Crispy yet succulent pieces of marinaded tofu grilled with red peppers and onions and served with a sweet and sour papaya salsa and tahini sauce. These maple tofu skewers are perfect for a vegan summer barbecue.
The BBQ season is well under way and although the weather has by no means been perfect, we’ve had several warm sunny days that just make you want to get out into the garden and grill. These maple tofu skewers are not only delicious but are thoroughly inclusive to all as they are vegan and by their very nature, gluten free.
Alfresco Eating
I’m working with House of Fraser and using some of their outdoor dining range to make the most of the summer season. They have a fantastic selection of colourful Linea melamine tableware. As well as the side plates and bowls you can see in these pictures, dinner plates are also available; they come in navy blue and in the regatta pattern you can see in the oven gloves below. The range is ideal for alfresco eating.
Silicon spoons are always useful, but the silicon tongs are just brilliant and can be used on just about any surface. I also adore the fishy blue regatta kitchen linen set I was sent. It consists of oven gloves, apron and three tea towels and they offset the plates and bowls brilliantly. A similar BBQ kitchen linen set features a recipe for BBQ Chicken Skewers. I’ve adapted this into something that vegetarians can eat. Maple tofu skewers are go!
Maple Tofu Skewers with Papaya Salsa and Tahini Sauce
Whilst halloumi has now become a BBQ classic, tofu is still a little shy of being the star of the show. Time to change the perception that tofu is worthy but boring. It is, in fact, a fantastic vehicle for absorbing flavours and if it’s pressed and cooked properly, can have a lovely crunchy outer layer with a soft creamy interior.
The ingredients for these maple tofu skewers are marinaded in a sticky mix of mustard, garlic and maple syrup producing crispy yet succulent moreish morsels. CT’s never been the biggest fan of tofu, but he wolfed these down and pronounced them eminently edible.
You can, of course, cook these maple tofu skewers indoors using an oven and grill if you don’t have a BBQ or the weather is too inclement. They will still taste delicious. The quantities can easily be scaled up as required.
Papaya salsa is an excellent accompaniment with sweet and sour flavours and soft and crunchy textures. We ate ours with crisp lettuce leaves, wholemeal pitta breads and a clementine tahini sauce. It was a veritable feast. I’ve published the recipe for the tahini sauce in a separate post.
Other Veggie BBQ Recipes You Might Like
- Banana s’mores via FabFood4All
- BBQ waffle s’mores via Foodie Quine
- BBQd pineapple via Elizabeth’s Kitchen Diary
- Marinated grilled cucumbers via Veggie Desserts
- Mexican carrot dogs via Strength and Sunshine
- Smokey barbecue potatoes in foil via Family Friends Food
- Spelt burger buns via Tin and Thyme
I have plenty more Tin and Thyme recipes which feature tofu as a main ingredient. And for even more ideas, head over to my tofu Pinterest board.
Keep in Touch
Thanks for visiting Tin and Thyme. If you make these maple tofu skewers with papaya salsa and tahini sauce, I’d love to hear about it in the comments below. Do share photos on social media too and use the hashtag #tinandthyme, so I can spot them.
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Choclette x
Maple Tofu Skewers. PIN IT.
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Maple Tofu Skewers – The Recipe
Maple Tofu Skewers with Papaya Salsa
Ingredients
Maple Tofu Skewers
- 280 g organic firm tofu - pressed
- 1 large red pepper
- 1 small onion
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 rounded tsp Dijon mustard
- 1 clove garlic - chopped finely or mashed
- 1 tbsp maple syrup
- 1 tsp soy sauce (I use tamari)
- a pinch of ground black pepper
Papaya Salsa
- 1 ripe papaya
- 1 baby cucumber
- 4 ripe baby tomatoes
- 10 large chive leaves
- 1 radish (optional)
- ½ lime
Instructions
Maple Tofu Skewers
- Cut the tofu into 1" cubes.
- Deseed the pepper and cut into similar sized pieces.
- Quarter the onion.
- Mix the marinade ingredients together. Add the tofu and stir gently to coat. Leave for 20 minutes or more, then add the pepper and onion pieces. Mix gently, but ensuring everything has been covered with the marinade.
- Thread onto skewers and grill for 15 to 20 minutes.
