Description
This sambal tofu with spicy ginger sauce is a hearty and delicious dinner! Seared tofu is cooked in a flavorful sauce with ginger, garlic, sambal and toasted sesame oil that reduces and thickens. The end result is an amazing texture and a thick sauce that’s so full of flavor with a spicy little kick.
Ingredients
for the marinade + tofu
- 1/2 cup mirin
- 3 TB toasted sesame oil
- 2 TB soy sauce
- 1 TB sambal
- 1 tsp rice vinegar
- 4–6 cloves garlic grated on a microplane grater
- 1 piece of thumb-sized ginger, grated on a microplane grater
- 1 block firm tofu, cut into 6–8 evenly sized slabs and towel pressed for about an hour
for the rest
- 2–4 heads of baby bok choy, base sliced off
- prepared rice or noodles
- sesame seeds
- scallions, thai chilis and/or vegan kimchi
Instructions
to make the marinade
- Combine all marinade ingredients except for the tofu in a medium-sized glass pyrex.
- Place the properly cut and pressed tofu into the marinade, flipping to cover on both sides.
- Place into refrigerator for a few hours, flipping after 2 or 3 hours to ensure even coverage.
to cook the tofu and reduce the marinade
- Preheat a large cast iron pan over medium-high heat. Place the tofu into the hot pan and allow to brown on one side (no more than 2-3 minutes per side). Flip and repeat on the other side.
- Remove the tofu, then pour the remaining marinade into the cast iron pan. Allow to sizzle until slightly reduced, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat.
to prepare the bok choy
- Place the bok choy into an air fryer set at 350 until slightly wilted, about 5 minutes.
- You can alternatively wilt the bok choy in a hot pan with a little oil.
to serve
- Distribute the tofu onto two plates. Drizzle the reduced sauce over both. Add the bok choy and rice/noodles as desired, along with sesame seeds, sliced scallions and kimchi. Serve immediately.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Marinating Time: 2 hours
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Category: Lunch, Dinner
- Method: Marinated, Seared, Air Fried
- Cuisine: Indonesian, Asian