KOREAN BBQ PAN-FRIED TOFU
Sugar, spice and everything nice – these are the makings of pan-fried tofu triangles smothered in my version of Korean BBQ sauce. I have to say, I was a bit surprised at how these turned out – even though it was my second time making the sauce. Let me explain.
Full disclosure, I am…well, was not a sauce maker. This all changed once my partner signed himself (by himself, I mean us lol) up to make street tacos for his annual 2021 Friendsgiving. Among the street taco options? Korean BBQ pulled pork and of course a vegan alternative. My thought – buy a couple of jars of sauce and be done. Easy peasy. I ended up making it from scratch… this is how it happened.
The Sauce Journey
As with any recipe that I am unfamiliar with, I did a little online research to get inspiration. Once I had my list of ingredients, the time came to throw everything together and that’s exactly what I did. Threw a bunch of fresh ingredients into a blender, heated the sauce over the stove and served over tempeh (and pulled pork loin for my carnivorous friends). It was a hit! Everyone loved it and wanted the recipe. SUCCESS!
I thought for sure I would share it with my tribe on the blog. But, there was one problem – I didn’t take any measurements. I barely remembered what went into the sauce. Back in the kitchen and a few failed attempts later – when I said couldn’t remember what was in the sauce, I was not exaggerating – I recreated a version of the sauce to share with you. A special PlantBasedSlay edition. Now if that’s not love, I don’t know what is!
The recipe
The star of the recipe is definitely the sauce so let’s start there. This one is going to be quick and easy, but oh so worth it! Core and quarter an Asian pear, add it to a high-powered blender. If you can’t find an Asian pear, Target has an apple pear or you can add a small Bosch pear and Fuji apple. Next, add ¼ cup of coconut aminos, ¼ cup of liquid aminos, two tablespoons of rice wine vinegar with toasted sesame, two tablespoons of apple cider vinegar, four whole cloves of garlic, an inch of ginger, three green onions, two tablespoons of garlic chili sauce and ¼ cup of pack dark brown sugar. Blend until smooth.
The sauce will be a deep brown with red hints. Pour the sauce into a pot and bring to a low boil. Once boiling, lower heat and let simmer for 20 minutes. Stirring the sauce occasionally to ensure it doesn’t burn. You can use the sauce right after you remove it from the heat if you are in a hurry. But, the true magic happens when you let it sit overnight. This is also the point in the blog where I admit that I forgot to take pictures of the sauce creation, so you will have to take my word for it.
If you are using your sauce right away, get started on pan-frying the tofu triangles while the sauce is simmering. The sauce will be ready by the time the tofu pieces are done frying.
Now comes the easy part, pan-frying the tofu. I skipped on pressing the tofu myself and opted for the convenience of pre-pressed tofu. Cut the tofu into quarter-inch squares and then into triangles. Set aside. In a small bowl, mix a half cup of flour, one tablespoon of corn starch, a teaspoon of sea salt and a half teaspoon of black pepper. Stir up everything and toss the triangles. Coat each triangle and let them rest on a wire rack while heating the oil.
Add just enough vegetable oil to cover the bottom of the frying pan. Heat the oil over medium-high heat. You can test this by sticking the handle of a wooden spoon in the oil, the oil is ready if bubbles form around the wooden spoon. Don’t leave the spoon in the oil. Just use it periodically to test the oil. Once the oil is ready, carefully add in the tofu triangles. Fry each side until golden brown. Remove and let tofu pieces rest on the wire rack.
If you are using the sauce right away: Carefully add half the tofu triangles to the simmering BBQ. Using a wooden spoon, scoop sauce from the pan and onto the top of the triangles. Let simmer for 5 minutes. Repeat with the second half of tofu triangles.
If you let the sauce sit overnight: In a medium fry pan, heat a half cup to a cup of Korean BBQ sauce over medium heat for about 7- 10 minutes. Stirring often. The sauce might begin to bubble slightly. Carefully add half the tofu triangles and reduce heat to low. Using a wooden spoon, scoop sauce from the pan and onto the top of the triangles. Let simmer for 5 minutes. Repeat with the second half of tofu triangles.
There you have it, Korean BBQ tofu triangles. I served my triangles over rice and garnished with sesame seeds and chopped green onions.
Who knew homemade sauce could cause so much heartache and joy in the same process! Even still, this labor of love will definitely join my weekly meal rotation. I hope you try this recipe and enjoy it as much as I did. As always, if you decided to give it a try, let us know! Share with us in the comments below or on Instagram, @plantbasedslay. Be sure to use #plantbasedslay.
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