Yangnyeom Tofu

This is another beautiful recipe from Maangchi! I've made modifications here and there to better fit my family's preferences, but as always feel free to follow the link and try out the original recipe. This dish is a lovely balance of spicy and sweet and takes tofu from a health choice to a delight! Enjoy!

Yangnyeom Tofu

(3 servings*)

Ingredients

500g / 17.5oz of extra firm tofu** (drained)

4 tablespoons of light soy sauce

4 tablespoons of roasted sesame oil

4 teaspoons of gochugaru

2 teaspoons of sugar (to taste)

Vegetable oil (as needed)

1/4 of a small onion (minced)

5 cloves of garlic (crushed/minced)

Chopped green onions (to garnish)

Roasted sesame seeds (to garnish)

*When served as the main with rice.

**If I have time I press the tofu to get some of the extra moisture out of it. If you don't have a tofu press just put a small towel or doubled up paper towel on a plate, place the block of tofu on that, put more paper towel on top of the tofu, cover that with another plate, and then place something heavy on top. Leave it for at least 30 minutes, changing the towel or paper towel as needed if it becomes completely soaked.

Directions

1) Drain the tofu, cut the block in half lengthwise, and then slice into 1-centimeter (1/3-inch) slices and pat dry.

2) Stir together the soy sauce, sesame oil, gochugaru, and sugar to make a sauce and set aside.

3) Heat half a tablespoon of vegetable oil in a wok or large pan over medium heat and sautè the onion until soft and translucent.

4) Throw the garlic into the wok with the onion and continue sautéing for another minute or two before adding the onion/garlic mixture to the sauce prepared in step 2. 

5) Add another tablespoon or so of oil to the wok and turn the heat up until the oil is hot, then return the heat to medium and sauté the tofu slices in batches (to avoid overcrowding). You want the tofu to brown nicely - five minutes on each side usually does the trick.

6) Once the tofu is done cooking pour the sauce over the slices and garnish with green onion and sesame seeds. We like to make a meal of this with some rice - which is why this recipe is extra saucy - but one could easily make this as a side dish alongside another main. Whatever you do, enjoy!