HOMEMADE CHEESY CHEX MIX
Making your own “cheesy” Chex Mix or Gardetto’s snack mix at home is a snap, and you can create a ton at once.
It’s a recipe that doesn’t include drying cheese into powder or stealing flavor packets from macaroni and cheese boxes. As a matter of fact, it might be a good idea.
Fermented tofu is the key element in this vegan chex mix.
Fermented tofu is what? AN EXTRAORDINARY VEGAN INGREDIENT.
Rice wine is used in the fermentation process, along with firm tofu and other ingredients like scallions. The word “cheese” is the most essential translation there. It does have a creamy cheese texture and a salty, mildly cheesy flavor. I’ve been wondering for a while now that we’ve all been undervaluing fermented tofu.
Cooking up our Stir-Fried Water Spinach with it is one of our favorite ways to enjoy the secret ingredient in our Vegan Asian Vegetable Stock.
It is, nevertheless, my opinion that its full potential has yet to be realized. I came upon a recipe for homemade “nutritional yeast” that utilized ground-up, dehydrated cubes of fermented tofu. What a stroke of genius. This is what resulted as a result of that.
WHITE AND RED FERMENTED TOFU
White and red fermented tofu, often known as fermented “bean curd,” are two types of fermented tofu. This recipe calls for the white variety, which has a milder flavor that pairs well with veggies.
The sour, spicy flavor of red bean curd pairs well with smoky meats like pig. When making my dad’s Char Siu, many people will add a cube or two of red fermented red bean curd to the mix. This dish was always gone almost as quickly as it was served: Chinese Fried Ribs with Fermented Red Bean Curd. Think of it as a white versus a red wine comparison.
The red version is a little too winey and powerful for this purpose, so we recommend the white version instead.
INGREDIENTS:
- 4 tablespoons of white fermented bean curd
- 3 cups of corn Chex cereal
- 1 1/2 cup of unsalted pretzels
- 1 cup of broken up sesame breadsticks
- 1 cup of wheat Chex cereal
- 1/2 cup of vegetable oil
- 2 teaspoons of garlic powder
- 2 teaspoons of onion powder
- 1 teaspoon of sugar
- 1/2 of teaspoon paprika
INSTRUCTIONS:
- The oven should be preheated at 250 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Add the fermented tofu to a small bowl and mix it well. The tofu will still have a grainy texture, but that’s fine; just use a whisk to break it down. You’ll need to add paprika, sugar, and olive oil. Whisk until emulsified and smooth.
- Mix the Chex, pretzels, and breadsticks in a large basin. To evenly coat the mixture, drizzle the marinade over it in three batches, swirling each time. Bake the mixture on a baking sheet after it has been combined.
- Stir about every 15 minutes while baking at 250°F for 45 minutes.
- Take the dish out of the oven right away. At least 10 minutes before eating, they should be cooled down because the seasoning combination is really hot.
- Before storage, allow to cool fully. A sealed container of this snack mix will keep it fresh for a few weeks.