Braised Tofu

An Asian Tofu Recipe you will Love

Our braised tofu is a Chinese-inspired recipe with a beautiful dark sauce to serve as the main dish on boiled or steamed rice.

It’s somewhat similar to our Kung Pao Tofu and Stir Fry Tofu; it’s incredibly easy to make with surprisingly simple ingredients, and it’s one of our family’s favorite tofu dishes.

Braising is a cooking method that combines dry heat and wet heat. First, we brown the food without sauce to create flavor, then simmer it with the flavoring liquid.

For a few minutes, you’ll slice firm tofu into strips and sauté with oil, salt, and pepper on a non-stick skillet.

This step allows the tofu to lose some of its water, brown, crisp up, and gain flavor.

Next, pan-fry your favorite veggies; you can use bell peppers, mushrooms, broccoli, and more.

Finally, you’ll add a tasty dark sauce that will beautifully coat the tofu and the veggies and load them with flavor.

You can serve the braised tofu next to a bowl of rice and greens such as chard, bok choi, broccoli, and more.

Tofu

Use firm or extra firm tofu to make braised tofu; soft tofu will disintegrate on the pan, and that’s no fun.

There’s no need to press the tofu; the excess moisture will be released as you cook the tofu on the pan.

You’ll need salt, pepper, and oil (olive oil or sunflower oil are best) to sauté the tofu.

Veggies

Mushrooms: white mushrooms or cremini mushrooms are excellent for this recipe. To add more mushroom flavor, throw in some shiitake or portobello mushrooms.

Bell peppers: pick a yellow bell pepper if you can. The color looks lovely in this dish. Red and green peppers work well, too.

Scallions: or green onions are wonderful for adding a fresh tangy flavor to this dish. Use the white and light-green part to stir fry with the other veggies and the green part as a garnish.

However, you can use veggies that sauté well on a pan, such as thinly sliced carrots, broccoli, green peas, zucchini, bok choi, and more.

Garlic, Ginger, Red Pepper Flakes

Try to use all; they infuse the dish with an irresistible aromatic flavor essential in Asian cooking.

Add more or less red pepper flakes based on your spice tolerance. You can substitute chili powder, gochugaru (Korean chili flakes), or Chinese whole-dried red chilies for red pepper flakes.

Sauce

To braise the tofu, you’ll need a sauce with the following:

• Soy sauce: we use reduced-sodium soy sauce. Substitute tamari or coconut aminos for gluten-free.
• Vinegar: rice vinegar is more traditional. However, white wine or apple cider vinegar works perfectly. Add a tablespoon of Shaoxing wine if you have it in your pantry.
• Sugar: take your pick from white or brown sugar.
• Sesame oil: sesame oil adds a beautifully nutty flavor you’ll love. If you don’t have sesame oil, replace it with olive oil.
• Salt and black pepper

Cornstarch

Mix cornstarch and water to make a cornstarch slurry to thicken the sauce so it sticks to the tofu and veggies.

Serve it with

Serve braised tofu with cooked rice (white, brown, basmati, jasmine). You can also add extra veggies on the side and sesame seeds on top.

For example, we recommend sautéed bok choi, sautéed kale, steamed broccoli, and steamed cauliflower.

Prep the ingredients

Cut the mushrooms in half or quarters and slice the bell pepper into long strips.

Finely slice the scallions and separate the green tops from the white and light green bottom.

Drain the tofu from its package and pat it dry with a paper towel.

Slice it into 1/4-inch strips (0.6 cm).

In a small bowl, whisk cornstarch and water to make the cornstarch slurry.

Whisk soy sauce, vinegar, sugar, sesame oil, salt, and black pepper in a medium bowl. That’s your braised tofu sauce.

Pan-fry ingredients

Warm up the vegetable oil on a large non-stick pan. Add the tofu slices, season them with salt and black pepper, and cook on medium-low heat for about 8 minutes, flipping it once.

When the tofu is golden brown, transfer it onto a plate and set aside.

Note: the salt will draw out excess liquid, making the texture a little chewier without a tofu press.

On the same pan, add some more oil and pan-fry bell peppers and mushrooms on medium-high heat for 3 minutes.

Add the white and light-green parts of the scallions and pan-fry for 1 minute.

Add grated ginger, garlic, red pepper flakes, and fry for 1 minute.

Add sauce

Add tofu slices to the pan, pour in the sauce, make sure it covers the tofu, and simmer on medium heat for 2 – 3 minutes.

Finally, add the cornstarch slurry (whisk it again before adding) and cook on low heat until the sauce thickens a little, but not too much; it should not be overly sticky.

Transfer the tofu to a plate, pour the sauce over it, and sprinkle with the green part of the scallions and sesame seeds. Serve next to rice and steamed veggies.

Serve braised tofu with cooked basmati rice, brown rice, or Asian noodles such as rice noodles, soba noodles, or soy noodles.

You can add steamed broccoli, cauliflower, or bok choy.

Add a vegetable side dish like:

• Roasted broccoli
• Crispy and baked asparagus
• Mango salad or Asian cucumber salad
• Sautéed sweet and sour eggplant
• Stir-fried green beans

Make ahead: You can make braised tofu for meal prep. The tofu keeps well in the fridge for a few days.

The next day, it will be even chewier and more flavorful. If it gets too dry, add water to the sauce before reheating it.

Refrigerator: Keep leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.

Freezer: Let it cool down completely, then transfer it to a freezer-friendly container and freeze it for three months.

Reheat: Thaw and reheat in the microwave.

Similar recipes

ASIAN MEALS: Orange tofu, peanut noodles, Asian noodle salad, Yaki Udon, Kung Pao tofu, red curry.

TOFU RECIPES: marinated tofu, tofu cacciatore, air fryer tofu, baked tofu, tofu salad, grilled tofu, BBQ tofu, tofu egg salad.

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Kung Pao Tofu

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Air Fryer Tofu

Soups

Tofu Soup

30-Min Meals

Peanut Noodles

For many more tofu ideas, check out our tofu category page.