Gochujang Tofu
This gochujang tofu is perfectly spicy and addictive! It uses simple ingredients, is leftover-friendly, and goes great with rice and green veggies.
If you’re craving a deliciously spicy, yet slightly sweet, tofu recipe, then this is the recipe you’re looking for!
Ingredients
- Tofu: 14 to 16 ounces of firm or extra firm will work. No need to press, simply slice open the package on three sides, flip upside down over your sink, and press into the tofu until no more liquid comes out. Don’t press down so hard that the tofu starts to crumble.
- Cornstarch: this is essential to help the tofu cook properly.
- Soy Sauce: this is used in both the tofu when cooking, and in the sauce. Use reduced sodium or regular.
- Salt & pepper: use these, to taste, for the tofu. Don’t add too much black pepper, as the sauce will already make the tofu spicy, unless you LOVE spicy.
- Gochujang Korean Chili Sauce: I personally only use 1 tablespoon, especially when making it for my kids, to ensure it’s not too spicy. Use more if you enjoy spicy food.
- Rice Vinegar: this gives a slight tang, or vinegary flavor, which gets balanced with the other ingredients.
- Brown Sugar & Maple Syrup: these both give it a slight sweetness to it, helping to balance out the vinegar and spicy flavors.
- Tomato Paste: This gives it a slight tomato flavor.
- Water: do not omit or reduce.
- Garlic: 3 cloves garlic is about 1 tablespoon minced garlic. If you have a jar of minced garlic, using 1 tablespoon of that, instead of freshly minced, is perfectly fine.
- Ginger: ½ -1 inch minced ginger will come out to about ½-1 tablespoon minced ginger.
- Oil: for cooking the tofu, feel free to use toasted sesame seed oil, olive oil, avocado oil, or another oil that you have on hand that you usually use while cooking on the stove. Or, if you usually use vegetable broth, water, or nothing, to cook with, cook how you normally do. Please be aware the if you’re not using a non-stick pan that the tofu will stick to it if you don’t use something.
How to Make Gochujang Tofu
(Note: These instructions can be printed below)
STEP 1: Cut the Tofu: Start by cutting the tofu into about ½ inch cubes – you can cut or tear the tofu. And place the tofu in a bowl with the cornstarch, soy sauce, salt, and pepper, stir well, then set aside. *Now would be a good time to also start cooking your rice & vegetables, or before this step, simply keep warm until the tofu is done cooking.
STEP 2: Make the Sauce: In your second bowl, whisk together all of the sauce ingredients and set aside.
STEP 3: Cook the Tofu: Turn your stove on medium heat with a large pan on top and drizzle a few teaspoons of oil into it (if using oil, I like to used toasted sesame oil for flavor, but if you usually use water/vegetable broth/nothing, cook as you normally do)
Then add the coated tofu and flip every once in a while, to ensure all sides get golden. This may take around 5 minutes of cooking. While it’s cooking, clean the bowl it was in.
Once the tofu is cooked, remove from the heat and place back into its bowl.
STEP 4: Thicken the Sauce: Add the sauce to your pan, stirring constantly, until it starts to thicken and stick to the back of a spoon, or spatula. This will take a couple of minutes.
STEP 5: Cook Tofu in Sauce: Once the sauce has thickened, add the tofu back in, in the sauce, stirring or flipping, almost constantly, until all of the sauce is absorbed by the tofu.
STEP 6: Plate your meal: When the tofu is done cooking, remove the pan from the heat and get your plate, or bowl, ready with some white rice and vegetables. Then add about ⅙-¼ of the tofu to a plate, sprinkle some sesame seeds and green onion slices on top, and enjoy!
Expert Tips
- Cook the tofu until it is golden on all side, breaking into smaller pieces while cooking if you would like. They should be bite sized pieces.
- Cook the tofu in the sauce longer, until it’s darker but not burned, for more flavor and firmness, if you prefer.
- The green onions and sesame seeds can be omitted if you don’t have any.
- Make it a ‘balanced’ meal by adding veggies and rice to it, like in the photos.
- Make enough rice by starting with 1-2 cups dried rice and then cooking rice as you normally do.
How to Serve Gochujang Tofu
Serve warm, on top of rice and veggies. Eat with chopsticks!
How to Store
- Fridge: Store leftovers in an airtight container for up to 4-5 days. Reheat in the microwave in 15-20 second intervals until warm.
More Recipes You’ll Love
- Thai Vegetable Spring Rolls
- Sweet Potato Chickpea Curry
- Turmeric Latte
Gochujang Tofu
Shawna ClapperIngredients
Tofu
- 1 14-16 ounce package Firm Tofu, drained with excess liquid squeezed out
- 1 tablespoon Cornstarch
- 2 tablespoon Soy Sauce
- ½ teaspoon Salt optional
- Black Pepper to taste
Gochujang sauce
- 1-3 tablespoon Gochujang
- 3 tablespoons Soy Sauce
- 2 tablespoons Rice Vinegar
- 1 tablespoon Brown Sugar
- 2 tablespoons Maple Syrup
- 1 tablespoon Tomato Paste
- 2 tablespoon Water
- 3 cloves Garlic minced
- ½-1 inch piece of Ginger minced
Garnish
- Sesame Seeds
- Green Onion
- *Pair with rice & broccoli or other vegetables
Instructions
- Start by cutting the tofu into about ½ inch cubes – you can cut or tear the tofu. And place the tofu in a bowl with the cornstarch, soy sauce, salt, and pepper, stir well, then set aside. *Now would be a good time to also start cooking your rice & vegetables, or before this step, simply keep warm until the tofu is done cooking.
- In your second bowl, whisk together all of the sauce ingredients and set aside
- Turn your stove on medium heat with a large pan on top and drizzle a few teaspoons of oil into it (if using oil, I like to used toasted sesame oil for flavor, but if you usually use water/vegetable broth/nothing, cook as you normally do)
- Then add the coated tofu and flip every once in a while, to ensure all sides get golden. This may take around 5 minutes of cooking. While it’s cooking, clean the bowl it was in.
- Once the tofu is cooked, remove from the heat and place back into its bowl.
- Add the sauce to your pan, stirring constantly, until it starts to thicken and stick to the back of a spoon, or spatula. This will take a couple of minutes.
- Once the sauce has thickened, add the tofu back in, in the sauce, stirring or flipping, almost constantly, until all of the sauce is absorbed by the tofu.
- When the tofu is done cooking, remove the pan from the heat and get your plate, or bowl, ready with some white rice and vegetables. Then add about ⅙-¼ of the tofu to a plate, sprinkle some sesame seeds and green onion slices on top, and enjoy!
