This Spicy Korean Inspired Gochujang Braised Tofu has been my go-to quick and easy dinner. Gochujang is a spicy chili paste that holds a lot of heat but creates the perfectly smooth and flavor packed sauce when combined with soy sauce, brown sugar, and sesame oil. The tofu is pressed, pan-fried and braised in the most delicious sauce so all that flavor gets soaked in.
Serve this Spicy Gochujang Braised Tofu over jasmine rice topped with green onion and sesame seeds for an easy and filling dinner. It’s a weekly repeat meal in my house and I hope you enjoy!
What You Will Need For This Spicy Gochujang Braised Tofu
Main Ingredients:
- Extra Firm Tofu
- Gochujang Paste
- Fresh Ginger
- Garlic Cloves
- Low Sodium Soy Sauce
What is Gochujang Paste?
Gochujang is a thick deep red paste made from red chilli, glutinous rice, fermented soybeans, salt and usually garlic and some form of sweetener that originated in Korea. It holds a lot of heat from the chili but has hints of sweetness and an unami flavor form the soybeans. It is perfect for dishes like this Spicy Gochujang Braised Tofu and traditional Korean dishes like bibimbap and tteokbokki.
Most Gochujang pastes are vegan friendly but just be sure to check out the ingredients to confirm. Mother in Law’s Original Gochujang Paste is what I use.
How To Make The Best Spicy Gochujang Braised Tofu
This dish is incredibly spicy from the gochujang and the added red chili. If you want a little less heat, omit the red chili.
I always recommend pressing your tofu before using especially in dishes like this one where you want a lot of flavor to be soaked in to the tofu. I typically press it overnight so that it’s ready to use the next day with no additional wait time. If you aren’t pressing overnight or the morning of, press for at least 30 minutes with a tofu press or a DIY press.
Learn more about making the best tofu ever in the Ultimate Guide to Cooking Tofu!
More Tofu Recipes You Might Like:
If You Make This Recipe:
Tag me on Instagram! I’d love to see your delicious re-creations and feature them! As always, I would greatly appreciate if you share your review in the comments below. Don’t forget to add if you made any fun substitutions. Thank you!
Spicy Gochujang Braised Tofu
Ingredients
Braised Tofu:
- 1 Block Extra Firm Tofu
- 2 tablespoons Cornstarch
- Pinch of Salt
- Pinch of Black Pepper
- Vegetable Oil for pan-frying
- 1/4 cup Sweet Onion minced
- 1 tablespoon Ginger minced
- 2 Garlic Cloves minced
- 1 Red Chili thinly sliced
Spicy Gochujang Sauce:
- 2 tablespoons Gochujang Paste
- 2 tablespoons Organic Brown Sugar
- 1/4 cup Low Sodium Soy Sauce
- 1/2 cup Water
- 2 tablespoons Rice Vinegar
- 1 tablespoon Rice Cooking Wine
- 1 teaspoon Sesame Oil
For Serving:
- Black & White Sesame Seeds
- Green Onions thinly sliced
- Jasmine Rice
Instructions
- Press tofu for at least 30 minutes. See tips & tricks for more information.
- Slice the tofu in to 8 squares. Whisk together the cornstarch, salt, and pepper in a shallow bowl. Coat each piece of tofu in the cornstarch mix.
- Heat a large frying pan on medium-high heat and add 1-2 tablespoons of vegetable oil. Just enough to lightly coat the bottom of the pan. Once hot, add the cornstarch coated tofu and fry until golden and crisp, about 5 minutes on each side.
- Mince the onion, ginger, garlic and red chili. Add to the pan with the crispy tofu and cook for a few minutes until starting to soften.
- Whisk together the sauce ingredients and add to the pan. Cook for 7-10 minutes or until the sauce has reduced.
- Serve the tofu over jasmine rice and top with green onion and sesame seeds. Enjoy!
This is my go to recipe when I have a busy working week as it can be refrigerated and heated up. It’s simple to make, delicious goes great with veg. In fact it I very rarely get the chance to have it for more than one meal as it goes a treat even with non vegans 😃😃😃
That’s so nice to hear!! This dish is one of my favorites too. Leftovers are rare in my house! 🙂