Crisp and golden tofu braised in a spicy, savoury sauce – this Korean-style braised tofu is definitely one of my favourite tofu recipes ever, inspired by the Korean dish, Dubu Jorim. Of course it works just as well with cottage cheese or paneer instead of tofu, if that’s what you prefer. Serve it piled over steamed rice for a deliciously-wholesome and protein-packed meal that’s rich in flavour too!
Key Steps In Making This Korean-Style Braised Tofu
- Start by prepping your tofu: wrapping it between two kitchen towels, we will let the tofu sit for 20-30 minutes or so, in order to drain out the excess water. Pat-dry the tofu completely with clean kitchen towels before slicing it into bite size pieces with a thickness of about ¼ inch. Optional: you can coat the tofu in corn-flour before shallow-frying it for a crisp and golden texture.
- Make the braising sauce: mise-en-place is essential for this recipe, to ensure that it flows smoothly. To this end, we prep our sauce beforehand by whisking together a few key ingredients and seasonings including:
- Light and dark soy sauces (alternatively you can just use light soy sauce)
- Rice vinegar
- Water
- Gochugaru (crushed red pepper flakes)
- Sesame oil
- Garlic
- Sugar
- Sesame seeds
- Scallions
- Braise the tofu: we then move onto cooking the tofu by shallow-frying it in oil. Once lightly crisp and golden on both sides, pour in your sauce and let it simmer for 4-5 minutes until thickened and reduced.
- Serving this dish: this Korean-style braised tofu is best served hot, garnished with more scallions/ spring onions and piled over rice to sop up all that extra spicy and savoury sauce.
Korean-Style Braised Tofu
Crisp and golden tofu braised in a spicy, savoury and intensely-rich sauce – this one-pan tofu is inspired by the classic Korean dish, Dubu Jorim. It's as simple as it is soul-stirring, pairing perfectly with rice for a deliciously-healthy and wholesome meal.
Ingredients
- 1 block silken firm tofu
- corn flour (as required)
- 1-2 tbsp cooking oil of choice
Braising sauce
- 2 tbsp light soy sauce
- 2 tbsp dark soy sauce (alternatively use light soy sauce; or swap in vegetarian oyster sauce)
- 1 tbsp rice vinegar
- ¼ cup water
- 2-3 tsp gochugaru
- 2-3 cloves of minced garlic
- 1-2 tsp sugar
- ½ tbsp sesame oil
- 2-3 tsp sesame seeds
- handful of scallions, finely-chopped
Instructions
Prep the tofu
- Wrap a block of silken-firm tofu between kitchen towels (placing a small saucepan on top). Let it sit for 30 minutes or so to drain out the excess water.
- Pat the tofu dry with clean kitchen towels and slice it.
- Optional: coat the tofu slices lightly in corn flour for a more crisp and golden texture.
Prepare the braising sauce
- Add the soy sauces, rice vinegar , water, gochugaru, sesame oil, garlic , sugar , sesame seeds and scallions to a small mixing bowl.
- Give it a good whisk to ensure it is evenly combined.
Cook the tofu
- Gently heat the oil in a small pan. Pan-fry the tofu until it is golden brown on both sides (flipping half way).
- Once lightly crisp and golden, pour in the sauce on medium heat , using a spatula to ensure that each piece of tofu is evenly coated. Let the sauce simmer for 4-5 minutes on low heat until thickened and reduced.
- Serve hot off the stove with steamed rice or noodles and dive in!
Video
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