This easy Korean Braised Tofu (known as Dubu Jorim in Korean) is a sweet and savory dish that goes perfect with a bowl of rice! The tofu is pan-fried to golden perfection and braised in a gochujang soy sauce for an easy weeknight dinner.
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Korean Braised Tofu (Dubu Jorim, 두부조림) is a flavorful and spicy Korean side dish (banchan) made by simmering tofu in a savory, sweet, and spicy sauce. You can eat this with white rice (or Kimchi rice) or kimchi noodles. This dish can also be made in advance or in bulk, which is perfect for meal prep. I recommend to serve with more Korean sides like this Crab Jeon and some Korean Corn Cheese!
Ingredients
Here’s a look at what you need to make this Korean Braised Tofu (Dubu Jorim). The highlights are here but the full ingredient list and quantities of each are in the recipe card.
Firm tofu or extra firm tofu is recommended so it can pan fry without breaking. The lower water content ensures that the tofu comes out in a nice crisp!
The sauce is fairly simple with Asian pantry staples. You can purchase all the sauces (soy sauce, mirin, ssame oil and gochujang) at Asian groceries stores like Hmart and 99 Ranch. Soy sauce and mirin will make it sweet and umami. While the gochujang (korean red pepper paste) makes the sauce taste spicy and sweet.
If you don’t have gochujang, you can substitute with gochugaru (korean red pepper flakes) which are milder pepper flakes. I recommend to avoid substitutions in this recipe to ensure the authentic taste of Korean Dubu Jorim.
How to Make Korean Braised Tofu
Step 1. Cut tofu in half and then slice into 2 inch rectangles. Try cut them as even as possible. Dry with a paper towel.
Step 2. Chop garlic and green onions.
Step 3. Make your sauce by mixing gochujang, soy sauce, mirin, and honey. Then mix together with your chopped garlic and green onions.
Step 4. Heat pan on medium-high heat. When the pan is hot, add some oil. Then, gently add in your tofu (be careful of oil splatter as tofu can still have water on it). Fry for 3-4 minutes on each side.
Step 5. When both sides of the tofu is golden, add your sauce in and cook for 2 minutes. Try not to mix the tofu so it doesn’t break.
Step 6. You will see that your sauce has thickened up. Lastly, add your sesame oil and sesame seeds.
Expert Tips
- Pat the tofu dry with a paper towel before pan-frying. This ensures that the tofu can crisp up and gives a nice texture when braising in the sauce.
- If you like it extra spicy, add some more Korean red pepper flakes known as gochugaru to add heat to the dish!
- I prefer to slice the tofu thinly so it soaks up the sauce quicker and gets crispy on the edges!
Recipe FAQs
I recommend to use firm or extra firm tofu for this dish because the shape will remain intact when frying. Firm tofu also has the least amount of water content compared to soft and silken tofu so when pan-fried, it can get extra crispy.
Generally, you can go with this rule:
For Creaminess: Silken tofu like this Egg Drop Soup.
For Flavor Absorption: Soft tofu works well in saucy dishes like this Chinese Mapo Tofu.
For Structure & Texture: Firm tofu is the most versatile for hearty dishes. That’s why we use it for this Korean Braised Tofu!
I recommend storing in an air tight container for up to 3 days. You may eat the tofu dish cold with some hot white rice. Alternatively you can heat it up in the microwave for 30 seconds to 1 minute until the tofu is warm.
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Korean Braised Tofu
Ingredients
- 1 block tofu
- 1 teaspoon oil
- 1 teaspoon gochujang
- 2 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon mirin can sub with water
- ½ teaspoon honey
- 1 green onion chopped
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
Instructions
- Cut tofu in half and then slice into 2 inch rectangles. Try to cut them as even as possible. Dry with a paper towel.
- Chop garlic and green onions.
- Make your sauce by mixing gochujang, soy sauce, mirin, and honey. Then mix together with your chopped garlic and green onions.
- Heat pan on medium-high heat. When the pan is hot, add some oil. Then, gently add in your tofu (be careful of oil splatter as tofu can still have water on it). Fry for 3-4 minutes on each side.
- When both sides of the tofu is golden, add your sauce in and cook for 1-2 minutes. Try not mix the tofu so it doesn’t break.
- You will see that your sauce has thickened up. Lastly, add your sesame oil and sesame seeds.
Notes
-
- Pat the tofu dry with a paper towel before pan-frying. This ensures that the tofu can crisp up and gives a nice texture when braising in the sauce.
-
- If you like it extra spicy, add some more Korean red pepper flakes known as gochugaru to add heat to the dish!
-
- I prefer to slice the tofu thinly so it soaks up the sauce quicker and gets crispy on the edges!
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