This Pan-Fried Tofu with a Chili Miso Sauce is really easy to put together, super tasty and easily customizable. The sauce is packed with umami from the miso paste and balanced off with a hints of sweetness, acidity and that kick of spice from the chili sauce.
WHY YOU'LL LOVE THIS TOFU RECIPE
- It's ready in 30 minutes (or even less!)
- Great for meal prep - make a big batch and let the tofu soak up the flavors even more!
- Perfect with steamed rice or noodles for a really hearty meal
PREPARE YOUR TOFU
I started, of course, with the tofu. I used extra firm tofu but you can opt to also use firm tofu. I love using extra firm tofu or tokwa for easier handling.
Pressing the tofu: I like to wrap my tofu in a towel and placing a flat heavy surface on top toe press it down and remove excess liquid. This way, your tofu will absorb more flavours when cooking!
I sliced the tofu into 3/4 to 1” (2-2.5 cm) thick pieces but you can opt to slice it however way you want.
PAN-FRYING THE TOFU
I then basically cooked the tofu to a crisp on a pan until golden brown throughout—but you can opt to bake or even air-fry them if you’re looking to use less oil.
While the tofu is cooking, you prepare the sauce.
MISO CHILI SAUCE
- miso paste , I used white miso
- chili garlic sauce or chili oil, adjust to desired spice (see homemade chili garlic sauce recipe here)
- soy sauce
- Chinese black vinegar or rice vinegar
- ginge, r finely grated
- garlic, minced
- sesame seeds
- sesame oil
- liquid sweetener or sugar, adjust to taste
- scallions or spring onions, chopped
Full recipe is in the card down below!
Mix everything well and feel free to adjust to your taste. You'll find the full recipe below!
SERVE YOUR TOFU AND ENJOY
- Transfer the tofu on a deep plate or bowl. Pour in the sauce and top with some chopped scallions or spring onions and more chili garlic sauce/chili oil, if desired.
- Note: You can opt to also cook the tofu down in the sauce after pan-frying it on the pan. This helps the tofu absorb more flavours but the tofu can lose its crunch.
- You can enjoy this immediately or allow the tofu to soak in the sauce longer. Enjoy with rice or noodles!
STORING THE TOFU
This tofu is perfect for a big batch and for meal prep! The longer it soaks in the sauce, the better it tastes too.
If you try out this recipe, I’d appreciate if you leave a rating or simply click on the stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ on my recipe card!
Check out my other tofu recipes here or down below:
Check out my tips on how to store tofu!
Pan-Fried Tofu with Chili Miso Sauce
Ingredients
Tofu
- 17.5 oz firm or extra firm tofu
- Pinch of salt
- Neutral oil for cooking
Chili Miso Sauce
- 1 heaping tbsp miso paste , I used white miso (see notes)
- 1/2-1 tbsp chili garlic sauce or chili oil, adjust to desired spice (see homemade chili garlic sauce recipe here)
- 1 tbsp soy sauce see notes
- 2 tbsp Chinese black vinegar or rice vinegar
- 1 small knob ginger finely grated
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tsp sesame seeds
- 1 tbsp sesame oil
- 2 tbsp liquid sweetener or sugar adjust to taste (see notes)
- 2 scallions or spring onions chopped
To Finish
- More chili garlic sauce or chili oil for topping
- Chopped spring onions or scallions for topping
Instructions
- Press Tofu: Press the tofu for 10 minutes. I like to do this by wrapping the tofu in a towel and placing a heavy board or surface on top.
- Prepare the Sauce: Meanwhile, prepare the sauce by mixing everything together. Feel free to adjust to your desired taste.
- Slice the tofu into 3/4 to 1-inch thick pieces. You can slice them in to rectangular or square pieces, it’s up you!
- Pan-Fry Tofu: Heat a large non-stick pan over medium high heat. Add the oil.Once hot, place the sliced the tofu slices. Add a sprinkle of salt over the tofu. Pan-fry the tofu until golden brown, around 3-4 minutes on each side.
- Pour the Sauce: Transfer the tofu on a deep plate or bowl. Pour in the sauce and top with some chopped scallions or spring onions and more chili garlic sauce/chili oil, if desired.
- Other option - Cooking Tofu with the Sauce: You can also opt to also cook the tofu down in the sauce after pan-frying it on the pan. This helps the tofu absorb more flavours but the tofu can lose its crunch. If doing so, add the sauce into the pan and allow to cook for 2-3 minutes until absorbe.
- You can enjoy this immediately or allow the tofu to soak in the sauce longer. Enjoy with rice or noodles!
WATCH Video
Notes
Sugar/Liquid sweetener
- If using 2 tbsp sugar instead of liquid sweetener, add 1 tbsp water to the mix
Miso Paste
- White miso paste has a sweeter note compared to red miso paste that’s fermented longer. If using red miso paste, you may beed to lessen the soy sauce to 1/2 tbsp first since red miso can be a lot stronger in flavour.
NUTRITIONAL INFO
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A delicious recipe that is easy to follow and produces a myriad of flavours that will leave you wanting more
Thank you Jamie ◡̈
Made this last night for dinner. My partner and I devoured it. I ate it with some sushi rice and it was delicious. Definitely will be making again.
Thanks so much Kristin ◡̈
Hi Jecca, Thank you for this recipe! I find it extremely delicious, I’ve made it twice in a week already!Its easy to add veggies also today I added broccoli and bok choy.thank you!
Thank you so much Maureen! Glad you like it!! ◡̈
Hi, this looks amazing, I would love to know what your dispenser is called it’s so functional and I would love to have something similar
Hi Amanda, do you mean the sauce pourer? It’s a japanese spouted bowl, also known as a ‘katakuchi’. I thrifted mine but there are lots of different kinds in diff sizes and shapes. So handy to have!
The sauce was delicious!! I didn’t have garlic chili sauce so used sambal oelek, which was great. Also tried it with lime zest and juice instead of ginger on top of steamed broccoli and chard.
I can imagine how good the sauce was with the sambal! Thanks so much for trying it out! ◡̈