Gochujang Tofu

This gochujang tofu is cooked in an irresistibly spicy, savoury and sweet gochujang-based sauce with mushrooms and onions. This recipe is inspired by Korean spicy pork or Jeyuk Bokkeum that’s packed with an umami and spicy sauce that’s delicious with a bowl of steamed rice.

THE INSPIRATION: KOREAN SPICY PORK OR JEYUK BOKKEUM

Jeyuk (제육) means pork and Bokkeum (볶음) means stir-fry. It’s a marinated spicy pork dish, and I love the sauce that its coated and cooked in. The sauce is gochujang based, making it rich, umami, and of course spicy. I love having dishes like this with rice where you can scoop up the green onions and the extra sauce over for a super satisfying meal. Plus, did I mention that it’s super easy to put together?

Spicy Pork is one of those Korean dishes I REALLY LOVE. There are also different versions of spicy stir-fried dishes in Korean cuisine such as Ojingeo bokkeum or Stir-Fried Spicy Squid with a really additicing sauce.

I also have a vegan korean spicy pork stir-fry recipe here.

I’m really a big spice-lover so I’d go for spicy gochujang tofu dishes like this any day.

WHAT YOU'LL NEED TO MAKE THIS GOCHUJANG TOFU

TOFU

• 1 lb extra firm tofu, pan fry the tofu until golden brown and crisp

You can also use packaged fried bean curd or tofu like I did for this recipe.

GOCHUJANG SAUCE

• 1-1.5 tbsp gochujang
• 1 tbsp tomato ketchup
• 1/4 cup room temperature water
• 1 tbsp sesame oil
• 1-2 tbsp sugar , adjust to sweetness
• 1 tsp sesame seeds
• 1 tbsp rice vinegar
• 1/2 tbsp soy sauce, or more taste
• 1 tsp corn starch

The full recipe is also in the recipe card below ◡̈

FOR STIR-FRYING

• Neutral oil for cooking
• 5.3 oz fresh mushrooms of choice I used shimeji muhsrooms
• 2 green onions chopped & white parts separated
• 1 small white onion sliced
• 3 cloves garlic minced

COOKING THE GOCHUJANG TOFU

• Prepare the tofu: press your tofu to drain out excess water. Pan-fry the tofu over medium heat in a pan with some oil until golden brown and crisp on all sides.
• If air-frying, you can also place the tofu on your air fryer basket and spray oil on each side. Leave to air-fry for 15-20 minutes at 350F or until golden brown and crisp, flip halfway through cooking. You can also use packaged fried bean curd or tofu like I did for this recipe.
• Prepare the rest of the ingredients. For the mushrooms, you can simply break these apart or slice them.

• Mix the sauce: In a separate bowl, mix all the gochujang sauce ingredients together. Feel free to adjust the sauce to your desired taste.

• Stir-Fry: Heat a large pan or wok over medium. Add some oil. Saute the onion, white parts of the green onions until translucent and aromatic. Add in the garlic.
• Saute the mushrooms and leave to cook over medium high eat until slight browned.
• Add in the pan-fried/fried extra firm tofu with the mushrooms.
• Give the sauce another mix (to be sure the starch doesn’t stick to the bottom) and then pour over the tofu.
• Leave to simmer at medium heat until the sauce starts to boil and thicken. Mix well and taste the sauce. Season more as needed. Leave to cook for 1-2 more minutes then turn off the heat. Finish with the green onions and sesame seeds, for topping.

• Serve and enjoy hot with some rice.

OTHER TOFU RECIPES YOU MIGHT LOVE:

Check out my tips on how to store tofu!

• Cold Silken Tofu with Sweet Chili Sauce
• Baked Peanut and Lime Tofu
• Kung Pao Tofu
• Pineapple Cashew Tofu Stir-Fry
• Crispy Salt and Pepper Tofu
• Black Pepper Tofu Steaks
• Tofu "Chicken" Teriyaki
• Korean Spicy Braised Tofu
• Fried 'Chicken' and Gravy
• Tofu Katsu

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