The Pacific Northwest has some type of magic about and part of that magic is the diversity that some of the larger cities offer. Growing up my friend group was pretty diverse and because of that I was exposed to all kinds of food, especially Asian food. When I was young my good friend Jennifer Kims' Mom would make a traditional dish of Korean braised tofu dish named Dubu Jorim. Though back then it was too spicy for my child tastes buds, its now one of my favorite tofu dishes in a delicious sauce.
Having worked it a few Asian restaurants throughout my career, I often do a fusion of techniques and spices, but always want to honor the traditional recipes. So here are two recipes that I am sure you will love the traditional dubu jorim (Korean Braised Tofu Recipe) from https://www.koreanbapsang.com/dubu-jorim-korean-braised-tofu/ and the tradtional Mapo Tofu from https://thewoksoflife.com/ma-po-tofu-real-deal/
At home, I make something similar, that takes the cooking technique of Chinese Mapo Tofu with the flavors of a Spicy Korean Braised Tofu . I love this recipe because it's quick, spicy, and has no refined sugars, artificial flavors or preservatives. It's a simple dish of tofu cooked in a little bit of spice and topped with sesame seeds and scallions (green onions). Traditionally, Mapo Tofu is made with silken tofu and Dubu Jorim is made with a firm or extra firm piece of tofu. In my recipe, I use extra-firm tofu because it's what I typically have in my fridge, since I can snag a four pack at Costco for a great price (like $6).
If you are wanting to serve this dish you can treat it as a delicious side dish or as the main dish. Often in our home, I will eat this as the perfect main ingredient to my meal and my spouse will treat it as a flavorful side dish with a seared chicken breast. A win win in my books.
At home, I make something similar, that takes the cooking technique of Chinese Mapo Tofu with the flavors of a Spicy Korean Braised Tofu . I love this recipe because it's quick, spicy, and has no refined sugars, artificial flavors or preservatives. It's a simple dish of tofu cooked in a little bit of spice and topped with sesame seeds and scallions (green onions). Traditionally, Mapo Tofu is made with silken tofu and Dubu Jorim is made with a firm or extra firm piece of tofu. In my recipe, I use extra-firm tofu because it's what I typically have in my fridge, since I can snag a four pack at Costco for a great price (like $6).
If you are wanting to serve this dish you can treat it as a delicious side dish or as the main dish. Often in our home, I will eat this as the perfect main ingredient to my meal and my spouse will treat it as a flavorful side dish with a seared chicken breast. A win win in my books.
Jump to:
Ingredients
- Vegetable broth
- Organic firm or extra firm tofu, cut into ½ inch to 1-inch cubes
- Avocado oil
- Fresh ginger, minced
- Fresh garlic, minced
- Korean red pepper flakes (found at Asian grocery stores)
- Black pepper
- Sesame seeds
- Tamari
- Coconut sugar
- Cold water
- Arrowroot or cornstarch
- Scallions, sliced white and light green parts only
Garnish:
- Scallions, leftover dark green parts
- Sesame Seeds
See recipe card for quantities.
Instructions
- Remove block of tofu from packaging and pat dry with a paper towel to remove excess moisture. Slice tofu into ½ inch square pieces and place tofu pieces into a large frying pan or wok, add vegetable broth. Bring to a simmer, allow to simmer for 2 minutes. DO NOT BOIL; this will make your tofu slices chewy—remove tofu from broth and set tofu and broth aside.
- In the same pan over medium heat, add avocado oil, ginger, and garlic. Cook for 1 minute until fragrant. In a small bowl add chili flakes, sesame seeds, tamari, coconut sugar and reserved broth, whisk until combined. Add the sauce ingredients to the frying pan. Bring heat to medium-low.
- In a separate bowl, add water and arrowroot, mix to make a slurry. Add to spicy sauce mixture. Cook for 30 seconds to 1 minute, until sauce thickens.
- Add blanched tofu and cook on low for 4-5 minutes, stirring tofu into the sauce. Remove from heat. Top with the scallions (trim dark green top and discard) and toasted sesame seeds.
Substitutions
- Korean Chili Flakes - sub with 1 teaspoon gochujang paste or (if you must) you can use Red Pepper Flakes.
- Tamari - feel free to substitute with soy sauce, low sodium soy sauce or coconut aminos.
