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.
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.
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.
You’ll need:
- 1 14 oz. package of firm tofu
- 1/4 cup cornstarch, plus 2 teaspoons
- ⅓ cup vegetable oil
- 1 teaspoon grated ginger
- 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 warm water
- 1 scallion, chopped (optional)
- Steamed rice, to serve
- Toasted sesame seeds (optional)
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 teriyaki sauce.
Stir in the scallions to finish the teriyaki tofu.
Serve your teriyaki tofu over steamed rice with some toasted sesame seeds if desired.
Teriyaki Tofu Rice Bowl
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.
Notes
Nutrition
Emily says
Great recipe! Personally could’ve skipped the ginger and I definitely added extra sugar and teriyaki sauce. It was too sour from the ginger and salty from all the soy sauce. Idk maybe I just like things sweet but too bitter for me :)
Sarah says
Hi Emily, definitely feel free to make adjustments to the recipe according to your own tastes. Not sure where the bitterness you’re describing would come from though…
Thu-Huong says
Hi
Thank you, your recipes taste good, plus the way they are presented isn’t intimidating. So it’s easier for me to be willing to try them out.
I have a question, is the tofu supposed to be crispy at the end ? Because with the sauce, it becomes soft.
Thank you
Sarah says
The tofu is meant to have an outer crust that gives it some texture and chew in the dish, and also prevents it from breaking up, but I wouldn’t say that the end result is meant to be crispy, since, as you say, it’s a saucy, rather than dry dish.
Bharti says
Amazing recipe. I fried half of the tofu and the other half went in the oven as I couldn’t fit all the pieces in the pan.
Both type of tofu came out crisp and tatsty. We just snacked on the oven baked one later in the day.
Thanks guys for posting this recipe. As usual, your recipes rock!!
Sarah says
Thank you so much, Bharti!
Lana says
I wanna start by saying, I absolutely love this blog. I’ve learned so many new cooking techniques just from you guys. As some one who was raised in an French/American/Chinese household, I really missed my step-mom’s cooking when I moved away. I had no good way of accessing Chinese cooking recipes in English until I found your blog. I plan on trying so many more of your recipes.
I was a bit iffy of trying this recipe at first. The thought of mixing tofu and onions together was very much not something I found appealing. I tried it anyways. What was appealing was the color and the vegetarian aspect. Sometimes I just crave a vegetarian meal you know?
Well, I have to say, I used about 8 paper towels trying to get the tofu even somewhat dry. I’m not sure if there is an easier method around this. Frying the tofu was also new to me. The pieces kept sticking together. I may have cooked them too close together. They turned out fine in the end though. I was very nervous about this dish because I couldn’t tell if I was messing up the steps. But! It turned out amazing. I ate the entire thing by myself over the course of three days since my husband is not a fan of tofu (yet). It makes for great leftovers and that’s a huge bonus.
Sarah says
Hey Lana, so glad you liked this dish. As for the tofu, you can leave it out on a plate to drain for a while after you’ve cut it into cubes. Excess water will naturally drain out onto the plate. Then you can pat it dry with paper towels after that!
Roxane says
Hi, Does the nutrition information include rice? Thank you.
Sarah says
Hi Roxane, thanks for your question! Yes, the nutrition info includes 1 serving of tofu with 1 cup steamed rice. I have made a note in the recipe card to make that clear. Thanks for helping us improve our recipes!
nichole says
Great recipe! Double the sauce though if you want more on your rice :) also I put orange and red bell peppers in and snap peas, highly recommended!
Sarah says
Awesome, thanks Nichole!
Tamir says
Hands down the best tofu dish I’ve made and eaten, and one of the best dishes in the site.
Sarah says
Thanks Tamir! So glad you enjoyed it :)
Emily says
Finally tried this recipe! As a long time tofu lover, I have been attempting to convert my family! My spicy tofu was a hit, and this recipe seems to have converted my sisters, just my mum who is still holding out on me
Sarah says
haha that’s awesome, Emily! Glad we could help turn the tides a bit on tofu in your family. :) We’ll get to your mum eventually!
Matthew Hollis Damon, author says
This is amazing recipe. Best teriyaki ever! I took pics but it seems I can’t post it. Anyway, phenomenal. My tofu hating daughter even loves it!
I modified the recipe to make large flat rectangles like in the restaurants. I also deep friend some and pan fried other tofu, and in the end it didn’t make a difference. If I had fried it and left it aside til the end before adding sauce, the tofu would’ve been crispy. But instead I cooked it in the sauce and it’s a succulent melt-in-your-mouth texture!
Sarah says
That’s awesome! So glad you and the family liked it Matthew. :)
Matthew Hollis Damon, author says
Thanks Sarah! Making it again tonight for about the fifth time in a month ??
Judy says
hahaha…who’s counting.
Christelle says
Omg this turned out weird ???? So everything started out fine, I actually did the sauce first and it was all going well. However when it came to the tofu part, I lightly coated the tofu with cornstarch etc… but when I started frying, the cornstarch solidified all around the tofu to form a kind of jelly ‘wall’. And when I added the fried tofu to the sauce, the wall refused to allow sauce to coat the tofu pieces. It was hilarious! And you’re probably thinking I used too much cornstarch but it was a very light coat! Anyways, ended up substituting cornstarch with flour when making batch 2. Very tasty dinner, my brother and I had a good laugh! Thanks for sharing
Sarah says
Hahaha weird story! The cornstarch does form a kind of layer around the tofu, but after it’s fried, it shouldn’t prevent sauce from sticking to it. I’m also a bit mystified, Christelle. But I’m glad that you and your brother enjoyed it in the end. And good to know that in your experience, flour worked. Thanks for sharing!
Eike says
Yep, it‘s getting a bit jelly at first but once you thoroughly fried it, the ‚jelly’ is gone. I use to flip each cube separately, that way i get it evenly golden brown and crispy.
Btw super delicious dish, even my picky kids love it ;)
Matthew Hollis Damon, author says
Haha, yes I had that weird coat of cornstarch too— it was shiny and slippery! It didn’t prevent sauce from soaking in for me tho. I used less after my first pieces. And the cornstarch got wet and crumbly in the bowl after the first pieces too so it didn’t cost as much. Great dish!
cricket says
*Did* it turn out weird?
Your use of question marks is confusing. If it turned out weird, then just end the sentence with a period or an exclamation mark. Question marks are for when you’re asking an actual question. Such as “Why did my tofu turn out so weird?” They are not necessary when you are telling us a fact, even if that fact has you baffled as to the reason.