This recipe took many tries to perfect, but when we served it this year to my definitely non-vegan family, my mom thought it was the best thing out of our huge Thanksgiving menu! She even said it taste exactly like ham and would happily order it at a restaurant! I was so happy!!!
The key was in two things: the quality of the ingredients and in all of the prep. When I used a high protein brand of extra firm tofu, it was noticeably denser even before being pressed, and the results were worth it! As for prep, The Easy Vegan showcased a method of making his tofu meatier instead of its typical crumbly texture. I was convinced by the end of it, even though in his video he cut the tofu into strips. Here’s how I managed to get the bigger block to behave!
I followed this recipe pretty closely in terms of ingredient ratios because the flavor was absolutely perfect. The texture on the other hand is what I wanted to fix!
So for day one (doubling the recipe), we cut 2 blocks so they were still big but into 4 thinner pieces, since in the video they talk about needing as much water removed as possible, and this gave the blocks more surface area. Then we pressed the tofu, marinaded it, and then froze it after sponging off excess marinade until it was frozen solid.
Finally the tofu was ready to be baked. When defrosting it, we made sure to avoid letting the water pool and be accidentally reabsorbed into the tofu (as discussed in the video).
We drizzled avocado oil on it, salted it, and then dusted it with a healthy amount of cornstarch so it would bake into a hard crisp outer coating. In the first recipe link they talk about scoring the tofu and placing the cloves in the seams, which we did at this point.
After an hour of baking, the pieces were firm and ready for the final glaze (shown before and after in the following photos.)
At this point we carefully removed the cloves, and then added the glaze. In the earlier tests, due to them being smaller chunks, we noticed the tofu would be burned/too chewy in areas not touched by oranges. So in this final, successful iteration we used toothpicks to adhere thick orange slices on all sides to the glazed tofu, as depicted below. It came out perfect!
FOR THE MARINADE:
1⁄4 cup olive oil
1⁄4 cup tamari or soy sauce
1⁄4 cup pure maple syrup
2 tablespoons liquid smoke
1⁄4 cup packed brown sugar
2 teaspoons garlic powder
2 teaspoons onion powder
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
FOR THE TOFU:
1 (14-ounce) package high protein, extra-firm tofu, pressed
8 thin orange slices
20 to 25 whole cloves
1.5 tsp cornstarch
FOR THE GLAZE:
1⁄2 cup fresh orange juice
2 tablespoons smooth apricot jam
1 tablespoon whiskey
2 tablespoons packed brown sugar
1⁄4 teaspoon ground ginger
1⁄4 teaspoon smoked salt
1⁄4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Directions
MAKE THE TOFU:
Slice the pressed tofu in half to make two large, thin blocks.
In a shallow dish, whisk together all the marinade ingredients. Put the marinade ingredients in an XL ziploc bag, then place the block of tofu in the marinade. Squeeze out all the extra air so that the block is completely submerged. After 10 minutes, shake off excess marinade and put tofu blocks in the freezer overnight, or until frozen solid. (This step improves meaty texture.)
Defrost tofu on two chopsticks in the microwave (this avoids letting any water pool and be accidentally reabsorbed into the tofu).
Preheat the oven to 375°F. Line a 9-by-13-inch baking pan with parchment paper.
Dust the tofu with cornstarch, shake off any excess.
Carefully score the top of the tofu block with a sharp knife in a diamond pattern, about 1⁄4 inch deep. Press the whole cloves into the intersections of the cuts (at the corners of the diamonds). Bake for 45 minutes.
IN THE MEANTIME, MAKE THE GLAZE:
Combine all the glaze ingredients in a small saucepot and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat to low and simmer until reduced by half and thickened, about 20 minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside.
After the tofu has baked, remove it from the oven. Remove cloves. Arrange the orange slices in an even layer in the center of the parchment. Place the tofu blocks on the bed of oranges. Pour the glaze evenly all over the top. Add oranges around the sides and tops of the tofu. Bake for an additional 20-25 minutes.
Allow the tofu to cool for about 5 minutes before slicing to serve.