Cherry & Dennis Recipes
Korean Braised Tofu
韓式辣燴豆腐
Recipe overview
Korean Braised Tofu, Dubu Jorim, is a common Korean home side dish for rice: dubu means tofu and jorim means braising in seasoned sauce. Firm tofu is gently dried, cut into 1.5 cm slices, lightly golden on both sides, then briefly braised over low-medium heat in a red-brown garlic, gochugaru and sesame-oil sauce. It is not mapo tofu, Chinese braised tofu, Korean tofu stew, stuffed tofu or soup; slices stay intact with a thin coating and a little flowing sauce, without cornstarch.
01
Ingredients
Main Ingredients
- 600 g Firm tofu
- 3 scallions—chopped, half for sauce and half last; 1 red chilli optional—sliced; toasted white sesame 1 tablespoon—for topping arlic cloves—minced;
Korean braising sauce
- 3 tablespoons Light soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon Gochugaru
- 2 teaspoons Sugar
- 1 teaspoon Sesame oil
- 150 ml Drinking water
Pan-frying oil
- 2 tablespoons Cooking oil
Final adjustment
- up to 1 teaspoon Light soy sauce
- up to 1/2 teaspoon Gochugaru
02
Tools
- 28 cm non-stick pan
- lid
- silicone turner
- wooden spoon
- tongs
- Bowls
- measuring cup
- spoons
- scale
- knife
- tofu board
- kitchen paper
- basting spoon
- oven mitts
- four white plates
- pastry brush
- oven mitts
- serving plate
03
Steps
Step 1
Check tofu
Confirm date and package condition; after opening reject sour smell, slime or discoloration and use promptly.
Step 2
Pat gently dry
Wrap tofu in layered kitchen paper and press gently 5 minutes; never use a heavy weight until misshapen.
Step 3
Cut even slices
Cut 1.5 cm thick, about 5×7 cm rectangles and blot cut faces.
Step 4
Mix braising sauce
Mix soy sauce, gochugaru, sugar, sesame oil, water, garlic and half the scallion.
Step 5
Preheat pan
Heat 28 cm non-stick pan 1 minute over medium, then lightly coat with 1 tablespoon oil.
Step 6
Fry first side
Fry tofu in one layer 3–4 minutes without moving until set and pale golden.
Step 7
Fry second side
Gently turn with silicone turner, add little oil if needed, and fry 2–3 minutes pale golden.
Step 8
Add sauce
Arrange tofu in one layer or slight overlap, stir sauce again and pour around pan edge.
Step 9
Braise after boiling
When sauce boils, lower to medium-low, cover and braise 3 minutes.
Step 10
Spoon sauce over
Uncover and spoon sauce repeatedly over tofu for 2–3 minutes; do not stir-fry violently.
Step 11
Reduce naturally
Reduce to about one-third, thin red-brown coating on tofu with little flowing sauce below.
Step 12
Finish and serve
Turn heat off; add remaining scallion, sesame and optional chilli, then serve intact pieces with hot rice.
Common mistakes
- Do not use expired, swollen, leaking, sour, slimy or discoloured tofu. Soft tofu, no blotting, excessive pressing, uneven or too-thin slices break easily. Cold pan, too little oil or deep-frying in excess oil are unsuitable. Moving, early turning, squeezing or burning tofu causes breakage or toughness. Unmixed sauce, lots of gochujang, too little water, cornstarch slurry, dry sauce or violent stirring are wrong. Leaving cooked tofu at room temperature too long is unsafe.
Tips
Check date and package; use immediately after opening. Use firm tofu, press gently 5 minutes, cut 1.5 cm and blot. Mix sauce first; split scallion between sauce and finish. Preheat pan, use little oil and keep tofu one layer. Turn gently only after set; both sides need pale gold only. Stir sauce again, then lower heat after boiling. Spoon sauce over; constant turning breaks tofu. No cornstarch; reduce to one-third with little flowing sauce. Add sesame and scallion last; chill leftovers promptly and reheat thoroughly.
