Marinated Garlic Chili Tofu

So I learned via the internets that in order for a tofu marination to be truly successful, one must first press out the water from the tofu. I tried this out. To the right is today's lunch. The tofu was little bit overbaked (it's not as bad as it looks!) but still delicious, with some kale I stir fried in the remaining marinade and some quinoa.

Ingredients and other useful stuff:

A block of firm tofu, rice vinegar, garlic, chili oil, sesame seed oil, soy sauce, paper towels, something flat with weight like a book, toaster oven, glass container or ziplock bag.

Steps: 

1) First I drained the tofu, cut it into into 1/2 inch slices or something about that, dabbed it off with a paper towel by gently pressing on each side, then I put another paper towel on a cutting board, put the tofu on it, placed yet another paper towel over that (I folded it for more absorption), a folded wash cloth over that, then I placed a book over it and let it sit for an hour or so. This removes all the excess water so your tofu has space to absorb your seasonings.

2) I mixed a few tablespoons of rice vinegar (I may have used too much), one teaspoon of chili oil (I scooped up some of the red flakes with this for extra spice), one teaspoon of sesame seed oil (I used toasted), several table spoons of soy sauce, and some fresh, cut up garlic. A lot, actually.

3) After the tofu was done draining, I put it in a glass container with this marinade and let it sit overnight, occasionally revisiting it to turn it to gently turn it around, ensuring even coverage.

4) The tofu was actually delicious already by the time morning came around...even without being cooked. I pan fried half of it for 3-4 minutes on each side, and I baked the other half on 300 in a toaster over for a couple hours, flipping the pieces over every once in a while.

I've also learned online that the rule of tofu marination is, the thicker the marinade, the longer you let it sit. For mine, I probably would have been fine with several hours of marination, as it was very light. For a barbeque sauce or something of that nature, longer may be better. I'd love to hear back any variations.