Teriyaki Tofu

Tofu. That most polarizing of foods. To some, tofu is hippie food––one of those things that you “sacrifice” taste for in the name of health. To others (me included), tofu is a magical substance.

Why I Love Tofu

The thing about tofu that those-not-in-the-bean-curd-“know” don’t know is: it takes on the flavor of whatever you cook it with. Translation? It’s a great VEHICLE for flavor.

It’s also a textural thing. A lot of people don’t know about how many different types of tofu there are out there, but it comes in tons of different varieties. For a full overview, check out our Chinese Tofu and Bean Curd ingredients pages, where we list some of the main types of tofu that you can find in your local Asian market.

A Simple Gateway Recipe

For all you tofu novices and tofu lovers alike, I give you this Teriyaki Tofu recipe. It’s simple to make, and involves firm tofu—those white blocks that you can find in most grocery stores these days.

It’s cut into cubes, dredged in cornstarch, and then fried in a pan for maximum crispiness. Then it’s tossed in a homemade teriyaki sauce. Just add rice, and maybe a sautéed vegetable, and dinner is done.

Teriyaki Tofu: Recipe Instructions

Pat the firm tofu dry with a paper towel, and cut into 1-inch cubes.

Add the ¼ cup of cornstarch to a shallow bowl, and dredge the tofu pieces until they all have a light coating of cornstarch.

You’ll see the cornstarch getting absorbed by the moisture of the tofu––this is normal.

Heat the vegetable oil in a cast iron or nonstick pan over medium heat. Add the tofu pieces to the pan, and fry on all sides until golden. Remove the tofu from the pan and set aside.

Add the ginger to the pan, and cook for 1 minute until fragrant. Add the onions and stir-fry for 2-3 minutes.

Then add the mirin, soy sauce, dark soy sauce, brown sugar, and sesame oil.

Bring the mixture to a simmer. Meanwhile, dissolve the remaining two teaspoons of cornstarch in 1/2 cup warm water. Add to the sauce and onions, along with the cooked tofu.

Toss everything together for 1 minute, until the sauce has thickened and the tofu is coated in the teriyaki sauce. 

Stir in the scallions to finish the teriyaki tofu.

Serve your teriyaki tofu over steamed rice with some sesame seeds if desired.

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5 from 15 votes

Teriyaki Tofu Rice Bowl

Teriyaki tofu is the ultimate tofu dish made with tofu cut into cubes, dredged in cornstarch, and then fried in a pan for maximum crispiness. A homemade teriyaki sauce finishes this teriyaki tofu and is served over a bowl of rice.

by: Sarah

Course:Tofu

Cuisine:Asian

Keyword:teriyaki tofu

serves: 4

Prep: 10 minutes

Cook: 15 minutes

Total: 25 minutes

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Ingredients

• ▢ 14 oz. firm tofu (1 package, 400g)
• ▢ 1/4 cup cornstarch (plus 2 teaspoons)
• ▢ ⅓ cup vegetable oil
• ▢ 1 teaspoon ginger (freshly grated)
• ▢ 1 medium onion (thinly sliced)
• ▢ 2 tablespoons mirin
• ▢ 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• ▢ 2 teaspoons dark soy sauce
• ▢ 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• ▢ 1 teaspoon sesame oil
• ▢ 1/2 cup water
• ▢ 1 scallion (chopped, optional)
• ▢ Steamed rice (to serve)
• ▢ Toasted sesame seeds (optional)

Instructions

• Pat the tofu dry with a paper towel, and cut into 1-inch cubes. Add the ¼ cup of cornstarch to a shallow bowl, and dredge the tofu pieces until they all have a light coating of cornstarch. You’ll see the cornstarch getting absorbed by the moisture of the tofu––this is normal.
• Heat the vegetable oil in a cast iron or nonstick pan over medium heat. Add the tofu pieces to the pan, and fry on all sides until golden. Remove the tofu from the pan and set aside.
• Add the ginger to the pan, and cook for 1 minute until fragrant. Add the onions and stir-fry for 2-3 minutes. Then add the mirin, soy sauce, dark soy sauce, brown sugar, and sesame oil.
• Bring the mixture to a simmer. Meanwhile, dissolve the remaining two teaspoons of cornstarch in 1/2 cup warm water. Add to the sauce and onions, along with the cooked tofu. Toss everything together for 1 minute, until the sauce has thickened and the tofu is coated in the sauce. Stir in the scallions.
• Serve over steamed rice with some toasted sesame seeds if desired.

Tips & Notes:

Note nutrition info includes 1 serving of tofu served over 1 cup steamed rice.

nutrition facts

Calories: 470kcal (24%) Carbohydrates: 64g (21%) Protein: 14g (28%) Fat: 17g (26%) Saturated Fat: 10g (50%) Sodium: 510mg (21%) Potassium: 110mg (3%) Fiber: 2g (8%) Sugar: 7g (8%) Vitamin A: 30IU (1%) Vitamin C: 3mg (4%) Calcium: 146mg (15%) Iron: 2mg (11%)

nutritional info disclaimer

TheWoksofLife.com is written and produced for informational purposes only. While we do our best to provide nutritional information as a general guideline to our readers, we are not certified nutritionists, and the values provided should be considered estimates. Factors such as brands purchased, natural variations in fresh ingredients, etc. will change the nutritional information in any recipe. Various online calculators also provide different results, depending on their sources. To obtain accurate nutritional information for a recipe, use your preferred nutrition calculator to determine nutritional information with the actual ingredients and quantities used.

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