These super crispy spicy Korean gochujang tofu are really flavorful & addictive ! This healthy dish is ready under 30 mins & is naturally vegan. Only a few simple ingredients required and makes a great side or main dish !
Looking for something delicious yet quick to fix ? Give this Korean gochujang tofu a try ! This recipe features crispy pan-fried tofu cooked in a rich, savory and spicy Korean sauce.
This tofu dish is also extremely easy to throw together and only requires a few simple ingredients.
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🌶What is gochujang
For those of you who have not heard of this before, gochujang is a savory and spicy fermented chili paste that is commonly used in Korean cooking. It is made from red chili pepper flakes, glutinous rice, fermented soy beans and seasonings like onion, garlic and salt.
🧄What you will need
📓Notes / substitutions
- To make this oil-free, omit the sesame oil and bake the tofu at 200c / 400 F instead of pan frying them. Then, saute them using ¼ cup of water / broth instead of oil.
- Tamari can also be used in place of soy sauce.
🔪How to make
If you have yet to do so, start by draining and pressing your tofu by using a tofu press, or by stacking something heavy on top for at least 20 minutes. Do check out this post on how to press tofu if you need a more detailed instructions. Then, cut them into bite sized cubes.
Place your tofu along with cornstarch and salt into a zip top bag. Toss the bag until the tofu are well coated.
Heat up a tablespoon of neutral oil in a non-stick pan / cast iron pan on medium heat. Place the tofu in a layer, and let it cook for 3-4 minutes on each sides, or until almost all sides are golden brown. In the meantime, make your sauce by combining gochujang, soy sauce, maple syrup and sesame oil.
In the last minute or so of cooking the tofu cubes, stir in garlic. Then, turn off the heat and pour the sauce in. Toss until the sauce is evenly distributed.
Top this Korean gochujang tofu with some chopped green onions and sesame seeds. Enjoy !
🍚How to serve
- The simplest way is to simply served them up with some cooked grains and veggies of choice. Easy, quick yet super satisfying !
- This gochujang tofu will also go really well with noodles such as soba or wheat noodles.
- Serve them with this green curry fried rice if you are craving something more than plain white rice.
- Or, cook up an Asian inspired feast by serving them alongside with some Kung Pao chickpeas and vegan rice paper rolls !
❔Commonly asked questions
No, gochugaru is actually only one of the many other ingredients that made up gochujang. Gochugaru is basically the Korean version of dried chili flakes, and it is also sometimes available in the powdered form.
As for gochujang, it is not just only made from gochugaru, but also other ingredients like fermented soy beans, glutinous rice and other seasonings. It also has a thick, tomato paste kind of texture.
Hence, I will not recommend using gochugaru as a substitute for gochujang.
Gochujang can be found in the international aisle of a well-stocked supermarket or grocery. Or, your best bet will be a Korean or Asian food market.
Alternatively, you can get yours off an online retailer like Amazon.
You definitely can, but I will not recommend it. This is because the excess moisture in tofu will reduce its ability to absorbed the flavorful sauce. Moreover, it most likely wont get really crispy, if at all.
Any neutral-tasting oil like canola oil or soybean oil. Olive oil also works really well too. But to really get that nutty flavor, go for sesame oil instead.
🍽More tofu recipes
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📖 Recipe
Crispy Spicy Korean Gochujang Tofu
Ingredients
- 1 14 ounce block extra firm tofu drained, pressed and cubed ( see notes )
- 1 ½ tablespoons cornstarch
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon gochujang paste
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce or tamari
- 2 teaspoons sesame oil
- 2 teaspoons maple syrup
- 4 cloves garlic minced
Instructions
- Place your tofu along with cornstarch and salt into a zip top bag. Toss the bag until the tofu are well coated.
- Heat up a tablespoon of neutral oil in a non-stick pan / cast iron pan on medium heat. Place the tofu in a layer, and let it cook for 3-4 minutes on each sides, or until almost all sides are golden brown. In the meantime, make your sauce by combining gochujang, soy sauce, maple syrup and sesame oil.
- In the last minute or so of cooking the tofu cubes, stir in garlic. Then, turn off the heat and pour the sauce in. Toss until the sauce is evenly distributed.
- Top this Korean gochujang tofu with some chopped green onions and sesame seeds. Enjoy !
Holly
We really enjoyed this dish. We don't like very spicy food, and the gochujang paste was labeled "very hot", so I cut the gochujang paste back to 1/2 tsp. The tofu ended up very flavorful, but hardly spicy at all, so next time I will increase the amount.
Meesha
I am really happy that you like it!😊