Hi, I'm Earl. Product Manager at Korean Spicy Tofu
When most people think of tofu, they think bland, boring and vegan! I guess you can’t blame them. After all, tofu is bland, boring, and white. White is a very plain color. That’s why artists use white canvases and turn them into something not plain. Anyways, as is the case with oatmeal, rice, and other similar foods, tofu is a great base for a variety of flavors.
Whenever I visit my mom, she—or my grandma—always makes a great spicy tofu dish which I eat by the dozens. I tend to eat the whole batch in one day. Obviously, they’re very addicting. I often tell myself that since tofu is healthy, my tofu binges are justified. Even if that justification doesn’t cut it, the taste certainly does.
The korean spicy tofu side dish, which I’d like to dub “Momfu” in honor of my mom—or mom’s mom—who made this dish, has a tantalizing salty tasty and a flare of peppers. The outer layer is mildly tough, but submits easily to pressure. The dish is great when paired with bland foods like rice, or even oatmeal!
Korean spicy tofu is also very healthy because it contains great amounts of protein from the soy in the tofu and healthy fats! The fact that onions and garlic are generously added to the dish also improves its nutritional value.
So without much further ado, here is a block of tofu. As you can see, the tofu is very bland and boring—intimidating and dramatic—but boring.
Even cutting the tofu, despite giving it decorative slanted lines, does not make it look more appealing.
However lightly frying the tofu in oil gives the tofu light brown touches that disrupt the empty white canvas.
Lastly, putting the lightly fried tofu in a pool of red liquid elevates the tofu to stardom.
Ingredients
- 1 block tofu
- 3 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tbsp red chili flakes
- 1/2 tbsp sesame seed oil (plus more for frying)
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1/2 onion
- 1/2 cup water
Directions
- Slice the block of tofu into half inch rectangles, mince the garlic, and slice the onions into half circles.
- Fry the tofu on medium high until the tofu has a light brown crust.
- Lightly heat up the garlic and onions on the pan for a few minutes.
- For the sauce, mix the soy sauce, red chili flakes, sesame seed oil, and water.
- Put the tofu, onion, garlic, and sauce in a pot to lightly simmer for about a half hour.
