It's no secret that tofu bacon is consumed on a regular basis in this household. Tofu bacon has featured in many recipes on my blog; calzones, pinwheels, brunches, several pasta dishes, and as a tasty garnish in a creamy cauliflower soup. It also makes a tasty sandwich filling. When it comes to facon we prefer tofu bacon over coconut bacon, tempeh bacon and this bean and buckwheat bacon. Eggplant bacon is still on my list to try!
Although I have posted a recipe for tofu bacon before, I have been meaning to write about it again for a few reasons. The original post (which I have been linking back to often) was early in my blogging days and silly old me didn't include any photos of the tofu bacon. Another reason is that my tofu bacon has improved over time due to the acquisition of a Tofu Xpress and grill pan. Pressing the tofu with the Tofu Xpress makes the texture of the block a lot easier to cut using a cheese slicer and the tofu also soaks up more of the marinade. After the slices are initially fried in the grill pan, I prop them up on the sides of the pan while the next batch is cooking which crisps the slices up further.
I'm sure this won't be the last time you hear me talking about tofu bacon as there are plenty of other recipes which I am planning to include it in the future.
Tofu Bacon (Adapted from a recipe on veggieboards)
350g firm tofu, drained and pressed
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup water
1 tablespoon tomato paste or ketchup
1-2 tablespoons dark brown sugar or maple syrup
1 tablespoon nutritional yeast flakes
1 1/2-2 teaspoons liquid smoke
Shave the block into long thin slices using a cheese slicer or cut fine slices with a knife. Mix the soy sauce, water, ketchup, brown sugar, nutritional yeast flakes and liquid smoke together in a large shallow dish then add the tofu slices ensuring they all get coated with the marinade. Place in the refrigerator and allow to marinate for at least 8 hours or up to 2 days.
Heat a non-stick grill pan or frying pan and spray lightly with olive oil. Fry the slices in batches for a few minutes on each side until golden brown and crispy. If you have a grill pan, prop the cooked slices on the side of the pan while the next batch is cooking. Drain on paper towels. The tofu bacon becomes more crispy as it cools down.
As I have said to you, I am loving your tofu bacon - will post about my tweaks soon so wont go on too much here but I agree it is the best of the facons I have tried - though I think I overcooked it the first time so your warning about it becoming more crispy as it cools is sage advice.
ReplyDeleteYour tofu bacon post was fantastic and your tweaks all sound great. I have overcooked it on occasion too!
DeleteInteresting recipe - love all the ingredients, will have to give it a try
ReplyDeleteHope you give it a try one day Joey!
DeleteI'm glad you did re-post this as I have never made tofu bacon but seeing your recipe and pictures here makes me think that I should.
ReplyDeleteAnd after reading Johanna's post you probably want to try it even more!
DeleteOoo delicious!! I must try this. Thanks for the recommendations from Viva Vegan. :) I will check out those recipes you suggested.
ReplyDeleteDo give it a try Ashley, it's very addictive! I hope you like the look of the recipes I suggested from Viva Vegan. :)
DeleteI found your recipe via Johanna of GGG--I LOVE tofu bacon! Actually, I love tofu anything. . . but have been trying to keep my tofu consumption to no more than once a week or less. My next tofu venture will be this one! And thanks so much for your comment about the Greek-Inspired Breakfast Scramble on my blog, too. I'm so glad you liked it!! (I'm thinking it would go remarkably well with tofu bacon. . . ). ;-)
ReplyDeleteI love tofu anything too! I try to limit my consumption to twice a week but our addiction to tofu bacon makes that a challenge sometimes. It's funny that you mentioned pairing tofu bacon with your breakfast scramble because I actually served some on the side and it was a fantastic combination. :)
DeleteI've got to try this. I've made bacon with tempeh, Soy Curls, and buckwheat groats. However, I've never used tofu. It sounds great!
ReplyDeleteI find it funny that so many people default to trying out tempeh bacon and other facons first as I was the complete opposite and have been hooked on tofu bacon ever since. I would love to try Soy Curls, they sound intriguing.
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