Braised Tofu
….When I was in high school, my mother used to add this side dish to my lunchbox in the corner. Tofu was my favorite ingredient in my lunchbox at the time. Growing up, we’d often have braised tofu dishes at home. My mother would usually pan-fry pieces of tofu and sometimes even bulgogi or fish balls before cooking them in a sauce. This way, the stir-fried beef with soy sauce and tofu would absorb the flavors really well. We also love to add lots of vegetables like bell pepper. Leeks and ginger are great additions too, as they add extra flavor and texture to the dish.
Here’s a really simple and easy braised tofu, also known as bean curd, that you can easily cook up on a weekday to enjoy with a bowl of steamed rice. I used firm tofu for this easy braised tofu recipe, but you can opt to use extra firm tofu for easier handling. The pieces of tofu are cooked to a golden brown crisp before being simmered in a deliciously savory my Mat-Gan-Jang sauce for it to soak up all the flavors. I have a little tip: When pan-frying tofu, mixing avocado oil and perilla oil in equal parts can help prevent the perilla oil from going rancid because avocado oil has a high smoke point. It’s so tasty!
Servings: 3
Time: 25 minutes
Ingredients:
- 390g of firm tofu, drained of water
- 1 tbsp perilla oil
- 1 tbsp avocado oil
- sea salt to taste
- black pepper to taste
- 50 ml anchovy broth
- 2 tbsp Mat-Gan-Jang
- 1/2 tbsp gukganjng
- 1/2 tbsp red chili pepper
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 3 green onions, minced
- 1 tsp sesame oil
- 1/2 tbsp sesame seeds
Cooking Instructions:
- Slice the tofu into 1/2-inch pieces and place them on a tray.
2. Sprinkle some sea salt and black pepper onto the tofu, and then set it aside for 10 minutes.
3. Combine the anchovy broth, Mat-Gan-Jang, gukganjang, chili powder, and garlic in a bowl. Mix them well.
4. Heat a pan over medium-high heat and add the perilla oil and avocado oil to it.
5. Pan-fry the tofu until both sides are golden brown.
6. Pour the mixed sauce into the pan and simmer for 1–2 minutes.
7. Sprinkle the green onion, sesame oil, and sesame seeds over the tofu. Then, turn off the heat.
8. Serve it with steamed rice.
You can also view this recipe on Instagram.
