Baked Tofu – Indian Style

Next to cauliflower and broccoli, tofu is my husband’s favorite. Actually he would eat anything vegetarian if it’s healthy. For me the criteria is, it has to taste good. So I experiment with tofu to satisfy both our needs. So far our favorite is tofu paratha. I drain the tofu well, grate it, add some Indian spices and divide the mixture into small balls. Then proceed to prepare the parathas as usual, using the tofu stuffing.

The Tofu Mango Pudding did not get his vote. The truth is he is not a “dessert” person. My son, my mother and myself loved it so much.

Recently I was going through Mallika Badrinath’s cookbook and found a recipe for paneer tikkis. Again paneer is my most favorite and his least favorite. He doesn’t eat it because of the fat content and calorific value. I wish I have the self control like him, I would be 30 pounds lighter! I remembered having a packet of extra firm tofu in my fridge, so decided to used it instead of paneer and changed the seasonings to suit our taste.

Indian Style Baked Tofu Recipe
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Prep time: 1 Hr
Cook time: 40 Mins
Yields: 32 Pieces
An easy recipe to bake tofu, using indian spices and seasonings.
Ingredients:
  • 1 Packet (14Oz) Extra Firm Tofu
For The Marinade:
  • 3 Tablespoons Oil
  • 1 Tablespoon Curry Powder
  • 1/2 Teaspoon Red Chili Powder
  • A Pinch Turmeric Powder
  • 1/2 Teaspoon Salt (As Per Your Taste)
  • Juice Of 1/2 Lemon Lemon Juice
  • As Needed Red Food Color (Optional)
Procedure:
  1. Open the tofu packet and drain the water. Wrap the tofu in paper towels and place some weight on it and leave it for 30 minutes. After draining the water cut the tofu into cubes of 1cm thickness. I got around 20 pieces.
  2. Take a 1 gallon ziploc bag and add all the ingredients required for the marinade in the bag.
  3. Whisk it with a fork and add the tofu cubes in the bag. Remove the air out and close the bag and toss it well to coat all the tofu pieces with the marinade.
  4. Leave it in the fridge for 30-45 minutes.
  5. Meanwhile preheat the oven at 425F/220C for 15 minutes.
  6. Grease a baking sheet lightly, place the tofu pieces and bake it for 25-30 minutes, turning once in the middle.
  7. To have a crispy outer, broil it for another 8-10 minutes.
Taste:
  1. We don’t eat very spicy foods. So taste the marinade to check the spices and add accordingly to suit your taste. Since tofu is bland, it definitely requires more seasoning than you would normally use.
My Notes:
  1. If you are a paneer fan like me you are not going to like the tofu tikkis immediately. For those who have not tasted tofu before, though they both look alike, the taste is totally different. So don’t expect the taste of paneer tikka. Try to appreciate the taste of tofu and then you would love it. After eating 3-4 pieces, I started liking it. Now this is my husband’s favorite.
  2. The marinading can be done in a bowl too. I saw the ziploc bag method in Food TV, so I thought of giving it a try. It’s definitely easy and no clean up. Simply toss the bag in the trash later.

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37 Responses to “Baked Tofu – Indian Style”

  1. Anjali J. says:

    wow, this is amazing.. very creative.. they look so yummy..

  2. Happy Cook says:

    I am not a tofu fan. But this looks really good

  3. Sweatha says:

    So simple and easy to make,quick appetizer

  4. Madhu,
    How do you come up with such creative recipes??
    This one goes under my “must try” bookmarks :) )
    Thanks.

  5. Divya says:

    Madhuram, I make them too but the lazy version, just mix in salt and spices and bake them but never like this. Marinated and wonderful.
    I will sure try this.

  6. Cham says:

    They look like bread pieces! I can see they re crispy & yummy :wink:

  7. rachel says:

    Am not a tofu fan either..will use ur marinade for paneer though

  8. DivyA Vikram says:

    Great idea Madhu..looks yummy

  9. Bharti says:

    The tofu has such a lovely brown crust! It looks crunchy and delectable.

  10. Smitha says:

    Madhu,

    Konjam slowva recipes podu. I am not able to keep up with your speed. I love a lot of your recipes and want to try them but by the time I get ready you post something new and fancy that gets my attention.

    Anyway, this recipe looks really good and I am sure I will try it. Also on a side note, I tried your eggless chocolate cake, it was a great hit with my kids. Venkat was not well so he has not tried it yet, but I am sure he will like it too. Keep Going! Wish I live somewhere close to you so that I can be your official taster.

  11. Siri says:

    the tofu bites look divine Madhu.. :razz: wish I cud munch some now!! :lol:

    Cheers
    Siri :mrgreen:

  12. Vaishali says:

    Lovely recipe, Madhuram. I sometimes marinate extra-firm tofu in Indian spices before using as a substitute for paneer in dishes like palak paneer. I just have to try your baked version.

  13. Riya says:

    Hi Madhu,

    I am going to try this one over the weekend. Looks so good! I make my aloo fry (south indian style) like this. Unlike traditional kadai method, the baking and broiling is so much healthier and equally tasty!

    And thanks for your response on the Smart Balance butter. I finally found it in safeway. I will now start baking to glory from your website. :smile:

    Riya.

  14. Vidya says:

    Madhu, it looks too good to be true :-) Looks super tempting.

  15. Geeta says:

    Just discovered tofu again while researching calcium rich foods. This looks delicious.

  16. James says:

    Hi, I found your blog on this new directory of WordPress Blogs at blackhat bootcamp’s list of word press blogs. I dont know how your blog came up, must have been a typo, i duno. Anyways, I just clicked it and here I am. Your blog looks good. Have a nice day. James.

  17. sia says:

    i prefer tofu to paneer these days and this is a lovely recipe madhu

  18. sangeeth says:

    U rock! really rock!

  19. raaji says:

    nice step to step procedure,……nice pic……i loved it

  20. lakshmi says:

    Hi Madhu,

    I love this tofu recipe. would definitely try it. i just found your site by google search on eggless recipes. good i got your site. thanks.

  21. Uma says:

    the baked tofu looks stunningly beautiful Madhu! Yum! :smile:

  22. Cynthia says:

    I’d want to snack on these all the time :)

  23. LinQ says:

    Wow! those are looking so crispy & yummy :razz: ,
    i guess i can also try the same recipe procedure with paneer.

    Regards,
    LinQ.

  24. Roma says:

    I have always wanted to bring some tofu home, especially since I see so many interesting recipes on your site that use it.

  25. SS says:

    If not for the header , i thought it was chamagade koora :grin:

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