Spicy braised tofu

Today’s recipe is dubu-jorim (spicy braised tofu). It’s tofu braised in a savory-spicy sauce and pan fried with caramelized onion, garlic, and green onions, making it juicy, a little spicy, crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. It’s a delicious side dish for rice, noodles or porridge, and tastes meaty even though it’s a totally vegetarian dish.

This is something you can easily put together in a short amount of time that will please pretty much everybody, and especially vegetarians. You can refrigerate any leftovers for up to 3 to 4 days! This dish is good hot or cold, so you don’t even need to heat it up again if you don’t want to, just bring it out and serve.

It’s also a standard in Korean dosirak (lunchbox) item because it keeps well until lunchtime and it gives any meal a little kick. Enjoy the recipe!

Ingredients

• 1 package of tofu (18 ounces: 510 grams)
• 3 tablespoons cooking oil
• 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
• 1 teaspoon toasted sesame seeds
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• ½ cup minced onion
• 2 green onions, chopped

For the sauce, mix in a small bowl:

• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1 tablespoon hot pepper flakes
• ½ cup water

Directions

1. Rinse tofu in cold running water and dry it with cotton or paper towel. Cut it into ¼ inch thick bite size pieces.
2. Add the cooking oil to a non-stick pan and heat it up over high heat.
3. Gently set the tofu onto the pan and cook for 7 to 8 minutes. Rotate the pan to cook the tofu evenly. When the bottoms get a little crunchy, flip them over one by one with a spatula. Let cook another 7 to 8 minutes until both sides of each tofu piece are a little crispy and golden brown. 
4. Transfer the tofu to a plate. Keep the leftover oil.
5. Heat up a small pan over medium high heat and add the leftover oil.
6. Add chopped onion, garlic, and green onion (less 1 tablespoon, to be used for a garnish later). Stir with a wooden spoon for a few minutes until the onion gets a little crispy.
7. Add the sauce and keep stirring until it reduces a bit and thickens.
8. Add tofu and braise for a minute until the tofu absorbs some of the flavor of the sauce. Add some toasted sesame oil and stir.
9. Sprinkle some sesame seeds over top and the rest of the chopped green onion. Serve right away with rice.