Miso Tofu Recipe

stacked cubes of tofu with miso marinade on white and blue plate on sushi mat

5 from 4 votes

The Miso Tofu Marinade in this recipe will turn you into a tofu lover, if you're not already. This dish is perfect with a side of vegetables or a light salad, and it's also a fantastic hors d'oeuvre!

*The tofu marinates for 48 hours -- however, the active work time is only about 25 minutes.

Prep Time15

Cook Time10

Marinating Time2

Total Time2 25

Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: Asian

Keyword: marinades for tofu, Asian side dishes, vegan side dishes

Servings:

Calories: 241kcal

Author: Valentina K. Wein

Equipment

Ingredients

2 pounds extra firm tofu
½ cup Shiro miso paste
⅔ cups ponzu sauce (or ⅓ cup low sodium soy sauce + 2 tablespoons lime juice)
¼ cup Mirin (Japanese sweet rice wine)
¼ cup honey
2 tablespoons unseasoned rice vinegar
5 tablespoons golden brown sugar
2 tablespoons ginger pulp
2 tablespoons garlic pulp
avocado oil or other neutral oil like vegetable

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Dry the tofu. Remove the tofu from the package and set it on a double layer of paper towels (or a tea towel). Place another double layer on top and gently press all sides of the tofu block to remove as much moisture as possible. Now cut the tofu block into approximately 1½ inch cubes, placing them on a new double layer of paper towels as you go. Place yet another double layer on top of the cubes and gently press down. Set this aside.
Make the marinade. In a small mixing bowl, use a whisk to blend the miso paste with ponzu, Mirin, vinegar, honey, sugar, ginger and garlic. Whisk until everything is smooth. Pour the marinade into a baking dish -- one large enough to hold all of the tofu, but small enough so that the marinade isn't too shallow.
Add the tofu. Once more, before adding the tofu to the marinade, set the cubes on a dry paper towel -- this time, roll them to get all of the sides dry, carefully so they keep their shape. Use a second towel if they still seem slightly damp. Now add the them to the marinade. Make sure all the side are well coated.
Refrigerate/marinate. Cover with plastic wrap and let the tofu marinate in the refrigerator at least for 48 hours and up to 72. If there is a portion of the tofu that isn't fully in the marinade -- turn them over about half way through the marinating process.
Cook. Coat the bottom of a large non-stick sauté pan with the oil -- this oil should only coat, not have depth to it. Turn the heat to medium-high and let the pan preheat.
Once the pan is very hot, turn the heat down a bit and add the marinated tofu cubes, one at a time to be sure they don't break, letting any excess marinade drip off first. (I use my hands to do this.) Stand back a bit as the oil will splatter.
Sear every side of the cubes. Use a small flat-bottomed spatula to flip them, or small rubber cooking tongs. Once each side is very nicely browned, remove them and set them on a plate. Don't worry if the edges are charred a tiny bit -- this adds well to the overall flavor.
Serve!

Notes

Nutritional information is automatically calculated, so it should only be used as an estimate.

Nutrition