Korean Gochujang Tofu
This Korean Gochujang Tofu is baked until crispy perfection and coated in a sweet and spicy gochujang sauce. It's easy to make and a perfect weeknight dinner!
Servings: 3
Calories: 281kcal
Equipment
- Oven
Ingredients
Crispy tofu
- 2 (8oz) blocks extra-firm tofu pressed*
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce (use tamari if GF)
- 2-3 tablespoon cornstarch
- ⅛ teaspoon Freshly cracked black pepper
- A healthy pinch of salt
- toasted sesame oil for brushing
Gochujang sauce
- 1 ½ tablespoon gochujang paste
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce (use tamari if GF)
- 2 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoon mirin
- 2-3 cloves of garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon minced ginger
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- ¼ cup cold water
- 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
Instructions
- Pre-heat oven to 430ºF (220ºC). Cut tofu into 1-inch cubes and add into a shallow bowl. Add soy sauce, a pinch of salt, and black pepper. Toss until well coated. Add the cornstarch and toss until well-coated on all sides.2 (8oz) blocks extra-firm tofu, 1 tablespoon soy sauce, ⅛ teaspoon Freshly cracked black pepper, A healthy pinch of salt, 2-3 tablespoon cornstarch
- Add the tofu cubes to a baking sheet and brush with sesame oil on one side, then flip (with the greased side down), and brush the other side with oil. Bake for 30-35 minutes, flipping halfway through, until golden brown.toasted sesame oil
- In the meantime, make the spicy sauce. To a small bowl add all of the sauce ingredients- gochujang, soy sauce, sugar, mirin, sesame oil, minced garlic and ginger, cornstarch, and water. Using a whisk, mix until the cornstarch has dissolved and the sauce is smooth.1 ½ tablespoon gochujang paste, 1 tablespoon soy sauce, 2 tablespoon granulated sugar, 2 tablespoon mirin, 2-3 cloves of garlic, minced, 1 teaspoon minced ginger, 1 tablespoon cornstarch, ¼ cup cold water, 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
- Add the sauce to a large skillet and heat over medium heat. Bring to a gentle simmer, then cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring often, or until the sauce has thickened, but is still pourable. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool.
- Once ready, add the crispy tofu to the pan with the cooled gochujang sauce and stir to cover on all sides.
- Serve this gochujang tofu immediately with toasted sesame seeds and green onions!
Notes
- Use extra-firm tofu. In order to get the tofu golden brown and crispy, you need to use firm, extra-firm, or super-firm tofu. Soft tofu or silken tofu won't work, because they fall apart easily.
- Press the tofu. This is another important step that helps the tofu crisp up in the oven. Pressing for 30 minutes to 1 hour gets rid of the excess water and allows the tofu to absorb more flavor. You can do that either using a tofu press or wrapping the tofu in paper towels and placing something heavy on top (I like to use my Dutch oven).
- Don't thicken the sauce too much. You want the sauce to still be pourable in order to coat every piece. If the sauce is too thick it will be hard to coat all sides of the tofu.
- Let the sauce cool before you toss the tofu in. In testing this recipe I've found that adding the sauce hot to the tofu makes it lose its crispiness and become soggy, so make sure to let it cool to room temperature.
*To press tofu: either use a tofu press or wrap it in a clean towel. Place a few heavy objects on top of it. Let it press for at least 30 minutes and up to 2 hours.
Nutrition information is a rough estimate calculated with an online calculator without including the optional ingredients. The information shown should not be considered a substitute for personal nutritional advice.
Nutrition
Calories: 281kcal