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    Home » Recipes » Vegan Recipes

    Published: May 27, 2023 by Usha Rao

    Korean Pan Fried Tofu with Spicy Sauce

    Jump to Recipe
    Plate of fried tofu slices with a dipping sauce.
    Plate of fried tofu slices with a dipping sauce.

    Korean pan fried tofu is crispy on the outside and soft on the inside.  Pan fried Korean tofu slices are a healthy, protein rich, vegan side dish and an appetizer. It is served with spicy sauce. And to make it a gluten free recipe use gluten free sauces.  

    In Korean, dubu means tofu and buchim means pan fried. Dubu buchim means pan fried tofu and is a popular banchan (side dish) in Korean homes.   Dubu is bland, hence serve it with yangnyeomjang, a spicy seasoned sauce. 

    The base for spicy sauce is soya sauce. Seasoning for the sauce is scallions, gochugaru, garlic and honey.  For additional flavor, throw in some jalapeno peppers or red chilies, sesame seeds and maybe some rice vinegar too.  

    Plate of pan fried Korean tofu with a spicy sauce.

    Tofu is an excellent source of plant based protein. Pan fried tofu slices are a common banchan among home cooks.  Though it is a common side dish, it is so versatile that it makes a great appetizer and a vegetarian main dish.   

    Unlike other banchans such as Sukju Namul Muchim (beans sprouts salad), Sigeumchi Namul (spinach salad) and my favorite OiMu Chim Namul (cucumber salad), dobu buchim goes well with just plain rice. Thus making it a great plant based main dish.

    Jump to:
    • Ingredients
    • Instructions
    • Serving
    • Storage
    • Tips
    • Related Recipes
    • 📖 Recipe

    Ingredients

    Ingredients for Korean pan fried tofu.
    • Tofu - use firm tofu and pat dry with paper towels or a kitchen towel to remove excess water content before pan frying.
    • Soya sauce - is the base for the seasoning sauce and use gluten free sauce for a gluten free recipe. I prefer regular or light soya sauce and find dark a bit strong.
    • Sesame -  Sesame oil gives the sauce a nice flavor and the seeds give a nutty flavor. Although sesame seeds are optional, using sesame oil is a must to enhance the flavor of the sauce.
    • Gochugaru - is Korean chili flakes/powder.  It is slightly sweetish, mild or spicy.  I usually substitute it with Indian chili powder or paprika.  
    • Scallions - use lots of them.
    • Other ingredients - oil for frying tofu, garlic and sugar or honey are other ingredients.  If you do not like raw garlic, feel free to skip it and adjust chili powder accordingly. 

    Instructions

    There are two steps to the process. First prepare the sauce and keep it aside. This gives enough time for scallions and garlic to soak in the sauce. Second step is to prepare and fry tofu.

    Bowl of spicy sauce.

    Step 1: Combine all the ingredients in a bowl, except tofu and cooking oil. Whisk or mix to combine everything and, keep aside until ready to use.

    Block of slice tofu and slicing another block of tofu on a wooden cutting board.

    Step 2: Wash and press tofu between palms to remove excess water. Cut the block into two, lengthwise and cut each piece into 10-12 slices, 10 pieces is ideal.

    Few slices tofu on a wooden cutting board and pat drying few more slices between two paper towels.

    Step 3: Pat dry sliced tofu pieces on paper towels or a kitchen towel to remove excess water.

    Placing sliced tofu in a frying pan.

    Step 4: Heat a wide pan with oil.  Gently place all the slices in the pan, without over crowding.

    Pan frying tofu in a wide pan and flipping tofu with a wooden spatula.

    Step 5: Fry for 5-7 minutes on medium - medium low flame until light brown. Gently flip each slice and continue to fry.

    Fried tofu in the frying pan.

    Step 6: Fry for another 5-7 minutes until golden brown. Transfer to a paper towel lined plate to drain excess oil from tofu.

    Serving

    Drizzle spicy sauce and serve as a side dish or with some steaming rice with any Korean meal. Dobu buchim is a side dish but it also makes a great starter. I like it both as a side dish and as an appetizer.

    Storage

    Store leftover dubu and sauce in an airtight containers in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days. Serve cold or bring tofu to room temperature before serving. Store these separately and drizzle the sauce just before serving.

    Tips

    • Tofu - Use firm tofu and press slices on a paper towel to remove excess water before pan frying. Do not skip this step for crispy tofu.
    • Soya Sauce - Use good quality soya sauce and use either regular or light soya sauce. I find dark soya sauce a bit strong for this sauce. This is my personal preference.
    Bowl of rice with pan fried tofu on the top.

    Related Recipes

    • Cooking from Cookbook Challenge,
      Scrambled Tofu with Tomatoes and Scallions
    • Tandoori Tofu Curry
      Tandoori Tofu Curry
    • Blogging Marathon, Vegetable Wrap, Tofu Wrap, Mushroom Wrap
      Mushroom Tofu Sandwich Wrap
    • Blogging Marathon, Around the World in 30 Days with ABC Cooking, Korean Food, Korean Cuisine, Korean Rice
      Korean Bibimbap

    📖 Recipe

    Platter of Korean fried tofu slices and a bowl of spicy sauce in the middle.

