For a long time, I accepted the knowledge that tofu doesn’t soak up flavour well. I didn’t question this knowledge and went about structuring my recipes to suit. Turns out, tofu does indeed absorb all sorts of flavours, so today we’re making marinated tofu.
Marinated tofu (low FODMAP)
This tofu has an Asian inspired flavour profile, but I fully intend to add more flavour options as I test them. This is such an incredibly flavourful weeknight dinner option that only takes 5-10 minutes to assemble.
Gluten free soy sauce, white rice vinegar, maple syrup and toasted sesame oil form the backbone of the marinade. A generous amount of freshly grated ginger is added, along with plenty of freshly cracked pepper. We’ll go into some extra flavour options below, but this is all you really need to create a bold and flavoursome tofu dish.
Drained tofu is added to the marinade before retiring to the fridge overnight. I like to tear my tofu into chunks, but you can also slice it or cube it. Anything goes, including semi firm tofu (not silken).
That’s it! That’s all we need for this delicious dietary niche friendly marinated tofu.
Ingredient notes
This is a fairly basic recipe, to be honest. All you need is gluten free soy sauce or Tamari, maple syrup, toasted sesame oil, rice wine vinegar and fresh ginger. Plenty of freshly cracked black pepper is ideal, as is a little bit of chilli if you like it spicy.
- Gluten free light soy sauce is available at Australian supermarkets in Ayam brand. Tamari is a gluten free option and will work well here too. Add Tamari to taste as I haven’t tested it yet – my local supermarkets have stopped stocking the variety I like (boo!).
- Make sure you get pure maple syrup. Otherwise, you might be able to use brown sugar or even agave syrup. I haven’t tested the latter so I recommend adding them to taste.
- On that note, add everything but the oil, taste and adjust. The oil leaves a film over the other flavours and makes them harder to taste before marinating. So, get a flavour combination you are happy with and then add the oil.
- Toasted sesame oil makes all the difference in the world when compared to non-toasted. It has such a lovely flavour. Make sure you buy toasted.
- Some people don’t like the taste of ginger, but I personally don’t think this ‘tastes’ like ginger. The ginger adds a nice subtle back note of flavour and a bit of spiciness without tasting like ginger, per se. I really recommend the full amount.
- I have tested this recipe with firm and semi firm tofu. They both work nicely. I wouldn’t recommend marinating silken tofu. Semi firm tofu crumbles up as you marinate and cook it (see picture below) but it is still absolutely delicious.
- 1 teaspoon of cornstarch is added to thicken the sauce and bring everything together. If you can’t have corn, my next recommendation is potato starch. Tapioca starch can work, but I find it makes things a little bit gloopy. Still an allergy friendly option, though.
FODMAP notes
These FODMAP thresholds are current as of late April 2025. They will be periodically updated to ensure they remain current.
Firm tofu is low FODMAP in 170g serves per person, according to Monash. FODMAP Everyday says there are no FODMAPs detected and it can be eaten freely. In servings of 175g (again, according to Monash) firm tofu contains moderate amounts of fructans. This is worth keeping in mind when considering what to serve your tofu with.
FODMAP Everyday says that maple syrup is low FODMAP in serves of up to 1000ml. Monash says it is low FODMAP in serves of 50g, but they don’t specify an upper or lower limit.
Ginger and toasted sesame oil are FODMAP free, as is white rice vinegar.
The only other thing worth mentioning is what you serve your marinated tofu with. I like to serve mine with Jasmine rice and choy sum cooked with a bit of oil, salt and pepper. The tofu has enough sauce to flavour the choy sum, which is conveniently FODMAP free (according to FODMAP Everyday and Monash).
More low FODMAP tofu recipes
- Low FODMAP peanut tofu
- Low FODMAP tofu and carrot dumpling filling from my paid Substack
- Low FODMAP shredded tofu tacos
- Low FODMAP sweet and sticky tofu
- Low FODMAP tofu larb
Marinated tofu
Ingredients
- 500 g firm or semi firm tofu
For the ginger soy marinade:
- 60 ml (3 tablespoons)* gluten free light soy sauce (I used Ayam brand, see notes)
- 40 ml (2 tablespoons)* white rice vinegar
- 40 ml (2 tablespoons)* maple syrup
- 50 g fresh ginger, grated (yes, 50g)
- Plenty of freshly cracked pepper
- 40 ml (2 tablespoons)* toasted sesame oil
To finish:
- 1 teaspoon gluten free cornstarch
- 20 ml (1 tablespoon) water
- Optional: 1 teaspoon gluten free dark soy sauce for colour, see notes
- Chilli flakes or fresh chilli to your tastes
Instructions
- Take your tofu out of the packet and firmly pat it dry. I have tested this recipe with frozen and defrosted tofu as well as tofu straight out of the packet. I find that frozen and defrosted tofu absorbs a bit more sauce, but it becomes tender and finnicky to slice. If you use frozen and defrosted tofu, I recommend tearing it into chunks.
- Whisk all the ingredients for the marinade together except for the oil. Test and check for any flavour imbalances before adding the oil. The oil will sit on top of the marinade and make it a bit harder to taste and adjust, which is why we add it last.
- Add the tofu to the marinade, ensuring every piece is well coated. To marinate, we want to make sure the maximum amount of marinating liquid is touching the maximum amount of tofu. My best solution at the moment is to store the tofu in a food safe plastic or Ziploc bag and flip it to distribute the liquid every so often.
- Leave the tofu to marinate for 24 hours – I have also left it up to 48 hours and I daresay you could go a bit longer.
- When ready to cook, preheat a large pan over a medium heat. Once heated through, add the tofu and be sure to squeeze out all the marinating mixture into the pan.
- Cook until the tofu is warmed through and the sauce starts to bubble.
- Whisk the cornstarch with the water until all lumps are gone, then pour the mixture into the pan and evenly distribute it. This will thicken the sauce and make it more cohesive.
- If you like, drizzle over a teaspoon of gluten free dark soy sauce for a deeper, more mahogany brown colour. Finish with chilli to taste if you are using it (you can also add this to the marinade sauce if you have a good idea of how spicy you like it).
Notes
- Gluten free soy sauce brands will likely differ in their saltiness. I personally find this is not remotely overly salted, but your tastes for salt might differ. If in doubt, add conservative soy sauce to your marinade as you can add more later. If you find your marinated tofu is severely under salted, you can use 20ml soy sauce to make the corn starch slurry.
- I will add more flavour profiles to this recipe as I develop them. I see a lot of potential!
No Comments