I've made this spicy, sweet, smoky and tangy sauce a million times. It's a snap to assemble and is the perfect component to serve with tofu, noodles and vegetables, which is a typical weeknight dinner for us. After I panfry the tofu and vegetables and boil the noodles, I'll typically drizzle this sauce over everything at the end to nicely pull together all of the flavors and textures. However, since I made this dish, I really liked the viscous texture created by whisking in a bit of cornstarch slurry in at the end. This simple step transforms the sauce into a more decadent and flavorful one, and is now my husband's favorite sauce for tofu. Serve it with these noodles, and you'll have the perfect go-to quick dinner in front of you in about 30 minutes.
INGREDIENTS
1 block firm tofu1/2 cup mirin
1 TB soy sauce
1 TB toasted sesame oil
1 tsp rice vinegar
1 tsp sugar or raw agave syrup
1 tsp grated ginger
1 tsp grated garlic
1 tsp - 1 TB sambal or sriracha
2 tsp cornstarch, whisked with 4 tsp cold water
1 TB sesame seeds
METHOD
Cut the tofu into 4 slabs, then cut each of those slabs in half. Place the pieces into a pan with a little oil over medium-high heat. (There is no need to press the water put of the tofu.) Cover the pan with a lid and allow to saute for 10-12 minutes. It will sputter and pop, which is fine.
While the tofu is browning, make your sauce by combining the next 8 ingredients. Heat over low heat in a small saucepan.
Check on your tofu. If it is well browned, flip the pieces over and continue to brown the other side. Be careful when removing the lid , which will collect steam over cook time and drip into the pan, causing sputtering. Allow to brown for an additional 10 minutes or so.
Once the tofu is done, increase the heat for the sauce to medium. Once it starts to slightly boil, pour in the cornstarch/water slurry and whisk for a minute or two until slightly thickened. Remove from the heat.
Pour the sauce over the browned tofu and sprinkle with sesame seeds. Serve immediately.
mmmm this looks perfect! i need to make this!
ReplyDeletethis sounds really yummy - I love tofu, and the sticky sauce appeals:)
ReplyDeletelooks great and uber-delicious!! while I know the oil used here is minimal, we're trying to avoid oils as much as possible ... any suggestions for getting a comparable result without the oil? maybe saute in veg broth? oven-bake?
ReplyDeleteThanks! Sesame oil is pretty important here for the flavor. I would suggest just leaving it out if you must. I've never sauteed in broth before, but I suspect you won't get a caramelization by subbing that for oil. So perhaps baking is your best bet here -- good luck!
DeleteMmmm sounds delicious! Will definitely have to try this :)
ReplyDeleteAlways looking for ways to flavor tofu! Thanks!
ReplyDeleteThis looks and sounds delicious! I haven't had tofu in far too long--time to remedy that!
ReplyDeleteI have made this two times now since you posted it. DELICIOUS!
ReplyDeleteglad you enjoyed : )
DeleteDo you need to press the water ouf of the tofu before you saute it?
ReplyDeleteNo, that's not necessary for this application. I've updated the directions to include that!
DeleteThis is REALLY good! The tofu got nice and puffy...crisp on the outside and very chewing/puffy inside. I did press the tofu for about 20 min in the fancy tofu press you can buy online just because I prefer mine that way. But don't let not wanting to press tofu stop you from making this!
ReplyDeleteMade this tonight, with a side of snow peas. Really good, great job!
ReplyDelete