MARINATED TOFU

2 cakes of tofu, pressed and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
or slices if you're making sandwiches

Marinade:
1 Tbsp fresh grated ginger root
2 Tbsp. dry sherry, sake, or Chinese rice wine
1/4 cup tamari soy sauce
1/4 cup water
1 Tbsp. dark sesame oil
1 Tbsp. rice, white, or cider vinegar
Optional ingredients:
2 Tbsp. minced scallions
1/2 tsp. sugar or honey
1/2 tsp. Chinese hot chili oil or Szechuan hot bean paste
pinch of cayenne
1 tsp. toasted sesame seeds

Place the tofu cubes in a strainer. Either pour boiling
water over the tofu or dip the strainer into a pot of
simmering water for 1 or 2 minutes. Set aside to drain
thoroughly.

Whisk together all the marinade ingredients and add any of
the optional ingredients that appeal to you. Pour the
marinade over the tofu cubes in a large bowl and toss
gently with a spatula. Chill at least 20 minutes before
serving. A longer marinating time is fine, but we
recommend that the tofu be served within a day for the
texture to be at its best.

Serve Marinated Tofu as a side dish with any Asian meal or
mix it at the last minute into stir-fried vegetables. It
is good as a topping for tossed or grain salads or as an
addition to Miso Broth. Try frying it with leftover rice
or noodles. Jody and Lou fry it and use it in
tomato-sprout-grated carrot sandwiches.

To press tofu: Most recipes call for pressed tofu because
pressing makes the tofu firmer and more absorbent. To
press tofu, place the cakes of tofu between two flat
plates or baking sheets. Weight the top with something
heavy. The sides of the cakes of tofu should bulge out a
little, but not split. Let stand for at least 30 minutes,
remove the press, and pour off the water.

Frozen tofu: The texture of tofu becomes chewy and
spongelike when frozen and thawed. Freeze the cakes whole,
thaw, and squeeze out the water. Frozen, then thawed, tofu
soaks up the marinade immediately.