    Korean Pan Fried Tofu with Spicy Sauce | Dubu Buchim-Yangnyeomjang

    Pan fried crispy tofu served with a spicy sauce is a healthy, protein rich Korean banchan (side dish), main dish and a starter. Make ahead recipe, that works great for meal planning and also for gatherings.
    4.55 from 11 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Main Course, Side Dish, Starter
    Cuisine: Korean
    Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes
    Cook Time: 15 minutes minutes
    Servings: 4
    Calories: 194kcal
    Author: Usha Rao

    Equipment

    • 1 Cutting board & knife
    • Paper Towels for drying tofu
    • 1 Plate and paper towels to drain fried tofu
    • 1 Bowl and a whisk

    Ingredients

    Sauce

    • 1 Garlic Clove minced
    • 2 Green Onion chopped
    • ¾ teaspoon Paprika adjust to taste
    • 1 teaspoon Sugar or Honey
    • 2 teaspoons Sesame Oil
    • 3 tablespoon Soya Sauce
    • 1 teaspoon Toasted sesame Seeds optional

    Fried Tofu

    • 16 ounce Firm Tofu
    • 2 tablespoon Vegetable Oil or Olive Oil use more if required

    Instructions

    Sauce

    • Combine all the ingredients required for the sauce. Whisk or mix well and keep aside until ready to use. I prefer doing this step first, as it gives enough time for scallions and garlic to soak in the spicy sauce.

    Frying Tofu

    • Wash and press tofu between palms to remove excess water.
    • Cut the tofu block into two, lengthwise and cut each block into 10-12 slices.
    • Pat dry tofu slices on paper towels or a kitchen towel to remove excess water.
    • Heat a wide pan with oil. Fry the tofu slices on medium heat for 5-7 minutes on each side until light golden brown.
    • Transfer to a paper towel lined plate to drain excess oil from tofu.
    • Arrange tofu on a serving plate, drizzle spicy sauce and sprinkle sesame seeds, if using.
    • Serve with steaming rice or as a side dish with any Korean meal.

    Notes

    • Tofu - Press tofu slices on a paper towel to remove excess water before pan frying. Do not skip this step for crispy tofu.
    • Soya Sauce - Use good quality soya sauce and use either regular or light soya sauce. I find dark soya sauce a bit strong for this sauce. This is my personal preference.
    • Salt - Soya sauce has some sodium and is salty.  Add some salt as per your taste.
    • Nutrition - values mentioned below are approximate values.

    Nutrition

    Serving: 4oz | Calories: 194kcal | Carbohydrates: 6g | Protein: 12g | Fat: 14g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 8g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 0.04g | Sodium: 761mg | Potassium: 95mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 758IU | Vitamin C: 30mg | Calcium: 152mg | Iron: 2mg
    Tried this recipe?Share a photo! Mention @usha_myspicykitchen or tag #Usha_MySpicyKitchen!

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    This post was originally published in April 2015. It is republished with new content and images.

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    Comments

      4.55 from 11 votes (3 ratings without comment)

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    1. Sarika Gunjal (SpiceZone) says

      March 03, 2024 at 10:55 pm

      5 stars
      Another great recipe with Tofu. As a tofu lover I will be trying this soon. I can just smell the flavors with scallions and all the other ingredients.

      Reply
    2. Priya Srinivasan says

      March 02, 2024 at 10:24 am

      5 stars
      Loving this pan fried tofu usha! love how simple it is, concentrating on the sauce and serving it on top of fried tofu! Still learning my way with tofu, i will give this a try!

      Reply
    3. Neha says

      March 01, 2024 at 12:55 pm

      Wow! Would love to have this tofu as an appetizer or side dish. Loved its crispy light brown colour and the sauce. Would definitely make it soon.

      Reply
    4. Mayuri Patel says

      February 28, 2024 at 12:08 pm

      5 stars
      Thanks for sharing such an interesting and easy recipe. I love fried tofu and for a change can enjoy it with Korean style sauce.

      Reply
    5. Archana says

      February 28, 2024 at 3:15 am

      5 stars
      I ordered 2 blocks of tofu and was wondering how to use them up. This pan-fried tofu saved my tofu I was hesitant thinking hubby will not like it but he loved it. Thanks a lot!

      Reply
    6. Jayashree.T.Rao says

      February 27, 2024 at 12:27 pm

      5 stars
      This looks amazing, I am sure it tastes good and elevates our menu. Would love to make this sometime soon. Bookmarked.

      Reply
    7. Kalyani says

      February 26, 2024 at 12:11 am

      5 stars
      My husband and my lil munchkin are huge fans of tofu, Usha. bookmarking to try this delish pan fried Tofu for them. thanks for all the tips shared here, can't wait to surprise them 🙂

      Reply
    8. Seema Sriram says

      February 25, 2024 at 4:04 pm

      5 stars
      I love making tofu dishes and the Korean flavours will work well with my young ones. I will surely make a batch this week so we can have it multiple times. Thanks.

      Reply
    9. preeti garg says

      July 07, 2023 at 3:30 pm

      5 stars
      These day korean recipes are going viral on instagram.. love your korean fried tofu recipe.

      Reply
    10. Adelina Priddis says

      April 25, 2015 at 5:56 pm

      Your tofu look like a perfect starter! I'm going to check out the seasoned sprouts now - one of my favorite foods!

      Reply
    11. lydiaf1963 says

      April 16, 2015 at 11:39 am

      Love the look of the spicy cucumber salad and the seasoned bean sprouts. Next time I make Korean food I'll have four side dishes instead of two! 🙂

      Reply
    12. Chef Mireille says

      April 15, 2015 at 9:42 pm

      all these delicious looking dishes..you have me in the mood for Korean again

      Reply
    13. Pavani says

      April 15, 2015 at 9:32 pm

      Wow, looks like both of us had a telepathic conversation and ended up making exactly the same dish 🙂 We really enjoyed this dish a lot.

      Reply

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    Plate of fried tofu slices with a dipping sauce.
    Plate of fried tofu slices with a dipping sauce.

    Hi, I am Usha! Welcome to my space. I am the content creator and photographer here. I love cooking and all the recipes on the site are tried and tested in my kitchen.

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