Dubu Jorim (Spicy Braised Tofu)
Get one of the favorite banchan recipes from Ahnest Kitchen's cookbook Umma.
Photo: Kritsada Panichgul
"This dish transforms mild tofu into a flavorful banchan full of irresistible contrasts: the light fried crust of the tofu set against its plush interior, with sweet, spicy, and umami flavors unfolding in your mouth. And, like most banchan, it also happens to taste great either hot or cold. In my family, we don’t reheat this if serving leftovers. It tastes just as amazing, if not better, when cold, especially since the flavors have had a chance to be further absorbed by the tofu."
—James Beard Award Winner® Sarah Ahn, Umma
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons water
- 2 tablespoons corn syrup
- 2 tablespoons maesil cheong (plum extract syrup)
- 1 ½ tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 ½ tablespoons fish sauce
- 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
- 1 ½ teaspoons minced garlic
- 1 ½ teaspoons gochugaru
- ½ Fresno chile, ribs and seeds removed, chopped fine
- ½ jalapeño chile, ribs and seeds removed, chopped fine
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped yellow onion
- 1 green onion, chopped fine, divided
- 1 (14- to 16-ounce / 397- to 454-gram) block firm tofu
- ⅛ teaspoon fine salt, divided
- 1 tablespoon neutral cooking oil
- Pinch black pepper
Method
1. Whisk the water, corn syrup, maesil cheong, soy sauce, fish sauce, sesame oil, garlic, and gochugaru together in a bowl. Stir in the Fresno chile, jalapeño, yellow onion, and half of the green onion. Set the sauce aside.
2. Rinse the tofu and pat dry with paper towels. Halve the tofu block lengthwise, then cut crosswise into 1/2-inch slices. Arrange the tofu in a single layer on a paper towel–lined plate. Pat the tops dry with additional paper towels, then sprinkle with a pinch of salt.
3. Heat the neutral oil in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Arrange the tofu salted side down in the skillet. Sprinkle with the remaining pinch of salt and cook until light golden brown, 3 to 5 minutes per side.
4. Add the sauce and cook, constantly spooning the sauce over the tofu, until the sauce has thickened and begins to coat the tofu, about 2 minutes. Remove the skillet from the heat and sprinkle with the remaining chopped green onion and pepper. Serve. (Refrigerate for up to 1 week.)
Umma’s Kitchen Wisdom
It’s very important to not overcook the tofu. If it’s overcooked, the tofu will be tough to chew and won’t taste good at all, especially as cold leftovers. Some people prefer to leave the sauce thin so it can be mixed into their rice bowl, so feel free to reduce the sauce in step 4 to your desired thickness.
Yield
Serves 4