- Fresh Ginger and Garlic - these can be sub with 1 teaspoon of powdered ginger and garlic, but fresh tastes best.
- Avocado Oil - you can use any type of vegetable oil or cooking oil that has a higher smoke point. Sesame oil doesn't have a high smoke point.
Variations
- Spicy - if you really want to bring the spice you can add additional chili flakes, or toss in two Thai chilies peppers
- Deluxe - serve with stir fried or roasted bok choy
- For the meat lovers - add cooked ground pork or chicken to the tofu for a great combo
Equipment
- Cutting board
- Sharp knife
- Large nonstick skillet or wok
- Measuring cups and spoons
- Small bowl
- Paper towels
Storage
Place leftover tofu and sauce in an airtight container and store in your refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Top tip
When placing tofu in a braising liquid, make sure the liquid never comes to a boil, always leave it a simmer. If you boil the tofu the texture will be chewy, and we want them to be soft, even when using a firm or extra-firm tofu.
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Pairing
These are my favorite dishes to serve with [this recipe]:
Spicy Braised Tofu
Equipment
- 1 Stovetop
Ingredients
- 1 cup vegetable broth
- 1 lb organic firm or extra firm tofu cut into ½ inch to 1-inch cubes
- ¼ cup avocado oil
- 1 tablespoon fresh ginger minced
- 1 tablespoon fresh garlic minced
- 2 teaspoons Korean chili flakes
- 1 teaspoon sesame seeds
- 2 tablespoons tamari
- 2 teaspoons coconut sugar
- ¼ cup cold water
- 1 tablespoon arrowroot or cornstarch
- ½ cup scallions sliced white and light green parts only
Garnish:
- Scallions leftover dark green parts
- Sesame Seeds
Instructions
- In a large wok or frying pan, add veggie broth and tofu. Bring to a simmer, allow to simmer for 2 minutes. DO NOT BOIL; this will make your tofu chewy—separate tofu from broth set and set both aside.
- In the same pan over medium-high heat, add avocado oil, ginger, and garlic. Cook for 1 minute until fragrant. Add chili flakes and sesame seeds. Toast an additional one minute. Bring heat to medium-low. Add reserved broth, tamari, and coconut sugar.
- In a separate bowl, add water and arrowroot, mix to make a slurry. Add to sauce. Cook for 30 seconds to 1 minute, until sauce thickens.
- Add blanched tofu and cook for 1 minute, stirring tofu into the sauce. Add the scallions. Stir into tofu and sauce. Turn off heat.
- Serve with rice. Garnish with scallion tops and sesame seeds.
- I have had the pleasure of working in a few Asian restaurants, and at each one, I learned a new aromatic, spice, or cooking technique. While helping at a friend's Korean BBQ joint, I fell in love with gochugaru, aka Korean chili flake (now a staple in our home). In this dish, I combine Korean flavors with a Mao Pao Tofu cooking technique, making for a quick, easy and comforting weeknight meal.
Food safety
We sometimes take for a granted that we have years (or decades) of cooking experience, that the average visitor may not. Add to, or remove from, the list below with health and safety tips.
- Cook to a minimum temperature of 165 °F (74 °C)
- Do not use the same utensils on cooked food, that previously touched raw meat
- Wash hands after touching raw meat
- Don't leave food sitting out at room temperature for extended periods
- Never leave cooking food unattended
- Use oils with high smoking point to avoid harmful compounds
- Always have good ventilation when using a gas stove
Andi
This was delicious and so easy! The most difficult part had nothing to do with the recipe itself. Our electric wok apparently has zero chill and is either off, or on literal fire and trying to burn up my wife. The sauce is the perfect amount of spicy. It’s sticky but not too sticky…like it’s still a sauce but it coats the tofu perfectly. We got lazy and just put this over rice tonight, but it would be great with steamed broccoli or bok choy or really any veggies you need to use up. The spice just comes from the red pepper flakes so it’s easy to adjust according to your taste. We normally air fry or bake our tofu so this was a change for us but I’m so glad we branched out. It all came together in about 25 minutes. Thanks for a delicious, easy recipe! Oh, we didn’t have coconut sugar so we subbed an equal amount of maple syrup, and thought it turned out great!
Karolina Longoria
Yay!! Pure Maple Syrup is a great substitution. Thank you for the review. ILYSM