Korean Style Tofu Recipe

We love tofu. I know I know…..you can’t eat too much soy. Over 90% of soy is genetically modified so eating organic is a must. But when we do eat tofu, we eat un-adulterated tofu. We don’t eat tofurkey or tofu burger or tempeh. We eat silken tofu cold, Japanese style (Hiyayako) with Bonito flakes (shaved dried fish flakes), scallions, and soy sauce. I make Chinese style “Mapo Tofu” with spicy bean paste and ground pork. But one of my favorite ways is Korean style. The only thing I don’t like about it is that they don’t last long because everyone just wolfs them down. We have them with hot rice but you can have them with just about anything.

Korean Style Tofu

1 container of Firm or Extra Firm Organic Tofu – sliced in 1/2″ thick
1/4 C olive oil
1/2 C of soy sauce or Tamari
1/2 C cold water
1/2 C chopped scallions
6 garlic cloves, minced
1 tbsp red pepper flakes (optional)
1 tsp black sesame seeds (optional)
1 tsp of grated ginger (optional)

Direction

Combine scallions, garlic, pepper flakes (optional), ginger (optional) water and soy sauce in a med bowl.

Heavenly combo.

Pat dry tofu slices or drain the water by putting the slices on a cutting board and leave it slanted against something underneath for about half an hour.

Or you can pat them dry with clean kitchen towel.

Heat skillet or pan on medium heat. Brown tofu slices on both sides. This is the hard part. Tofu will undoubtedly stick to the pan if not careful. If you have a ceramic coated non-stick pan, this will be a piece of cake. I have stainless steel pan and it can be a disaster. But I use enough oil (thank goodness olive oil is good for you – just DO NOT heat in high heat to retain its goodness) and I make sure to tilt the pan to get the oil underneath the tofu so that they won’t stick. Make sure NOT to flip the tofu too many times because they will crumble. Just lift the edges a little so that oil can get underneath them. Browning one side should take about 5 minutes or so, depending on your stove. Then, turn them over carefully to brown the other side. When both sides are brown, put the tofu pieces on a single layer.

You see the yummy crunchy brown bits? Save them and add them to the sauce.

Spoon the soy sauce mixture on top of the tofu layer. Add more tofu on top of the sauce, and repeat the process.

Serve immediately. But if you make extra, you can spoon the sauce on top of the tofu layers and store them in a glass container. You can eat them cold or reheat in a pan or in a microwave. If you don’t want to bother with browning, you can drizzle the marinade over a cold or steamed tofu too. Store unused marinade in a glass jar for up to two weeks in the refrigerator.

This dish has been a hit with the kids since I can make them with Tamari and serve with brown rice.

No Wheat, no dairy, and no eggs! A perfect meal.

P.S. If you don’t want to use oil to brown them, you can bake them in the oven at 350 degrees F first before topping them with season soy sauce. Yup. That works really well too. Kinda crispy on the outside and not oily. But be aware; it. takes. time. A. very. long. time. I don’t have patience so I don’t bake them.