Grilling tofu - What you need to know about it!

Barbecue is not just for meat eaters. Instead of steaks and sausages, tofu is now also coming onto the grill. We show you how to grill tofu.

Usually you find a lot of meat and sausages on the grill. As a vegetarian or vegan, it is not so easy to find something suitable.

That's why we now have tofu on the grill. With tofu you can conjure up really many different and varied dishes.

You want to grill tofu, but do not know how? Don't worry, it's very simple.

The taste of natural tofu is extremely mild. Therefore, you should marinate it for at least an hour, preferably overnight. On the grill, smoked tofu is firmer and more aromatic than natural tofu. Silken tofu cannot be grilled due to its soft texture.

But let's look at that in detail now.

Try this vegan liverwurst with tofu!

Can you grill tofu?

Yes, you can. In fact, smoked tofu and natural tofu are quite easy to make on charcoal grills, gas grills and electric grills. With a delicious marinade and skewered with vegetables, you have the perfect veggie skewer.

It does not always have to be meat. Grilling tofu = vegetarian barbecue with a difference. At a veggie barbecue most people think only of boring vegetable skewers. But the soy snack can be so varied.

And by the way, nothing against vegetables on skewers. I love the colorful skewers. Surely you have also already delicious vegetable skewers with crunchy pieces of bell bell pepper, spicy onions and small pieces of zucchini prepared, right?

All you need is some vegetables and smoked tofu. Cut all the ingredients into equal pieces and dip them in your favorite marinade. Alternate the vegetables and tofu pieces on the skewers. Before you put them on the grill, brush them with olive or canola oil.

You can be very creative with the marinades. From spicy with chili, to fruity with orange juice, to tart with rosemary, everything is possible.

If you like to grill meatless. the book Vegetarian Grilling: Vegetables rock recommend*. It was written by a professional grill master. From grilled camembert with apricots to halloumi with grapes, capers and nuts, there is something for every taste.

The dishes are fancy and creative, but still in such a way that you can easily replicate them. Even as a grill novice. One of my favorites in the book are stuffed mushrooms with mozzarella and parmesan.

Of course there are also some sweet desserts like these grilled watermelon.

What you have to pay attention to when grilling tofu

There are a few tricks you should keep in mind when grilling tofu. I'll tell you the most important ones here.

1. squeeze out water

For it to succeed on the grill, the tofu must not be too moist. Remove the excess liquid before grilling.

Put the tofu in the freezer overnight. This way you get the liquid out better. If you then thaw it again before grilling, it becomes firmer and you can grill it better.

You can also get the liquid out with kitchen paper. Place the tofu between a few layers of kitchen roll and put a heavy object on it. After a few minutes you can take it out again.

But why is it so moist in the first place? Tofu consists of soybeans, salt and water. First, the soybeans are washed thoroughly. Then they are soaked for twelve hours. Then they are boiled with salted water and mashed.

The hulls and the fiber are separated by thorough sieving. What remains is a soy drink.

To produce the solid tofu mass, the whey is separated from the soy protein with the help of a coagulant. The protein is filled into large boxes, pressed out and formed into tofu pieces. Finally, the tofu is cooled in a water bath. Depending on the variety and brand, tofu is therefore often more crumbly or firmer and sometimes contains more and sometimes less water.

2. fry tofu in slices or on a skewer

You are unsure whether you should put whole slices or rather make skewers? I recommend skewers, they are easier to turn and have a more interesting taste.

If you want to grill the whole tofu, you should place it in an aluminum or vegetable tray. This will prevent it from falling apart or sticking when you turn it. Tofu is quite soft and can crumble when flipped. Use your grill tongs for flipping, a fork doesn't work well.

AttentionTofu does not tolerate high heat. Since it cooks very quickly, you should put it on the edge of the grill.

Wow. You should definitely try this dessert from the grill!

3. use little oil

Tofu does not absorb oil very well. Therefore, you should use very little of it so that flavors can soak in. Therefore, seasoning sauces, vinegar, lemon juice or lime juice are often used.

To prevent the tofu from sticking to the grill grate, brush the dry, firm piece with canola oil or place the tofu in a greased aluminum tray.

Many veggie fans swear by aluminum foil. Wrap the tofu in foil, add fresh herbs, garlic or other ingredients. Seal the foil and then place the package on the grill.

Which tofu is the best for grilling?

There are Different types of tofu: silken tofu, natural tofu, smoked tofu and seasoned tofu. Except for silken tofu, all varieties are suitable for the grill. Grilled natural tofu tastes best because it can still be seasoned to taste.

As you already know: Tofu that is too moist sticks easily to the grill grate. Therefore, you should buy particularly firm tofu for grilling. There are big differences depending on the brand.

How does tofu taste?

Pure tofu has no distinct flavor of its own. It has a cereal-like taste, which used to earn it a lot of criticism. However, in China and Japan, where the product comes from, it is unusual to cook exclusively with tofu; it is mixed into many dishes. Due to its special consistency, it absorbs marinades and spices particularly well.

To prepare the delicious meals, tofu should always be strongly seasoned. The fact that it has no flavor of its own has a second advantage: it allows you to let off steam in the kitchen. Do you prefer the style of Mediterranean or Asian cuisine? Tofu can be wonderfully combined with different national cuisines.

Tofu Nature: Natural tofu can be easily cut into cubes or strips. It is optimal for just about all forms of preparation and is particularly well suited for breading, frying, deep-frying and grilling.

It can also be chopped and used in place of meat for vegetarian goulash or hash. Tofu has a wide range of consistencies. The coagulant affects the consistency. Calcium sulfate makes for a firmer mass, while magnesium chloride makes for a softer one. The two coagulants are often mixed.

