If you're a fan of those honey soy chips and want to make it into a healthy tofu meal prep recipe, then you have come to the right place. My honey soy marinade is packed with delicious flavour, plus, I'm going to teach you how to make crispy tofu!
There is a bit of a trick to make tofu taste good. You want to press tofu to remove the excess liquid, bake it in the oven and then add your sauce.
I have tried to make tofu so many different ways to make it actually taste good, and this is my best method (and tastiest).
Honey soy tofu ingredients
Tofu. Extra firm tofu works best for this recipe as it keeps its shape while absorbing the honey and soy.
Honey. Any honey will do. If you need a vegan alternative, you could use maple syrup.
Soy sauce. All-purpose soy sauce is best to use for this honey soy marinade.
Garlic. Measure this with your heart.
Ginger. For a little kick.
Vinegar. For balance.
Sesame oil and fish sauce. My secret to making this honey soy glaze ridiculously tasty. You can find this in the Asian section of supermarkets. These are optional, but I highly recommend adding it.
How to make crispy tofu
If you try this method of making crispy baked tofu then add my honey soy marinade and still don't like tofu… well, you will just love it.
Press tofu
Pressing firm and extra firm tofu allows excess water to be removed, allowing for more flavour to be absorbed, and gives a better texture.
There's a few different ways you can do this.
1. Tofu press
I know a lot of people who own a tofu press. I personally don't use one because I have found success in other methods (which I will describe below), but I do see a benefit in using a specific tofu press because my method can sometimes be a bit difficult.
A tofu press basically screws your tofu between two pieces of plastic which presses out the liquid. It takes the fear out of your DIY tofu press toppling over in your kitchen (something that has happened to me way too many times).
2. Heavy object to press tofu
If you don't have a tofu press then you can press tofu with something heavy. This is what I do:
- Wrap tofu with a handful of paper towels or a tea towel.
- Place it on a cutting board and a heavy object on top such as a frying pan.
- Add extra weight to the frying pan with other objects such as large books, cans or jars.
- Leave for 15-30 minutes before using the tofu as intended.
Cornstarch for crispy tofu
After pressing the tofu, I follow the following steps:
- Rip tofu
After pressing extra firm tofu, rip (yes rip) the tofu into approx. 1 inch pieces. I find this helps create the crispy tofu.
- Coat
In a large bowl, add a splash of sauce (For this recipe, it's a bit of soy sauce, but you could use extra virgin olive oil for a very neutral flavour for all dishes) and then enough cornstarch to coat (between a couple tablespoons and a ¼ cup). Use your hands to really coat it well.
- Bake
Spread the tofu out on a baking sheet (try and make sure they don't touch). Bake for 20 minutes @180C and then remove.
- Add sauce
Add honey soy sauce to a medium pan on medium heat allowing it to thicken before adding the baked tofu. This makes the outside of the tofu nice and crispy with a delicious honey soy garlic sauce while keeping the inside really tender (very similar to a crispy bit of chicken).
Tofu meal prep
Tofu is excellent to meal prep with as it is versatile and holds flavour really well. The texture also doesn't change that much during the week, although sometimes it can dry out.
If you find that the tofu dries out too much (because it keeps soaking in the sauce), add a drizzle of water over it before heating it up in the microwave.
To make honey soy tofu a full and balanced meal prep, prepare it with your choice of vegetables and grains. I like the simplicity of white rice and steamed vegetables because it makes the flavour of the honey soy stand out. But, you could pair it with some noodles and make it a honey soy stir fry which would be just as delicious!
Store the tofu meal prep in an airtight container (glass containers are best) and keep in the fridge for 4-5 days.
Honey soy tofu FAQs
Yes. All you need to do is substitute the honey for a plant-based alternative like maple syrup or coconut sugar.
Yes. Pair it with your choice of grain and vegetable to make this a balanced meal prep. Store in an airtight container for 4-5 days in the fridge.
Yes. And holy moly does it taste delicious! If you want to make this a honey soy chicken recipe, cut your chicken into bite sized pieces, coat with the cornstarch, brown off in the pan and then add the sauce.
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Recipe
Honey Soy Tofu Recipe
Ingredients
- 450 g firm tofu pressed (See Note 1)
- 80 ml (¼ cup) all-purpose soy sauce + 2 tbsp
- 40 ml (2 tbsp) honey See Note 2
- 20 ml (2 tbsp) white wine vinegar See Note 3
- 20 ml (1 tbsp) fish sauce (or vegan alternative)
- 5 ml (1 tsp) sesame oil optional but recommended
- 1 clove garlic crushed/grated
- ½ cm (½ tsp) ginger crushed/grated
- 40 g (¼ cup) cornstarch
Serve with
- 3 cups brown rice cooked
- 1 broccoli steamed
- 2 carrots steamed
Instructions
- After pressing the tofu, cut or rip apart into a large bowl. Add 2 tablespoon of soy sauce and cornstarch. Combine with hands until tofu is well coated.
- Spread on a baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes @180C or until golden brown. Make sure to have them not touching each other as this helps them crisp up.
- In the meantime, add the rest of the sauce ingredients to a small bowl. Combine with a fork and make sure the honey doesn't settle on the bottom.
- Add to a pan over medium heat. Bring to a boil then lower the heat and add the baked tofu. Mix well to coat (it should all attached to the tofu and be quite sticky).
- Remove from the pan and add to your choice of sides.
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