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Teriyaki Tofu with Seaweed Belt (Vegan Teriyaki "Eel")

This easy teriyaki seaweed-wrapped tofu takes little time or effort to make but packs so much depth and flavor! The tofu is cooked to the perfect texture - golden crispy on the outside and tender on the inside then coated in a luscious sauce.

You can never go wrong with a good teriyaki sauce and trust me you don't need to buy those premade teriyaki sauces that always contain so much sugar and whatever else. It's so simple to make your own and you can customize your homemade sauce blend to be exactly how you like it. I like mine umami, savory, with a subtle sweetness.

This sauce can be used in so many dishes, simple vegetable stir fries, chow mein noodles, or of course, tofu! Whenever I'm using a rich sauce that will get sticky after cooking like this, I always love to coat the tofu in starch and get a crispy crust on them first because they will pick up the sauce so much better and as well as create an amazing contrast between the sticky coat and crispy bite.

I also wrapped the tofu cubes with a seaweed "belt" and made them look even more festive, it being near new years eve and all, this step is optional but it adds a nice ocean flavor to the dish! Dare I say it's almost reminiscent of unadon, aka Japanese grilled eel rice bowl?!

See the video below for a step by step visual guide and if you have any other questions come find me on  Instagram and Tiktok ^^



INGREDIENTS:

16 oz block extra firm tofu

2 scallion, chopped

2-3 garlic cloves, minced

1 nori sheet

2 tablespoon arrowroot powder or potato starch

High smoke point cooking oil


For the teriyaki sauce -

1/2 cup water

2 tablespoon soy sauce

2 tablespoon mirin

2 tablespoon coconut amino

1 tablespoon rice vinegar

1 teaspoon arrowroot powder or cornstarch

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger


TO MAKE:

- Drain and pat dry the tofu, cut into 1 inch x 1 inch x 1/4 inch cubes, or your preferred size and shape;

- Cut the nori into think strips, wrap around each tofu cube, the moisture from the tofu should be enough to hold the nori in place;

- Spread the arrowroot powder or potato starch on a plate and coat the tofu cubes evenly;

- Heat some oil in a large nonstick pan, just enough oil to cover the bottom, pan fry the tofu over medium-high heat until all sides are golden crispy;

- Don't flip them too often, be patient here, only flip when one side is firmed up and nice and golden;

- Meanwhile mix together all the sauce ingredients, whisk and make sure the arrowroot powder or starch of choice is dissolved completely;

- Once the tofu cubes are done frying, set aside;

- In the same pan, fry off the scallions and garlic until aromatic, slowly pour in the sauce and lower the heat to low, stir and bring to a slow bubble;

- Let the sauce thicken a little, about 2 minutes, then add in the fried tofu, stir to coat all the pieces evenly;

- Serve hot over steamed white rice, pour the extra sauce in the pan over the rice it's heavenly! Enjoy!


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