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–+ servings
Korean braised tofu in a shallow bowl.
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5 from 3 votes

Korean Braised Tofu (Dubu Jorim)

This Korean braised tofu is an easy one-pan dish ready in under 30 minutes that's delicious whether hot or cold!
Prep Time8 minutes
Cook Time22 minutes
Total Time30 minutes
Course: Main dish, Side Dish
Cuisine: Asian, Korean
Diet: Vegan, Vegetarian
Servings: 4 servings
Calories: 191kcal
Author: Edwina

Ingredients

Soy Chili Sauce

  • ½ cup water
  • 1 tablespoons sugar
  • 3 tablespoons soy sauce
  • 1½ tablespoons Korean red chili pepper flakes gochugaru

Others

  • 1 pack extra firm tofu
  • 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
  • 2 cloves garlic minced
  • 1 stalk scallion thinly sliced and separate light and dark green parts.
  • ½ tablespoon sesame oil
  • 1 teaspoon toasted white sesame seeds optional

Instructions

Prepare the Sauce

  • Whisk all the sauce ingredients in a bowl and set aside until it's ready to use.

Slice and Dry Tofu

  • Slice tofu into 12 to 16 square pieces that are around ½ an inch (1¼ cm) thick.
  • Gently pat dry each piece of tofu with a kitchen towel or paper towel to get rid of the excess water while drying the surface of the tofu. This will allow the tofu to get a crispy and golden brown surface when you pan fry your tofu

Pan Fry Tofu Until Crispy

  • Heat 2 tablespoon vegetable oil in a nonstick pan over medium heat. When the pan is hot, put tofu slices into your pan and cook for 6 to 8 minutes until golden brown.
  • Flip the tofu carefully before adding 1 tablespoon of cooking oil and continuing to cook for another 2 to 3 minutes.  With a crispy and golden brown surface, the tofu can absorb the sauce better while creating a nice texture.
  • Add garlic and the white and light green part of the green onion into the pan between the tofu slices and cook for 30 seconds).

Cook Tofu With the Sauce

  • Pour the sauce into the pan, cover with a lid and cook for 10 minutes over medium low heat. Flip the tofu half way to allow both sides to cook evenly. Uncover the lid for the last 2 to 3 minutes to reduce the sauce.

Finish Up and Serve

  • When it's done cooking, drizzle sesame oil over the tofu. Garnish with sesame seeds and the dark green part of the scallion. Serve warm or cold.

Video

Notes

  • Make sure you pat dry the tofu before pan frying, so you can get a golden crispy surface.
  • Fry the tofu in two batches if your pan is not big enough to fit all the tofu pieces at once. You can still cook all the tofu with the sauce altogether, you will just need to rotate the tofu more often so they could be cooked evenly.
  • Make sure you measure the ingredients when making the sauce in order to get the perfect balance of flavors.
  • It's important to let the sauce reduce at the end to give this dish more flavor.

Nutrition

Calories: 191kcal | Carbohydrates: 8g | Protein: 9g | Fat: 14g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 8g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Sodium: 868mg | Potassium: 254mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 920IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 49mg | Iron: 2mg