Sweet and Spicy Tofu Steak is a great one when you want something easy to make! Using tofu seasoned with gochujang, soy sauce, sugar, and add some vegetables with!.
This tofu is covered with cornstarch and deep-fried until it gets nicely brown. The important ingredient for the sauce is gochujang. Gochujang is a Korean ingredient that I love and use in so many recipes. It has a slight spice but also sweetness.
What is Sweet and Spicy Tofu Steak?
Tofu is really popular in Japan but this recipe is not a classic Japanese food that you can find at restaurants in Japan. This recipe is inspired by Agedashi-Dofu (or Agedashi-dofu). This is a popular Japanese appetizer and you can probably see it in formal dinner settings, Japanese food courses, or even Izakaya In Japan! Literally, making Agedashi-Dofu and cooking with some vegetables with original sweet and spicy sauce.
So you can’t find this meal in restaurants but if you like authentic Japanese food, then you should definitely try it!
Ingredients for Sweet and Spicy Tofu Steak
The ingredients for this recipe are so simple!
- firm tofu
- green onion (scallion)
- red onion
- corn starch
- sugar
- gochujang
- sake
- mirin
- soy sauce
If you cook Asian food a lot, you probably have all the ingredients above! If not, they are all important or most-used ingredients for Japanese food so it’s worth having them!
What Kind of Tofu Should I Use?
For this recipe, I recommend using extra firm tofu or firm tofu. They are easy to cook and won’t break down! You can find them at local grocery stores usually but if not, Asian grocery stores have them for sure!
The Tips to Make the Best Tofu Steak
There are 3 tips to make delicious tofu steak!
3 tips for this recipe
- Use cornstarch
- Cut the tofu into small pieces
- Be sure to remove excess moisture and water from tofu.
I use cornstarch for this recipe. It gives you a bit of crispiness than katakuriko or potato starch. If you don’t mind the crispiness, you can use potato starch or katakuriko, but I love using corn starch when I want a little bit of crispiness. Cutting tofu into small pieces also helps make tofu crispier than larger pieces.
I am going to explain the 3rd one next!
Q&A Why Do I Have to Remove Excess Water from Tofu
So many people must be wondering why removing water/ microwaving water/ patting water is necessary. There are 2 big reasons.
- To make it easy to soak the taste in
- Becomes stronger so it doesn’t break
These are the 2 reasons why we have to make sure we remove the water from tofu!
Q&A Can I Do Pan-Frying Instead of Deep-Frying
Yes, you can! I want to post a pan-frying tofu recipe but here is how to do it!
- Use a non-stick pan with a little bit of vegetable or sesame oil
- Cook every surface of tofu. This takes more time than the deep-frying way
- Then add the rest of the ingredients (sauce and vegetables)
You can do pan-frying and still get the crispy tofu, but the only disadvantage is that it takes more time than deep-frying.
How to make Tofu Steak for lunch
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Mild Spice Tofu Steak
Ingredients
- 1 Firm tofu
- 2 Tablespoon cornstarch or as much as you need
- 1/2 red onion about 200g
- 2 green onion about 50g
Instructions
Preparation
- Sauce : In a small bowl, add soy sauce, sake, and mirin. Mix well.In a small bowl, add sugar and gochujang. Then add 1 Tbsp of hot water. Mix until sugar and the gochujang melts completely. Add it to the main sauce bowl.
- Vegetables(option) : Cut the red onion and green onion into small pieces.
Let's do deep-frying Tofu!
- In a pan or pot, add about vegetable oil that covers a half of the tofu high for frying. Turn the heat to medium and bring the heat to 330°F(165.5°C).
- Meanwhile, Open the tofu package and cover it with a paper towel.
- In a microwave-safe bowl, add the covered tofu and microwave for 3 minutes. *My microwave is 600w
- Remove extra water with a paper towel after microwaving.
- Cut the tofu into 1-inch cubes.
- Cover the 1/3 or 1/2 of the cut tofu*1 with cornstarch. Cover every surface of the tofu and remove extra starch.
- When the oil in the pan hits to 330°F(165.5°C), add the covered tofu. Deep fry for 4 minutes, then move to a wire rack to drain excess oil.
- Do 6 and 7 steps until all the tofu is deep-fried.
Let's cook!
- In a frying pan, add about a thin layer of vegetable oil, and turn the heat to medium. Add the cut vegetables and cook for 3 minutes.
- Add the deep-fried tofu and the sauce you made. Stir for 2 minutes.
Let's serve!
- This is a great lunch!
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