Korean Braised Tofu (Dubu Jorim)

Korean Braised Tofu, or Dubu Jorim is an excellent side dish to go with rice or noodles, and is great served hot or cold! Despite it being a vegetarian dish, the tofu is quite meaty and filling and pairs wonderfully with the spicy, soy-based sauce.

The best part about this Korean Braised Tofu, or Dubu Jorim is that you can make it ahead of time and keep it in the fridge for 2-3 days. The tofu will further soak up the delicious sauce and it’ll taste even better!

Watch the Korean Braised Tofu Recipe Video Below!

Ingredients You’ll Need For Korean Braised Tofu

To make Korean Braised Tofu, or Dubu Jorim, you’ll only need a few ingredients:

• Firm Tofu
• Light Soy Sauce
• Water
• Gochugaru (Korean chili flake) – Gochugaru is Korean red chili pepper flakes (or powder, depending on which version you purchase). It’s vibrant in color and smoky in flavor, and while the heat level varies, it’s definitely on the spicy side. I love using this ingredient because of the layers of flavor it adds! I recommend you adjust the amount based on your spice tolerance level.
  • The recipe calls for 1 tbsp of gochugaru per 1 14-oz package of firm tofu. For me, this was about a 6 out of 10 on the spice scale, so you can adjust the amount of chili pepper flakes according to your taste.
• Sugar
• Sesame Oil
• Sesame Seeds
• Garlic
• Scallion
• Neutral Oil – My favorite neutral oil is avocado oil, but you can also use canola or vegetable oil here as well! These oils are neutral in flavor (unlike olive oil) and have a high smoke point.

Recipe Instructions

Prepare Your Tofu

Cut your tofu into 1/2″ to 1″ thick rectangles and pat dry with a paper towel to remove any excess moisture. I prefer my pieces a little on the thicker side so I can get more color on them when searing them in the pan!

Mix the Braising Sauce

Next, you’ll want to mix together your braising sauce, which consists of soy sauce, water gochugaru, sugar, sesame oil, sesame seeds, chopped garlic and scallions. Mix this together in a small both and put this next to your pan along with your prepared tofu.

Preheat 2 tbsp of oil over medium high heat in a non-stick pan and you’re ready to cook!

Once the oil has preheated over medium high heat, gently add your tofu to the pan. Pan fry the tofu for 2 minutes per side until they are golden brown all over. If you want to be extra thorough, you can also pan fry the shorter sides as well!

After the tofu is golden brown on all sides, reduce the heat to medium and add the braising sauce. Braise the tofu for 5-6 minutes over medium heat, spooning the sauce over the tofu as it continues cooking. You’ll see that the sauce will start to thicken up and reduce, which will create a beautiful pan sauce to spoon over your tofu!

If you enjoyed Korean Braised Tofu, or Dubu Jorim, be sure to check out my other Korean recipes below!

• Korean Cucumber Salad
• Korean Bean Sprout Side Dish
• Korean Broccoli Salad
• Korean Spinach Salad
• Korean Braised Potatoes

If you tried this Korean Braised Tofu, or Dubu Jorim, or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the comments below!