Sesame Ginger Tofu Jerky
Marinated tofu dried at home until it chews. Protein you can eat out of the bag.
- calories
- 180
- weight
- 1.5 oz
- cal / oz
- 120
- protein
- 18 g
- serves
- 4, scales
- prep
- 20 min
- cook
- 0 min
- total time
- 20 min
- water
- none
- cost
- $
Calorie and protein figures are my own estimates, good enough for planning a food bag and not meant as precise nutrition data.
- Snack
- Lunch
- No cook
- Backpacking
- Day hike
- Thru-hike
- Bikepacking
- Canoe / raft
- Vegetarian
- Dairy free
- Nut free
- Eat in the bag
- Dehydrate ahead
- Shelf stable
- Basic
Ingredients
| Extra-firm tofu | 16 oz block | extra-firm only; soft tofu falls apart |
|---|---|---|
| Low-sodium soy sauce or tamari | 3 tbsp | tamari keeps it gluten-free |
| Honey | 2 tbsp | maple syrup or agave to keep it vegan |
| Rice wine vinegar | 1 tbsp | |
| Sesame oil | 1/2 tsp | |
| Ground ginger | 1 tsp | |
| Garlic powder | 1/4 tsp | |
| Cayenne or crushed red pepper | a couple of dashes | |
| Olive oil | 1 tsp | for the trays |
Method
- At home, slice the block into 1/2-inch slabs. Stack them between towels under a heavy pot for 10 minutes to drive the water out, then cut into 1/2-inch cubes or 1/4-inch strips.
- Stir the soy sauce, honey, vinegar, sesame oil, ginger, garlic powder, and pepper together. Fold the tofu in and leave it at least 30 minutes. Overnight in the fridge is better.
- Lay the pieces out in one layer on lightly oiled dehydrator trays. Dry at 145 F for 6 to 8 hours, until they are leathery and no piece is soft in the middle.
- No dehydrator: bake at the lowest oven setting, around 170 F, on a lightly oiled sheet for 3 to 4 hours, flipping once and propping the door open with a wooden spoon.
- Cool completely on the counter before bagging. Warm pieces sweat and the bag goes moldy.
- On the trail, eat it dry out of the bag.
The source bakes this and eats it hot over rice, which is a fridge-and-oven meal. The fix is to keep drying past the point where it is dinner and stop when it is jerky. Pressing matters more than the marinade: water left in the slab means hours of extra drying time and a piece that never sets up firm.
Sugar and salt are doing preservation work here, not just flavor. Honey holds a little moisture and keeps the pieces from turning to gravel, and the soy sauce keeps them shelf-stable at the water content you can reach in a home dehydrator. This is one of the few plant sources that gives you real protein per ounce without oil or nuts carrying the weight.
Packing
Bag it in a quart freezer bag once fully cool, with the air pressed out. Keeps about two weeks at ambient temperature, longer if you vacuum seal it or throw in a desiccant packet. If a piece feels tacky or bendy rather than leathery, it isn't dry enough to carry.
Variations
- Swap the honey for maple syrup and the whole thing is vegan.
- Cut it into strips instead of cubes if you want something to gnaw on rather than snack from.
- Cube it small and drop a handful into a hot ramen pot at camp; it rehydrates in a couple of minutes.
https://domesticsuperhero.com/easy-baked-tofu