Tofu has a lot of good qualities. It is high in protein, vegetarian-friendly, and usually pretty easy to find at the grocery store. However, if you don’t handle it with care, it is also BORING! It has a truly uninspiring texture and no flavour at all. That’s actually the magic of tofu: it is a blank canvas waiting for you to add some interest.

These little cubes are perfect to toss into a salad or wrap, but only if they last that long. They are also a perfect little snack to steal from the fridge, plain or, in my husband’s case, with hot sauce.

Don’t skip the step of boiling the tofu in salt water. This isn’t done to add salt to the tofu, it actually pulls moisture out of it which gives you a better texture when you bake it. Why? Science, that’s why.

Makes: About 2 cups

Ingredients:

• 1 block extra-firm tofu
• A good amount of salt (see note)
• Boiling water
• 1 tbsp neutral-flavoured oil (such as canola oil)
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
• 1/2 – 1 tsp salt

Directions:

1. Chop the tofu into cubes about 1 1/2 cm (about 1/2 inch) across
2. Drop the tofu into boiling, heavily salted water (see note) and boil for 3 minutes
3. Drain tofu and pat dry, let cool off and air-dry for about 10 minutes
4. Preheat oven to 375 degrees f
5. Drizzle tofu with oil (about 1 tbsp, really just 1 glug)
6. Sprinkle tofu with cumin (1 tsp), smoked paprika (1/2 tsp) and salt (1/2 to 1 tsp, depending on your preference)
7. Line a baking pan with parchment and spread the tofu over it
8. Bake for 10 minutes, flip, then bake for another 8-10 until starting to brown
9. Let cool for a few minutes before serving

Notes:

• The trick when boiling tofu to make it firmer is to use really salty water. The best way to tell if your water is salty enough is to taste it. Does it taste like delicious soup? Add more salt. Is it painfully salty? Add a bit of water. You want it to taste like overly salted soup that would still be salvageable but not enjoyable.