Silken tofu: It has a delicate and smooth surface. It consists of a lot of liquid and has little flavor. Because of the high water content, it is not suitable for grilling. But for this it is particularly good to vegan chocolate mousse to prepare.

Seasoned tofu: It is already refined with herbs and spices. Here you save marinating, but have no freedom. The flavors range from sweet, sour, spicy, Mediterranean to oriental. In addition to spice powders, herbs, vegetables, olives, fruits, nuts and much more are used.

Can you grill smoked tofu?

Yes, you can prepare smoked tofu on the charcoal grill and gas grill. Since it has a firm consistency, it does especially well. For those who love smoky flavor, but only have a table grill or gas grill available, smoked tofu is the solution.

Smoked tofu is the best choice for vegan barbecue skewers because it does not crumble. This makes it particularly easy to slice and grill even better than natural tofu.

Smoked tofu recipes to fall in love with!

How to marinate tofu for grilling?

I have to admit: Unseasoned tofu tastes really boring. If you Tofu grill you should definitely marinate.

You can really go wild with the marinade. Just try different spices and then choose your favorite marinade to grill tofu.

Do you love the asian cuisine? Then a spice mixture of ginger, curry, chili, sesame and a little honey to sweeten is perfect.

For the Italian version you need herbs like thyme, oregano and rosemary. In addition, a good amount of garlic provides a spicy note.

Be generous with the spices. But do not use too much oil. It puts a film over the tofu and the marinade can not be absorbed well.

After you have mixed the marinade, roll the tofu pieces in it.

Let the marinade infuse

Then let the marinade soak in the refrigerator for several hours, preferably overnight.

It is not a good idea to buy natural tofu, unwrap it and just put it on the grill. Because that will be a very boring barbecue.

If it has to go really fast and spontaneous guests announce themselves, then it applies to grill tofu quickly - for this you buy best a ready marinated tofu. However, if you have time, you should take a few minutes for your own marinade, so it tastes much fuller.

Before grilling, carefully dab off the excess marinade with a kitchen towel and brush the tofu pieces with canola oil. Then place them on the grill.

The best recipes to marinate tofu!

Quick recipe for tofu skewers with vegetables

You want to put tofu on the grill? Then try this delicious recipe. I'll show you a very detailed step-by-step instruction here, if you've never done it before.

For those looking for a short version or just looking for some quick inspiration - the recipe on how to grill tofu is at the end of the post in short version.

This recipe makes enough for 4 skewers.

Ingredients

• 250 g smoked tofu
• 1 Red onion
• 1 small zucchini
• 1 bell bell pepper red and yellow

For the marinade

• 1/2 tsp ginger powder
• 1 pinch chili powder
• 2 garlic cloves
• 3 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 4 tablespoons olive oil

Also: skewers, knife, board.

1. prepare the tofu

Take the tofu out of the package. Dab it with kitchen paper to get rid of the moisture. Cut it into cubes and dab them again.

2. prepare the marinade

Mix the ginger powder, chili powder, soy sauce, lemon juice and olive oil together. Squeeze the garlic cloves and add them to the tofu marinade.

Now we marinate the tofu. Since you don't have masses of marinade on hand, it's going to be hard to get all the pieces evenly. But there is a trick.

Put the tofu in a plastic bag. Pour the marinade into the bag. Gently squeeze it until the air escapes. Now the tofu lies well in the marinade and will absorb it from all sides.

Put the tofu in the refrigerator for 1-2 hours. If you want it to be particularly intense, let it rest overnight.

3. cut the vegetables

Wash zucchini and bell bell pepper. Cut them into small pieces. Also cut the onion into bite-sized pieces. Put the vegetables aside.

4. grill the tofu

Now grab the tofu and vegetables. Skewer the tofu and vegetables alternately. Leave a space of about half a centimeter between each ingredient.

That way you can be sure they all get enough heat on the grate and are evenly done.

By the way, skewers made of metal warm up on the grill and ensure that the ingredients are also cooked from the inside.

You can also prepare the tofu skewers in the pan.

And here, as promised, the short version of the recipe:

How much tofu to grill per person?

Tofu is a high-protein food that is comparable to meat in terms of nutritional value. Therefore, most vegans and vegetarians consume 150 to 200 grams of tofu. If you offer other side dishes from the grill, such as vegetables or cheese, you won't need as much tofu.

Grilling tofu vegan

Do you want to grill vegan or vegetarian food? Tofu is the ideal solution because it can be grilled. Grilled vegetables and herbed baguettes are a nice addition to the table. If you're also serving meat, there may be a conflict of interest on the grill.

Tofu takes much less time to cook compared to meat and is usually ready over the coals much sooner. It is often grilled in parallel with meat. Don't your vegan guests like it? That's no problem: tofu also tastes great on a meatless grill platter if it's simply brushed with a bit of oil and cooked.

How long do you have to grill tofu?

When is tofu ready? It is ready to eat even before the packaging is removed. Smoked tofu is often eaten "raw." In this case, the bean protein is not really raw because it is cooked during production. So you don't have to worry about it.

Do not leave tofu on the grill for too long. It becomes tough after a while and can burn. However, it can take on a nice grill pattern and become warm.

Depending on the heat and whether you grill directly or indirectly, one minute per side is often enough. Of course, it also depends on how thick you cut the tofu pieces.

Our conclusion

Tofu grill has long since established itself. It does not always have to be meat. A vegan barbecue recipe, properly prepared, tastes good to everyone and grilling tofu skewers is not even that hard :).

Good luck and enjoy it!

To browse further:

• Juicy kidney bean burger: the delicious 10 minute veggie burger
• Cooking pumpkin in the oven - Delicious pumpkin wedges from the oven
• The most delicious plum compote in the world + preserving instructions

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