Tofu Ham

Okay, so I don't do fake meat much. In fact, the first time I tried seitan, it made me really, really ill (possible gluten intolerance?). Recently I acquired a bottle of liquid smoke. I used to be afraid of liquid smoke. It seemed less like food and more like bottled science. But when I read the ingredients and saw that it really is just smoke mixed with purified water, I decided that it was well within the realm of food that is not too weird to eat. So I've been playing around with creating smoky vegan food. (Seitan is much weirder IMO, and vegans everywhere eat that all the time.)

Here is my tofu ham. We had this with hash-brown potatoes, onions, and a little bit of Trader Joe's soy chorizo for breakfast on Saturday. Everyone liked it the ham (and other food) quite well and suggested I share the recipe for my "ham" creation. So here it is!

Tofu ham. Hamfu? Tofam?

Tofu Ham (Tofam? Hamfu? suggest cutesy names in the comments section?)
makes 8 slices (marinade can be reused)


1 1/2 cups water (or low sodium/unsalted veggie broth)
3 Tablespoons Tamari or Bragg's Liquid Aminos, or a combination
2 1/4 teaspoons Hickory liquid smoke
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon granulated garlic
1 1/2 teaspoons tomato paste
2 Tablespoons real maple syrup, or brown sugar
several drops of hot sauce, such as Frank's, Tabasco, or Cholula
1 block of tofu, pressed and sliced into 8 pieces

Mix all of the ingredients except the tofu in a blender. Blend until the tomato paste is dissolved. Arrange the tofu in a sealable container, such as a Ziploc bag or glass refrigerator container for leftovers, and pour over the marinade. Refrigerate for several hours, or overnight.

When you are ready to cook your hamfu, line a cookie sheet with aluminum foil. Preheat the oven to 375. Spray the foil with oil or nonstick spray. Lay the sliced tofu on the cookie sheet (you can either reuse the marinade or discard it). Spray the tops with oil or nonstick spray. Bake for 20-25 minutes. Turn the tofu gently, and bake for another 15 minutes. For a chewier (rubberier IMO) texture, you can bake it a little longer.

Serve it as it, or chop it up and toss it on a salad, use it as a garnish for split pea soup, or toss it in a sandwich.