I once read a recipe for BBQ tofu that called for a bottle of commercially-prepared barbeque sauce.
Did you catch that? Someone actually published–in a book!–a BBQ recipe that called for a bottle of Heinz. “Yeah, I’m lazy” was the author’s aside. Now maybe it’s just the deep-southerner in me hollerin’, but BBQ sauce ought to be made fresh, and out of everything but the kitchen sink. Bottled barbeque sauce, like boxed cookie mix, pales in comparison to the real thing. It ain’t fit for company.
One of my favorite recipes is from (surprise, surprise) Vegan With a Vengeance. I know a number of my friends haven’t actually tried it, though, because it calls for an esoteric ingredient: pomegranate molasses. I’ve made several adjustments to the recipe that should make it accessible & easy in most kitchens. Here’s what you’ll need:
Kitchen-sink barbeque sauce, adapted from Isa Chandra Moskowitz’s BBQ Pomegranate Tofu (original recipe’s ingredients in parentheses, where applicable)
- 2 tablespoons vegetable or canola oil (1 tablespoon peanut oil)
- 1 cup onion, chopped fine (1 cup shallots, minced)
- 2 cloves garlic, minced (can use prepared if you’ve run out of the real deal)
- 1/2 teaspoon Chinese five-spice powder or 1/8 tsp each ground cinnamon, cloves, ginger, freshly-cracked black pepper
- 2 cups vegetable broth (or one vegan bouillon cube dissolved in two cups steaming water)
- A few grinds of fresh black pepper
- 1 6-oz can tomato paste
- 3 tablespoons all-natural peanut butter (2 tablespoons)
- 2 tablespoons blackstrap molasses (2 tablespoons pomegranate molasses)
- 2 tablespoons tamari or soy sauce
- 1/4 cup pure maple syrup
- 1.5 teaspoons hot sauce (more to taste) (1 teaspoon, more to taste)
- 1 teaspoon liquid smoke (this is a must! You can get it in the grocery store on the sauces aisle)
For the tofu:
- One block of tofu, drained and pressed
- 2 tablespoons vegetable or canola oil
- 2 tablespoons tamari
Press a pound of tofu between two cutting boards to remove excess water. It’s up to you how long you want to press it. The difference between a few seconds and a half an hour is essentially how firm & chewy the tofu will get. I don’t usually press mine very long, but some people press an hour or more.
Slice the tofu about 1/2-inch thick (see below). Preheat oven to 350. In a 9×13-inch (preferably glass or ceramic) baking pan, turn the tofu in two tablespoons of oil and two tablespoons of tamari or soy sauce. Swish it around, coat on both sides. Bake for 15 minutes at 350, then flip the slices and bake 15 more. Should look about like this when done:
Meanwhile, prepare the sauce. In a cast-iron skillet over medium heat, saute the onions in the oil for about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and five-spice powder (or cinnamon, cloves, ginger and black pepper) and saute 1 minute more. Add the broth and bring to a simmer. (This step will go really fast if you used already-steaming broth.) Add the rest of the ingredients and bring to a boil. Lower heat and simmer for 15-20 minutes, stirring frequently.
At this point, your tofu should be done baking. Smother the tofu with the sauce:
Return to the oven and bake 15 minutes more. Remove from oven.
Reserve the corner pieces for your favorite person–that’s where the sauce has caramelized the best.
If you want to be a real meat-and-potatoes vegan, simply serve with a pile of fluffy mashed potatoes. But peas & broccoli are nice additions.
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