The only way you’ll get me to eat marmite – fried tofu coated in a sweet and salty marmite sauce.
Marmite is an ingredient I don’t reach for too often, but whenever I do, this is what I’ll make. Tofu (thawed is always my preferred choice) marinated and fried until crispy, then tossed in the sweet and salty marmite sauce. The inspiration comes from the chicken or pork version at the Chinese kopitiam.
It’s super easy to whip up and if you’re really short on time, skip the marinating because the sauce is so flavourful anyway. But be warned; you’ll need extra helpings of rice to finish this off!
Ingredients to make vegan marmite tofu
- 300 g firm tofu thawed
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- white pepper to taste
- ⅓ cup cornstarch
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 1 tsp ginger minced
- 1 tbsp marmite
- 1½ tbsp brown sugar
- ½ tbsp soy sauce
- ⅛ tsp MSG to taste
- ¼ cup water
- 1 tsp cornstarch
Instructions
1. Prepare tofu: Squeeze all the water out of the tofu, then tear into bite-sized chunks. Add soy sauce and white pepper, let sit for 10 minutes. Coat everything well in cornstarch.
2. Fry tofu: Prepare a pot with at least 2-inches of cooking oil, and heat over medium-high heat. Once the oil is hot (a wooden chopstick inserted should start to bubble), fry the coated tofu in batches for 1-2 minutes, until crispy and light brown. Transfer to a wire rack to drain.
3. Cook sauce: In a large pan over medium heat, cook garlic and ginger in oil until fragrant. Deglaze the pan with water, then add marmite, sugar, soy sauce, MSG and cornstarch slurry. Reduce the sauce and let thicken, then turn off the heat and add the fried tofu. Make sure each piece is coated in the sauce.
4. Serve: Garnish with scallions and toasted white sesame seeds. Serve immediately with rice and other dishes.
I also have a version made with oyster mushrooms, equally as delicious.
More tofu recipes to try:
- Spicy Eggplant w/ Minced Tofu
- Vegan Char Siu (Chinese BBQ Pork)
- Fried Tofu w/ Sweet Chili Peanut Sauce
- Tauhu Sumbat (Malaysian Stuffed Tofu w/ Peanut Sambal)
- Spicy Vegan Tofu Curry
If you made this recipe, do leave a comment and rating below because I love hearing your feedback. Make sure to tag me on Instagram @eatwkriss so that I can see your recreations!
Vegan Marmite Tofu
Ingredients
- 300 g firm tofu thawed
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- white pepper to taste
- ⅓ cup cornstarch
Sauce
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 1 tsp ginger minced
- 1 tbsp marmite
- 1½ tbsp brown sugar
- ½ tbsp soy sauce
- ⅛ tsp MSG to taste
- ¼ cup water
- 1 tsp cornstarch
To serve
- rice
- green scallions chopped
- sesame seeds toasted
Instructions
- Prepare tofu: Squeeze all the water out of the tofu, then tear into bite-sized chunks. Add soy sauce and white pepper, let sit for 10 minutes. Coat everything well in cornstarch.
- Fry tofu: Prepare a pot with at least 2-inches of cooking oil, and heat over medium-high heat. Once the oil is hot (a wooden chopstick inserted should start to bubble), fry the coated tofu in batches for 1-2 minutes, until crispy and light brown. Transfer to a wire rack to drain.
- Cook sauce: In a large pan over medium heat, cook garlic and ginger in oil until fragrant. Deglaze the pan with water, then add marmite, sugar, soy sauce, MSG and cornstarch slurry. Reduce the sauce and let thicken, then turn off the heat and add the fried tofu. Make sure each piece is coated in the sauce.
- Serve: Garnish with scallions and toasted white sesame seeds. Serve immediately with rice and other dishes.
Notes
- you can adjust the soy sauce, marmite and sugar ratios to your liking but keep in mind that marmite has a very strong distinct flavour and needs sugar to balance it out.
- you can also use regular firm tofu, but thawed tofu has better texture.
- if you’d like to use lesser oil, you can also air-fry/bake the tofu.
I had some tofu in my fridge, so I decided to try it! It was so delicious that it made me really happy. I had to make some changes to the recipe because I didn’t have all the ingredients but I really enjoyed it. Thank you for this <3
you’re most welcome 🙂