Tofu "Rubble"

I was making a mixed salad for dinner, one which I planned to dress with a peanutty dressing, the one from my "Thai" salad.

I was hungrier than expected and had a block of firm tofu in the fridge - I wondered if the idea for preparing it that had been percolating in my head for a while would work. I tried it, it did, and I highly recommend this as a salad or pasta topping when you want a bit more oomph or protein to a meal.

I used curry flavors because I was making this to go with a peanut dressing, but you could use any flavor profile you wanted to. I will be making this again soon with cumin, Aleppo chili and Za'atar. Either way, you end up with different textures of tofu - from crunchy, to squeaky, to crisp with a creamy center. All very good.

1 block of firm tofu, patted as dry as possible

1 Tbsp olive oil

1 tsp curry powder

1/2 tsp turmeric

Salt to taste

Preheat the oven to 400. Line a baking tray with parchment paper.

Break the tofu into irregular pieces rather than cutting it. That way you will end up with craggy edges that will absorb more flavor, and bits of different sizes so that the baked result will have different textures.

Place the tofu pieces on some paper towels. Cover with paper towels as well and pat the pieces as dry as possible.

In a bowl, mix the olive oil with the spices. Add the tofu pieces and toss to combine well. Tip out onto the baking tray and spread out, leaving room for heat to circulate around each piece.

Place in the oven and bake for 30 minutes, stirring every ten minutes so that all sides of the tofu have access to the heat.

Remove from the oven and set aside to cool as these are best at room temperature though they do last several days in the fridge without changing texture.