SUMMER IS UPON US. (Except for you southern hemisphere types. For that, I apologise.)

When summer arrives, everything that happens is a cause for a braai. First day of summer- braai. Birthdays, braai, random 24 hours of sunshine, braai. Successful hip replacement? God dammit there’s gonna be a braai.

But for any of us vegans, the choice to not participate in the ‘meat over fire’ ritual if often met with confusion and disappointment. Nobody wants to be that person who contributes an Asda pre-mixed salad and a sad pot of something that maybe, at some point, resembled hummus. And i’ll be damned if I’m going to give anyone another chance to look down on my plant-based shenanigans simply because i’m not stood at the barbecue, prodding some phallic meat parcel around. This summer, this vegan is prepared.

I’m gonna cut the crap and get to it. I love tofu, I love pineapple (I put it on pizza and everything. Suck it.) I also happen to love tahini, and the combination is what I believe even the most seasoned meat-eater would describe as “bomb af.” Let’s get to it.

DISCLAIMER: This recipe requires marinating tofu. If you wanna do this right, it will take at least 30 minutes, and I would recommend up to 2-3 hours. Before you get stuck in, make sure you’ve set this time aside. Nobody wants sad, lame tofu. You want sexy spicy tofu, and that tofu takes time.

Ingredients

200g Firm Tofu

150g Pineapple

25g Light Tahini

100ml Pineapple Juice

20ml Light Soy Sauce

20ml Liquid Smoke (Can sub for extra soy sauce, or a small amount of barbecue sauce)

1/2 Medium Red Pepper

1/2-1tsp Chilli Powder (depending on your personal taste, I used 1/2)

1/2tsp Paprika

1/2tsp Cumin

Method

1. Press your tofu, for about 20-25 minutes. In the meantime, mix together your chilli powder, paprika, cumin, pineapple juice, soy sauce and liquid smoke in a tupperware.

2. Chop up your red pepper into medium-large chunks, large enough to be skewered but not too big. Throw them in the marinade while your tofu presses.

3. Once your tofu is pressed, Cut it into cubes, at least 1/2 an inch to an inch thick. Throw these in the tupperware, stick the lid on, and give it a bit of a slosh around to cover the tofu. Leave to marinate for 30 minutes MINIMUM.

4. Just before you wish to cook your kebabs, either set up your barbecue or preheat the oven to 180°C. Now cut your pineapple down into chunks, about twice the size of your red pepper pieces. Set aside.

5. Now it’s time to assemble your kebabs- this recipe will make about 4-5 kebabs depending on the size of the skewer. Whilst putting together your kebabs, spread a thin later of tahini on each piece of tofu before sticking it on the skewer. Repeat until you run out of tofu, red pepper and pineapple!

6. In the oven, these kebabs took 15 minutes, before turning and taking another 15-20 minutes on the other side, but over a barbecue, I recommend just turning them occasionally to keep them from sticking until the tofu goes a soft golden-brown on the outside. Finish with an extra dusting of chilli powder/chilli flakes, and maybe a side of that hummus you felt so morally obliged to contribute.

Per Serving (including marinade):

558 Calories

32.1g Protein

27.7g Fat

41.1g Carbs