Years ago, my mom bought a block of smoked tofu. I don’t remember what she made from it because the only thing that stuck in our minds was how disgusting it tasted. This is a good example of how tastes can change since now we obviously love tofu and couldn’t get enough of it!
We have moved past the smoked tofu disgust and have discovered how versatile tofu actually is. It’s possible to use it in both cooking and baking. You can fry it for a veggie wok, blend it to get a creamy sauce or eat a slice of smoked tofu on a slice of bread with some veggies.
For this recipe I made tofu “bacon” by marinating it with some smoky and umami flavors. Our tofu bacon could also work in a club sandwich or as a pizza topping. I paired this crispy and smoky tofu with creamy leek pasta, and it was truly divine. It might even be possible that had our mom made this pasta for us from that infamous block of tofu, we might have had a different opinion on the matter. (Disclaimer: my mom is an amazing cook.)
Ingredients for the pasta
1 leek
1 C / 250 ml cream (we used oat cream)
1 twig of rosemary
2 cloves of garlic
1 tbsp lemon juice
½ tsp dijon mustard
1 tsp garlic powder
Salt and pepper to taste
Oil for frying
160 g pasta
Wash the leek and chop it into thin slices. Chop the garlic and rosemary also.
Fry the leek with a little bit of oil on medium heat. When the leeks are soft, add the garlic and rosemary. Continue frying for 2-3 minutes.
Next add the cream with rest of the ingredients. Bring it to a boil. Lower the stove temperature, but make sure the sauce is still bubbling.
Meanwhile, cook the pasta. Add the pasta to the sauce.
If you’re making the tofu bacon with the pasta, add it right at the end. This way it stays crispy.
Ingredients for the tofu bacon
200 g tofu
1 tbsp oil
1 ½ tsp liquid smoke
2 tsp smoked paprika
2 ½ tsp soy sauce
1 tsp garlic powder
Heat your oven to 200°C.
Chop the tofu into small, thin pieces.
Combine the rest of the ingredients, and add the marinade to the tofu and toss.
Set the tofu pieces on parchment paper and cook in the oven for 30 minutes or until crispy.
