Bryanna Clark Grogan’s Vegan Feast Kitchen/ 23rd Century Table

"Potted Tofu" in a green salad. (The British "pot"-- or preserve-- meat or shrimp, so why not tofu?)

I hadn't made this recipe for a long time-- it is in my first and second books, but I have added a way of storing it for longer.

I devised this as a feta substitute after I read about the Japanese method of pickling tofu in miso. The usual method involves a paste of miso and sake or wine (and sometimes sesame oil, ginger, etc.), in which the sliced tofu is coated. It is placed in a covered container and left for almost a day. If left for several days, this makes a quite sharp-tasting product, like a ripe cheese. (I'll post about it at another time.)

My method is a little different and the result is delicious-- I'd almost forgotten how delicious! I intend to keep some of this marinating regularly! It's very simple to make.


Printable Recipe
BRYANNA'S POTTED TOFU (MISO-MARINATED TOFU)

You can make this very smooth and soft, or more firm, depending on your taste. You can use ordinary medium-firm tofu, or firm tofu, or even extra-firm silken tofu. I use extra-firm tofu and let it marinate for about three weeks. It softens up over time.

1 lb. tofu (see text above), cut into 1/2"slices or 1/2" by 1" chunks
Marinade:
1 cup water
1/2 cup miso (not a really dark kind)
2 tablespoons lemon juice, or rice vinegar
1 teaspoon salt

Mix the marinade ingredients together and immerse the tofu in the marinade in a suitable covered container. It should be fully covered. A canning jar will do fine, but I used a small pottery casserole. Keep it refrigerated for at least 1 1/2 weeks or up to 3 weeks.


Fish the tofu carefully out of the Marinade.


You can carefully rinse off the tofu with cold water, if you like. It will keep in a covered container for a week or so. For longer storage, I pour canola oil over the tofu (to cover)-- I didn't rinse it-- and add garlic cloves (peeled), dried red hot peppers, and herbs such as bay leaves, rosemary, sage leaves, etc.. You can also add strips of orange or lemon zest and some olives.

The tofu will keep (refrigerated) in the oil for many weeks. (Both the marinade and the oil can be reused for the next batch.)


Before serving, you can rinse the oil off (gently) under warm water.

Use as you would feta cheese!


Enjoy!