Spicy Tofu Jerky Food

SPICY SRIRACHA TOFU JERKY

Steps:

• Drain the tofu and pat it dry.
• Cut the tofu into very thin slices, between 1/4 and 1/8 of an inch, shooting for 1/8 inch. (Too thick and they'll take forever to bake.) Then arrange the slices on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
• Stir the remaining ingredients together in a small bowl, and brush half of the mixture over the tofu slices. Flip the slices and brush the remaining mixture on the opposite sides.
• Place the baking sheet in the oven and bake at 200°F for 2-3 hours, or until slices become tough and dry, very carefully flipping them about halfway through.
• Remove the baking sheet from the oven and allow the tofu to cool. The texture will toughen up a bit more as they cool.
• Store the jerky in a sealed container for 2-3 days.

MARINATED TOFU JERKY

Steps:

• Take a 1-pound cube of tofu and drain it. Cut it in half, and then slice it into strips on its short side. Strips should be about 1 1/2 to 2 inches in thickness. They may look big, but they will shrink to about half their size.
• In a small bowl, mix together 1/2 cup soy sauce, 3 to 4 tablespoons liquid smoke, 1/8 cup water, 1 tablespoon onion powder, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, 1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper and 1 teaspoon honey together until well combined.
• Place the tofu strips in a single layer in a shallow baking pan or cookie sheet and pour the marinade over it. Let soak for several hours or overnight.
• Drain excess liquid (may be reused) and dry tofu in a food dehydrator or warm (200 degrees F) home oven. This will take 4 to 8 hours, depending on the weather. If you live in a sunny, hot, dry climate, you can sun dry it outdoors. It will take all day.
• Flip the tofu over hourly so it dries evenly. Dry the jerky until it is very chewy, but not crispy. Tofu jerky is delicious and keeps indefinitely.
• Be creative. Use low-sodium soy sauce if you want less salt (the tofu jerky is rather salty). Use Tabasco sauce or ground cayenne pepper if you want it hot. Chili powder makes chili tofu jerky. Oregano and basil make pizza tofu jerky. Recipe Source: Mike Richichi. Reprinted with permission.

SRIRACHA TOFU JERKY IN A DEHYDRATOR

Steps:

• Slice tofu block in half lengthwise, then slice widthwise into 1/8- to 1/4-inch slices. Lay strips on a clean work surface.
• Whisk soy sauce, Sriracha, liquid smoke, and garlic powder in a bowl. Brush sauce over top side of tofu strips. Carefully flip strips over and brush other side with sauce.
• Place the strips on the rack of a dehydrator. Set temperature to 145 degrees Fahrenheit (63 degrees Celsius). Dehydrate for 2 hours. Flip strips over and dehydrate 1 hour more.
• Remove the lid from the dehydrator and let strips cool for 1 hour for further drying. Place in an airtight container and refrigerate.