Tofu Satay with Peanut Sauce

Oven-baked marinated tofu skewers served with tangy, sweet, rich, creamy and extremely delicious peanut sauce.

You guys, this recipe was made out of necessity. As a vegetarian family, we cannot count with our hands how many times we have been disappointed in Asian-style restaurants because they would only have Chicken Satay on their menu. We used to always try asking if they could make it with tofu instead but with the same lovely peanut sauce. Their answer was always no, so we stopped asking and started making it at home instead!

Satay is a South-East Asian dish that is made from seasoned, skewered and grilled protein, which will normally be meat. When we travelled around Asia we found some vegan options but it's not that common. What makes Satay dishes so special is the lovely peanut sauce they are commonly served with.

The peanut sauce has to be rich, creamy, a little bit sour, sweet and packed with Asian flavours such as ginger, soy sauce or lime juice.

For our Tofu Satay, we marinate and bake the tofu. You can grill or fry the tofu as well but baking it saves you time and energy.

This Recipe is:

• Vegan
• Gluten-free. The only ingredient you need to change in order to make this recipe gluten-free is the soy sauce for tamari.
• Family-friendly. Tofu Satay served with this amazing sauce is one of our toddler's favourite treat! He loves dipping the tofu pieces inside the sauce. Leave the sriracha out of the marinade for a non-spicy alternative.
• Easy to prepare. The sauce can easily be made just by combining all the ingredients. The tofu needs to be left marinating for 20 minutes and then baked. Easy peasy!
• High in protein. Tofu and peanut are both amazing protein sources. This appetizer or side dish is packed full of plant-based protein.

How to prepare the Tofu

Type of Tofu

For our tofu satay, we use firm tofu. A little trick that makes a big difference is to freeze the tofu overnight before using it. This will make it more spongy and it will absorb the marinade and the peanut sauce a lot better. Before freezing it, make sure that you drain out the excess of water from the tofu placing it in between two plates and adding something heavy on the top (can of tomatoes for example). You can skip this step, but if you have the chance, we recommend to try including it!

Cut the tofu into 5-6 strips crosswise. The strips need to be thick enough to be able to place the stick after baking. Place them in the container where you are going to pour the marinade.

The marinade

The key to preparing a delicious Tofu Satay is the tofu marinade. This plant-based protein is quite bland in taste and needs a bit of seasoning or marinating before serving. Our marinade is really simple to make and it tastes delicious. You will need soy sauce, coconut milk, sriracha (can be substituted by Sambal Oelek or chilli flakes), maple syrup, garlic powder and ginger powder.

Using a baking brush or a spoon add the marinade on the tofu until all the tofu strips are completely coated. Leave marinating for at least 20 minutes in the fridge.

Baking

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When the tofu has been marinating for at least 20 minutes it will be ready for cooking. Place the tofu on a baking tray and bake at 200ºC or 400Fº for 10-12 minutes, flip the tofu pieces and bake for further 10-12 minutes. We place a silicone baking mat on our tray before placing the tofu so it doesn't stick to the bottom. Using this mat saves you from using oil when baking to avoid sticking.

Final Step

Once your tofu is completely cooked, leave it to cool before skewering them on the satay sticks.

Homemade Peanut Sauce

As we already mentioned, our favourite part of this South-East Asian dish is the peanut sauce. When we lived in Berlin, we used to go to a Tibetan restaurant where they would serve the best peanut sauce with spring rolls. We could never get enough of that sauce, it was extremely delicious. We mastered that peanut sauce at home to enjoy with our dishes such as tofu satay, this Thai Noodle Salad or even for our Vegan Buddha Bowl.

Ingredients

Peanut Butter. For the peanut sauce, you will need to use smooth or creamy peanut butter. You can as well, make your own peanut butter. All you need to do is add roasted (unsalted) peanuts into a food processor with a pinch of salt. Blend until you get a creamy consistency. It may take a little bit to reach that consistency and you may need to stop a few times to push the peanuts down the processor walls but it's definitely worth it. Have a look at this amazing recipe by Culinary Hill

Brown sugar. To give a bit of sweetness to the sauce you can use as well maple syrup or honey.

Soy sauce. Dark or light soy sauce will both work for your peanut sauce. If you are using light soy sauce, as it's saltier, adjust the amount. Use tamari for a gluten-free option.

Lime juice. The freshly squeezed lime juice will give your peanut dip that lovely tanginess.

Rice vinegar. Optional. We love adding a little bit of rice vinegar as it's umami-rich and adds a lovely punch to the sauce.

Ginger powder. Use freshly grated ginger or ginger powder.

Warm water. Adding warm water to your dip will bring the sauce together. You can adjust this ingredient depending on your taste or the use you want to give to the peanut sauce to make it thicker or more liquid.

Method

Once you have your ingredients prepared, all you need to do is combine them all! Leave the water for the very end and adjust to taste.

Garnish the sauce with some crushed peanuts. We recommend using unsalted roasted peanuts.

How to serve Tofu Satay

Place the tofu skewers on one side of the plate. Pour the peanut sauce into a small bowl, add some crushed peanuts on the top and place it in the same plate. Sprinkle some fresh coriander and squeeze a little bit of lime on the top of the tofu skewers. You can as well pour some of the peanut sauce already on the top but the presentation will be better if you keep the sauce in the bowl.

This dish is normally served as an appetizer. The peanut sauce is quite filling and it may be too much to be served as a main. Save any peanut sauce leftovers as you can use it the next days and make a delicious stir fry or Noddle Salad.

Our favourite way to serve this dish is with a lovely homemade Thai Curry wether is Massaman, Green, Red or Panang. You can as well serve it on the side of a delicious Pad Thai.

If you tried our recipe, please leave a comment or tag us on Instagram @Sixhungryfeet. We are always happy to see your creations!