Crusty Wasabi Tofu

Crusty Wasabi Tofu {Gluten-Free, Vegetarian} | Wheat-Free Meat-Free

This recipe was developed at the request of my sister-in-law. She was having a major wasabi craving — in her words “I’m like SO craving wasabi that I’m sitting here eating a bowl of heated up frozen broccoli from a box, with soy sauce and wasabi on it” — and wanted crusty tofu with a wasabi coating.

It tooks a few tries to figure out how to get the tofu crusty (I cheated and used Chex crumbs), and then a couple more tries to get wasabi flavor right, but hopefully this is a passable solution.

Crusty Wasabi Tofu

  • 1 14-ounce block of extra firm tofu
  • 1/2 cup gluten-free tamari or soy sauce
  • 1/2 cup mirin
  • 2 tablespoons honey
  • 2 tablespoons minced ginger
  • 1-2 tablespoons prepared wasabi
  • 2 cups Rice Chex
  1. Press the tofu for half an hour.
  2. Meanwhile, combine the tamari, mirin, honey, and ginger in a small saucepan. Heat over high heat until just beginning to boil, then reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 15 minutes. Remove from heat and use a whisk to mix in the wasabi until completely combined.
  3. Slice the tofu width-wise into eight even pieces. Place the tofu in a casserole dish (or plastic bag) and cover with the sauce. Marinate 1-2 hours, flipping the tofu halfway through.
  4. Crush the Chex into crumbs. (I did it in a plastic bag to prevent crumbs from going everywhere.)
  5. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or lightly grease with oil.
  6. Place the Chex crumbs in a shallow bowl. Coat the marinated tofu in the crumbs, then place on the baking sheet.
  7. Bake for 30 minutes, flipping halfway through. Remove and serve.

Serves 4

I originally intended to use panko crumbs, but couldn’t find any that were gluten-free. If you are using gluten-free bread crumbs, you’ll need approximately 3/4 to 1 cup. Crush the Chex pretty small. You know how the squares have that matrix design? You want to crush it small enough that you can’t tell that’s what the pieces originally looked like. (But you don’t want dust.)

Mirin is a sweetened rice wine. If you can’t find it, use sake or sherry and add a little extra honey.

The wasabi gets muted once the tofu is baked. I used 2 tablespoons, and while the marinade had a definitive kick before baking, the final product was pretty mild. If you don’t like spicy foods or don’t like the taste of wasabi, you can leave it out entirely.

The longer the tofu marinates, the stronger the flavor. If you have the time, I’d encourage a longer than 2 hour marinating time. I was running out of daylight, so I had to cut things short.

I’m sharing this recipe in Slightly Indulgent TuesdayAllergy Free Wednesdays, Full Plate Thursday, and Food Friday.

Looking for More Gluten-Free Vegetarian Recipes?

Take a look at my book, The Wheat-Free Meat-Free Cookbook: 100 Gluten-Free Vegetarian Recipes.

A sampling of the recipes included:
  • Breakfasts: Cinnamon Quinoa Muffins, Yeasted Waffles, Gooey Butter Cake,
  • Sides: Patatas Bravas, Pea and New Potato Salad, Braised Celery,
  • Mains: Corn Waffle Sandwiches, Enchiladas with Green Sauce, Pesto Asparagus Galette, and
  • Desserts: Blueberry Mango Crisp, Baklava Rolls, Amaretto Cake.

You can see the full recipe list on the Amazon page.


Comments

  1. This looks fabulous! I’m eager to try it.

  2. This looks wonderful. My son loves tofu, and we are trying to eat a lot less meat, so this is a perfect recipe for me to try. Thank you for sharing it!

  3. Yum, pinned it to try!

  4. This sounds delicious. We never buy any cereal though. WHat would you recommend as a substitute for Rice Chex? I’d love to give these a try.

  5. Hi Kalinda,

    What a great way to eat tofu!

    Thank you for sharing your recipe on AFW! Be sure to check back next week for reader favorites and hostess picks.

    Be Well,
    –AFW Hostesses

  6. Hi Kalinda,
    Your Crusty Wasabi Tofu looks so pretty. Your photo is awesome and this is a great recipe! Hope you are having a great week and thank you so much for sharing with Full Plate Thursday.
    Happy St. Patrick’s Day!
    Miz Helen

  7. i love tofu and always finding ways to eat/cook them in different ways! this looks like something i’d love to try! appetizing shots! :)

    thanks so much for sharing over at Food Friday
    enjoy your weekend!

  8. We should talk crispy tofu. I have ways.

  9. fyi, I will be featuring this recipe this week on AFW!

  10. (Lucy is another kid who loves tofu!)

    I tried to make this last week, but the marinated tofu was so delicious (even though I forgot the wasabi!) that I ended up eating it all, slice by slice, straight out of the fridge. I actually think I’m going to start making that as a separate dish, maybe garnished with scallions.

    So I’m going in for round two tonight–I did 2 tablespoons of wasabi and the marinade is so spicy that I don’t think I could eat it this time without mellowing it down by baking. I’m going to marinate it overnight and then bake it tomorrow.

    Is there a reason you used chex? Would any rice cereal work for this? Rice crispies are a lot cheaper at our grocery store. :-)

    • Ha, that’s pretty funny. I could definitely see the cold marinated tofu being a refreshing summer dish.

      I used Rice Chex because I had seen numerous people suggest it as a gluten-free panko substitute. You could use regular dry breadcrumbs if they’re cheaper. I’m not entirely confident Rice Krispies would crush up nicely. *shrug*

  11. This recipe passed the first test- my mouth watered as I read it!

    • Good news for me.

      • I’m such a dork. I made this recipe and really liked it -my only thought was to change from corn chex to rice chex…. I just reread the recipe. HA!! (Corn chex is what I had in the cupboard.) Now I can tell you that YOUR recipe is perfect! Thanks.

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