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Korean Braised Tofu, or Dubu Jorim, is an extremely simple dish consisting of braised tofu in a delicious spicy, soy-based sauce. It comes together in just a few minutes and only requires one pan for a quick and flavorful side dish!
Watch the Korean Braised Tofu Recipe Video Below!
Korean Braised Tofu, or Dubu Jorim is an excellent side dish to go with rice (like Kimchi Fried Rice) or noodles (like Jajangmyeon), 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. Eat it with other Korean side dishes like Korean Bean Sprout Side Dish, Korean Broccoli Salad, Korean Spinach, or Korean Braised Potatoes!
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 – see note below
- soy sauce (low sodium) – I recommend using low sodium soy sauce if you have it, because gochujang is relatively high in sodium. However, if you don’t have it, regular soy sauce will work as well.
- 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, used in other dishes lik Korean Cucumber Salad or Spicy Pork Bulgogi.
- While the heat level varies, it’s definitely on the spicy side. 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 – I like the texture it adds but you can skip this if you don’t have it
- garlic
- scallions
- 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.
Want super crispy tofu? Make Air Fryer Tofu instead!
Key Tip
What Type of Tofu Should I Use?
When you go to any Asian grocery, you will notice there are many types of tofus in the refrigerated (and shelf-staple) section – each with different textures and suitable for specific types of dishes. Here are the most common types of tofu and the dishes they are typically used in:
Soft Tofu:
- This type of tofu has the most water content and will be the softest of the varieties you’ll find in your grocery store.
- It’s silky and very pliable due to this high water content, similar to the consistency of a soft cheese.
- I like to use this tofu in my Chinese Silken Tofu.
Firm Tofu:
- Regular tofu is typically best for soups and stews. It is sometimes labeled as “medium” firmness.
- You want to use this tofu when you want a tofu that is soft enough to soak up sauce or braising liquid, but firm enough to not fall apart, like Mapo Tofu.
Extra Firm Tofu – For Korean Braised Tofu, I recommend extra firm tofu. This type of tofu will help hold up its shape when pan frying!
- Firm or extra firm tofu is the variety with the least amount of water content. The tofu is dense, similar to the consistency of meat, and is my favorite to use in recipes, like this one or Salt and Pepper Tofu as it holds up very well.
Recipe Instructions
1. 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!
2. 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.
3. Pan Fry the Tofu
Preheat 2 tbsp of oil over medium high heat in a non-stick pan.
Gently add the 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!
4. Braise the Tofu
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!
PRO TIPS
Storage and Reheating
Korean Braised Tofu, or Dubu Jorim can be made ahead of time and kept in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days. The best part is that the sauce will only taste better as it sits, and the tofu will continue to soak up the delicious sauce. This is one of those dishes that tastes better the next day.
You can reheat this in the microwave or on a small pan over medium heat.
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!
Korean Braised Tofu (Dubu Jorim)
Ingredients
- 1 package of firm tofu, package size is 14oz
- 1/4 cup light soy sauce
- 1/4 cup water
- 1 tbsp gochugaru
- 1/2 tbsp sugar
- 1 tbsp sesame oil
- 1/2 tbsp sesame seeds
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 scallion, finely chopped
- 2 tbsp neutral oil
Instructions
- Cut tofu lengthwise into 1/2" thick pieces.
- In a bowl, mix soy sauce, water, gochugaru, sugar, sesame oil, sesame seed, garlic, and scallions.
- In a medium pan, heat 2 tbsp of neutral oil over medium high heat. Pan fry tofu 2 minutes per side until golden brown on each side.
- Add sauce and braise the tofu for 5-6 minutes over medium heat until the sauce has reduced and thickened slightly. Serve with steamed rice and enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
My daughter was skeptical about this recipe because other people who have made pan-fried tofu made it either dry or flavorless but I told her we can trust CJ. We followed the instructions exactly and it came out great!
Thank you so much!
Yum. This dish rings my all my bells and blows my whistle. I pair with kimchi, seaweed, korean cucumber salad and quinoa. Thank you for sharing.
Delicious! Thanks for the review, Marvie!