Papaya Salsa
- Cut the papaya in half, take out the seeds and discard. Scoop out the flesh and chop into 1 cm (ish) pieces.
- Chop the cucumber tomatoes and radish to a similar size.
- Snip the chives.
- Mix everything together along with the juice from the lime.
- Serve with pitta breads and tahini sauce.
Notes
Serves two generously.Please note: calories and other nutritional information are per serving. They're approximate and will depend on serving size and exact ingredients used.
Nutrition
Sharing
These maple tofu skewers go to Jac over at Tinned Tomatoes for Meat Free Mondays.
Thanks to House of Fraser for sponsoring this post. I was not expected to write a positive review and all opinions are, as always, my own. Thank you for your support of the brands and organisations that help to keep Tin and Thyme blithe and blogging.
This is is such a great recipe and I love the idea of papaya salsa.
Mmmmm, it was good. Reminds me I haven’t had a BBQ yet this year.
Quality information! I will share this with my followers on Twitter.
Tofu is so versatile and these skewers look great. Love the addition of the maple and the papaya salsa sounds interesting. I love halloumi too and also paneer!
Tofu is just great for soaking up flavours, but I’m a big fan of halloumi and paneer too.
Your skewers are fab Choclette. Very nice and original served with papaya sauce. I need to use tofu more. It is a good substitute for meat if you know how to cook it well. Thank you for this lovely summery recipe.
Thanks Alida. Halloumi is fab for BBQs too, but it’s nice sometimes to have a rest from cheese.
Great idea and so colourful. I could even get the Viking behind these… Maybe with a chunk of halloumi on there too? Love the photos too. Looks adorable and very summery
Hahaha, halloumi is very hard to resist, but these really are very good all on their ownsome 😉
Gorgeous, and making my mouth water. Love BBQ season!
Thank you Kari. BBQ season seems to have got up and gone 🙁
I usually make halloumi skewers but I’m trying to cut down on my animal products – which isn’t easy when faced with halloumi – but I also love tofu so I need to give these a go.
I’m a bit of a cheese addict Cathy, so like you I’ve been trying to have the odd day off.
A nice twist on the traditional BBQ skewers. I bet it’s a much lighter version too. Will have to try this definitely.
They were delicious Bethanie and it’s always nice if you’re having a gathering to offer food that everyone can eat.
These tofu skewers sound utterly delightful, I have never had tofu on the BBQ so really need to try! Thanks for linking to my Banana S’mores:-)
Thanks Camilla. Pressing the tofu and keeping the cubes chunky are the keys to success on the BBQ.
The weather we have over here is pretty lousy too..been raining all the week. Good thing is that we don’t bbq at all :-)) I can always do these on a grill pan, right? They look delicious!
No BBQ at all Angie? Ever? A grill pan should work fine, although you might want to roast the pieces for a few minutes in the oven before threading onto skewers. Hope the weather improves for you. We actually had some sun today.
Love the look of that crockery – so bright and perfect for summer! These skewers look lovely, I don’t think I’ve ever used tofu on the BBQ but that needs to be rectified soon!
Yes, the crockery is great Becca and makes me feel all sunshiny just looking at it. Using tofu in this way was a first for us too, but it was fine 🙂
Just wow! Can I come over to your house the next time the sun is shining? We are still yet to have a BBQ this year so you are making me very very jealous and very hungry! Will pin for a sunnier day!
You’d better hurry up Emma. In another rare moment, the sun is actually shining as I type 😉
These look great Choccy, there’s a whole heap of my favourite flavours here 🙂
Janie x
We don’t often have feasts like this when it’s just the two of us, so it felt very indulgent 🙂
What a great barbecue!! I will definitely try this for my next barbecue. I didn’t realise that they would stay on the stick, so tofu sounds just perfect to grill. I’m looking forward to the recipe for your clementine tahini dressing too. This is a barbecue with pizazz!
Hahaha Kate, pizazz, I like it. I think the secret to tofu not falling off is making sure you press it and cut it into fairly large pieces.
Those look fab! I must admit that I’ve always avoided putting tofu on the barbecue because of fears that it wouldn’t stand up to it and would just fall apart. Apparently I needn’t have worried! I’ll give these a go just as soon as we get some decent weather!
Thanks Helen. I was a bit concerned about this too, but pressing the tofu firms it up too. It might depend on the brand too.