunk of tofu once the long way (to make two rectangles). For grilling "steaks" slice the hunks twice the long way to make three rectangles the same size as the original hunk, but thinner.

Put a couple of layers of paper towels down on a cookie sheet with a rim on all sides. Put the slices of tofu on the paper towel, then a couple of more paper towels, then either another cookie sheet or a cutting board - something flat - on top of that. Weight the top of that with something heavy (a cookbook, some cans from the pantry, your laptop.) Leave tofu for at least an hour. If you're going to make kebabs, start soaking bamboo skewers now.

Discard the paper towels, drain the cookie sheet, and pat the tofu slices dry. If making kebabs, I like to cut and skewer before marinating. Keep the cubes pretty large - there's no muscle to hold these things on the sticks, so be gentle. Lay the skewered tofu back on the cookie sheet (or something with a rim) and pour marinade on generously. Allow to marinate at least an hour, more is better. If you have the opportunity, gingerly turn the skewers a couple of times while marinating.

Everyday Marinade

1/4 cup soy sauce (or tamari sauce)

1/4 cup sesame oil (half sesame, half canola is fine)

1/4 cup rice wine (or dry sherry)

optional: a few grates of fresh ginger root

Grill

Tofu doesn't need to be cooked the way meat does, so you want a medium-high heat to sear the outside and make nice brown grill lines. If you have a gas grill, preheat for about 15 minutes at 425 or 450 degrees.

Brush some oil on the grates. Have both tongs and spatula ready. Don't overhandle the skewers - let one side get nice and brown before turning.

Peanut Sauce

This peanut sauce was adapted by Tom from a Food Network recipe. Our version is milder for the kids.

Peanut Sauce with Coconut

3/4 cup canned coconut milk

1/3 cup creamy peanut butter

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 1/2 tsp. mild yellow curry powder

1 tblsp. brown sugar

1 Tblsp. lime juice

1 tsp. canola oil

1 tblsp. soy sauce

Dash of sweet paprika (or cayenne if your diners are up for it.)

Use an immersion blender to mix all ingredients until creamy. Warm in microwave or warming oven and serve as a dipping sauce or pour over tofu kebabs.

Enjoy!