No matter if you want to cut down on or completely cut out meat from your diet, tofu can become your best friend.
From the nutritional aspect, you’ll get all essential amino acids you could get from chicken or beef, but in culinary terms, tofu is the most versatile ingredient you can work with.
So, this time around, let’s figure out how to make tofu jerky in air fryer.
Best Tofu to Use for Making Tofu Jerky
Is the one you made yourself. There is a good reason why many people who have tried tofu and hated it think it tastes like garbage. Tofu is an aroma and flavor magnet. While this is great in many recipes, it is not so great when the aroma it’s picking up is from the plastic or cardboard packaging. If you don’t have a tofu house or a restaurant that makes their own and are willing to sell you some, it would be best to get to DIYing.
First, you will need to make soy milk – there are many tutorials available online, but the easy ratio to remember is 1:10 (solids to water) by weight for any plant “milk”. For silkier and richer tofu, it is better to go 1 part soybeans and 5 parts water. From there you have several different methods (Chinese, Japanese, Korean) and several different coagulants (nigari, gypsum, even Epsom salts), so you can choose what works for you the best.
If you are going to get some of the store-bought stuff, buy from a store that has a large volume turnover and pick a packet from the back of the shelf, thus ensuring you have gotten the piece that has been in that package the least amount of time. Oh, and remember to pick up the firm stuff – silken is completely useless for making jerky.
Simple Tofu Jerky Marinade
The beautiful thing about the humble soybean curds is that as long as you know how to marinade them correctly, you will get some of the most outstanding results in your entire cooking career.
First and the most important step when working with tofu (when you are not turning it into a pudding) is to press as much moisture out of it, and then freeze it. This is going to form tiny ice crystals inside your block that, once defrosted, turn into tiny pockets for your marinade to nestle into. If tofu is on offer in your local mega-mart, you can simply chuck it all into the freezer – it will keep for longer than the fridge (with no need for you to fiddle with it) and on top of it all, it will be ready to be marinated whenever you are ready to cook it.
For every pound of tofu, we like this basic umami-packed vegan marinade:
1/2 cup soy sauce,
3 to 4 tablespoons Liquid Smoke (optional),
1/8 cup water,
1 tablespoon onion powder,
1 teaspoon garlic powder (or 1 clove crushed fresh garlic),
1 tablespoon black pepper (freshly ground),
1 teaspoon to a tablespoon of ground porcini mushroom powder, and
1 teaspoon sugar, agave or maple syrup.
If you like it a little bit spicier, feel free to add chili flakes or hot sauce to taste.
Once you have defrosted your block of tofu, slice it into 1 1/2 to 2 inches thick slices. Place them into a wide deep dish (like a casserole) in a single layer and pour the marinade on top. Let soak for several hours or overnight.
How to Make Tofu Jerky in Air Fryer
Before we get to the business, we have to cover the types of appliances you can get your hands on. They essential boil down to two types: the stirring ones (like T-fal ActiFry) and non-stirring ones (like halogen turbo ovens or any other air fryer you can recognize on sight in your favorite big box store). Unless you can turn off or take out the stirring arm, the first type is not an ideal choice for this application. Tofu can crumble at the beginning of the cooking process and while you should turn the slices while cooking, the automatic stirrer is not the best choice for this job.
So if you can turn off the arm, or if you have either a turbo oven or a standard drawer air fryer, place your marinated tofu slices in a single layer. Set your device to 180 degrees Fahrenheit and cook for 20 to 30 minutes, turning your slices every 5 minutes. Your tofu jerky is done when it changes its texture from soft to chewy.
Tofu jerky will not keep as well as beef or other meat-based ones, so keep it in an airtight container and in the fridge, and try and consume it within a couple of days of making.