This one is another great recipe from Nikki! You can seriously use this all over the place. She made one change noted below. She baked it instead of frying it. This recipe does require some rest time and bake time. I would clear about 1 1/2 hours for this. Nothing hard, just marinating time really.
Ingredients:
14 ounces extra-firm tofu (organic, non-GMO when possible)
4 tsp chili powder (or store-bought)
1 Tbsp smoked paprika
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
1/8 tsp ground cumin
2 Tbsp tamari (or soy sauce if not gluten-free)
4 tsp apple cider vinegar
2 tsp maple syrup
1 Tbsp ketchup
2 Tbsp avocado oil, for cooking (if oil-free, omit, but it will be drier)
Directions
1. Drain tofu. With clean hands or a fork, roughly crumble the tofu in a medium mixing bowl. Aim for pieces about 1/4 – 1/2 inch in size.
2. Add the chili powder, smoked paprika, cayenne, and cumin and carefully toss to evenly coat the tofu with the spices. Add the tamari, vinegar, maple syrup, and ketchup and toss one more time.
3. Heat a 10-inch nonstick or well-seasoned cast iron skillet over medium heat. Add 1 Tbsp (15 ml) avocado oil and place half of your tofu mixture into the skillet (amounts as original recipe is written // adjust if altering batch size). Distribute the tofu mixture evenly over the pan so it’s in one thin layer. Cook for 3-4 minutes, undisturbed. It should be sizzling and popping slightly — if it’s not, turn up the heat a bit.
4. Once the tofu is nicely browned on the bottom, use a spatula to flip sections as evenly as possible to brown the other side for another 3 minutes. Break up the tofu mixture slightly and toss to evenly brown all sides — about 2 minutes.
5. Place in a dish, set aside, and repeat with remaining oil and tofu mixture.
6. Best when fresh. Perfect for adding to bowls, burritos, tacos, or vegan paella. Store leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 1 month. If you prefer sausage “patties” you can scoop the tofu before cooking and press into 2-inch rounds and freeze to cook later.
————— Adjustments ————-
Marinate just the same, but for 30 min to 1 hour to get all the flavors in the tofu. If I use 1 block of super firm tofu (which is a bit more than 14 oz), I add a 1/2 tbsp more soy sauce and oil.
Instead of pan frying, I do 18-25 min on parchment lined baking sheet at 425F until sizzily sounding and crispy tasting, stirring once at least at 15ish min.