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Tofu Jerky

Thanks to the ever alert A.J. Bloom, we have a tofu jerky recipe ! This is a compilation of several from different recipe sources and my own variations.

  • 1/2 C Low Salt Soy Sauce
  • 3 T Liquid Smoke
  • 1/8 C water or dry sherry
  • 1 clove fresh garlic
  • 1 T onion powder
  • 1 t fructose
  • 1 lb. extra firm tofu, sliced to 1/4" thick strips--THINK before you do this-->how many 1/4" slices will it take to make a one protein block? Even after they shrink to about half their size, but they will only loose water, not nutrient value, so PLAN AHEAD!
Slice tofu and express water between several layers of paper towels. Place on a screen rack to allow water to evaporate a little more. The more you can squeeze the existing moisture out of the tofu prior to seasoning it, the more seasoning it will absorb, kinda like squeezing out a sponge prior to trying to wipe up a spill (I guess I should come up with a more appetizing analogy, but I can't think of any which help you visualize it better). Setting slices between paper towels would be one method, laying the slices on a screen in the fridge may be another method. I have considered whizzing the tofu and ingredients and then piping it onto my drying surface, but haven't had a chance to try that yet. If you do, only add about ¼ to 1/3 of the marinade to the concoction! Mix all ingredients except tofu slices together in a bowl. This is a basic marinade, see below for variations. Place marinade in a high sided cookie sheet or in a cake pan, and place tofu slices into the marinade.

Let them soak for several hours or overnight. Drain excess liquid and set it aside to use for your next batch.

To Dry:

Place tofu strips onto a vegetable oil sprayed cookie sheet or your dehydrator tray or screen racks. Follow drying instructions for your dehydrator, or set oven to 200 degrees. In sunny, dry weather you may dry on the screen outside (cover with cheese cloth to keep bugs off). Oven drying requires the most attention. Use a spatula to flip it over once every hour. The idea is to SLOWLY dry these out to a chewy consistency. If you dry them to crispiness, well, do it once and you will probably never do it again. Arvid said that if you dry them fast, they will develope a crunchy glaze on the outside of the piece that can't be reversed.

Variations:

  • Omit the smoke. I am a bit suspicious of it's ingredients...
  • 2 T grated ginger root plus 1 T grated tangerine or orange rind plus an additional tsp. of fructose for more of a sweet teriyaki flavor. I'd leave the smoke out of this one too.
  • Tabasco or cayenne sprinkled on top will make it hot.
  • Chili powder would give you chili jerky.
  • Pizza seasonings (or just oregano and basil) would give you a pizza flavored jerky.
  • Lemon & Cilantro would give you a fresh flavor.
  • 1 T Pepper is a must if you like peppered jerky. Try fresh pepper, fresh ground, and note that several varieties are available, each will give a subtle taste variation.
  • Use water instead of sherry to thin the soy sauce. Regular soy sauce will make it incredibly salty, and we aren't following this diet just to blow it's health benefits with over-salting our foods!

 
 

©2002, 2003, 2004, 2005 Karen Krooskos Bowers
Karen's Kitchen
2660 Highlands Blvd.
Spring Valley, CA 91977
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karen@karenskitchen.com