1 16 ounce block extra firm tofu (pressed and chopped into 1/2 inch bite sized chunks)
1 teaspoon salt
2 Tablespoons potato starch (plus 1 extra teaspoon)
7 cloves garlic (minced)
1/4 red onion (diced)
2 Korean green chilis, sliced (can sub seeded jalapenos)
2 whole scallions (white parts chopped, green parts sliced on a bias)
1 Tablespoon gochagaru
1-1 1/2 Tablespoon soy sauce
1 Tablespoon white wine vinegar
2 Tablespoons maple syrup
1/2 Tablespoon mirin (can leave out if you don't have any)
4+1 Tablespoons vegetable oil
1/8 cup dried red chilis (can leave out if you don't have any)
1/2 Tablespoon sesame oil
1 Tablespoon toasted sesame seeds
Steps
To a large bowl, add a pinch of salt and 2 tablespoons of potato starch to tofu chunks. Gently toss the tofu to make sure they are all evenly coated. Set aside.
Prep your vegetables by mincing the garlic, dicing the onion, slicing the Korean chilis, and chopping up the scallions.
Prepare the sauce by mixing together gochugaru, soy sauce, white wine vinegar, maple syrup, mirin, and 1 teaspoon of potato starch. Set aside.
To a very large non-stick pan, add 4 tablespoons of vegetable oil over high heat. When oil is very hot, add coated tofu chunks in one layer,making sure they are not touching each other. If they touch, they will stick to one another.
Cook the tofu and flip them one by one, until they are brown on all sides (approximately 7 minutes). Remove the tofu chunks from the pan and set them aside on a cooling rack to drain the excess oil. Repeat with the remaining tofu.
When all of the tofu has been fried, in the same pan, add 1 tablespoon of oil. Then add the garlic, onions, chilis, and scallions and saute the vegetables until the garlic starts to brown.
Reduce the heat to medium-high and add the sauce, stirring it with a wooden spoon until it reduces down into a thick sauce (approximately 30 seconds). Turn off the heat.
Gently add back the fried tofu and stir everything together, so that the tofu chunks are evenly coated in your sauce.
Garnish the tofu with ½ tablespoon of sesame oil and 1 tablespoon of toasted sesame seeds. Serve immediately.
Reviews
Tabi on 2025-06-04 (3 stars): It was not bad but it was not really great either. I think the white wine vinegar was just a bit too much on the flavor. Likely will not make again.
Amy on 2025-06-03 (5 stars): Every single person I have made this for has raved about it and asked for the recipe! One of my new go-to dishes! Simple and delicious. Thank you
Linda on 2025-05-26 (5 stars): This was just incredible. Came here from Rainbow Plant Life but this is by far my new favourite tofu recipe.
Michael on 2025-04-26 (5 stars): My wife found this recipe in one of her magazines and asked me if I could make it. I said sure, she had never tried tofu before. I made it she ate it and loved it now it's a regular meal at our table I would strongly recommend this dish for someone that wants to try tofu.
Ungovernable on 2025-04-24 (5 stars): Superb recipe absolutely loved it and just about to make it for the second time.
Pretty easy to follow for an unskilled home chef, thanks for posting.
Aresevé on 2025-04-19 (5 stars): I have made this recipe many times, and I can honestly say it's arguably the most delicious & easiest tofu meal I've ever made!
Scooppty on 2025-04-16 (5 stars): Stellar recipe that came together in a jiffy. Exactly what I was looking for. The tofu was definitely crispy!! I added some veg to the mix to fill it out more - large pieces of onion, bell pepper, zucchini, shredded carrot and cabbage. And so I doubled the sauce. This one's a keeper for flavour, ease and cost!
Zarana on 2025-04-09 (5 stars): Wow! Easy and delicious. I wish I could share a pic because it was so pretty - I served it on finely shredded cabbage with pickled red onions (just onions tossed with lemon and salt and stored in a glass jar in the fridge) and seaweed salad. I used the green onions as topping instead of cooking them. I also used cornstarch & the air fryer for the tofu. Thank you for the recipe.
Heather on 2025-04-07 (5 stars): Delicious!
Clara on 2025-03-31 (5 stars): Amazing! I loved this so much! I used Serrano’s which were very spicy but it was so tasty and perfectly seasoned! Often I tinker with recipes to adjust to my taste, but this sauce was perfect as it is. Very well written and clear recipe.
Jay on 2025-02-12 (5 stars): Super easy and super yummy! I air fried my tofu instead and just added in at the end. Also used korean red peppers, cornstarch, rice vinegar and agave (bc that's what I had) and still turned out great!
