Gochujang Tofu Recipes

CRISPY BAKED TOFU WITH GOCHUJANG SAUCE

Steps:

• Drain tofu and cut into roughly 3/4″ to 1″ cubes. Lay down a clean kitchen towel and arrange tofu cubes on one half of the towel. Fold the other half of the towel over the tofu and place a cutting board on top to help press out the excess water. Press for 15-20 minutes.
• Preheat your oven to 425°F and line a baking tray with parchment or a silicone baking mat.
• Transfer the pressed tofu to a large bowl. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle in salt and pepper. Toss until evenly coated. Try to be gentle with the tofu so that the cubes stay intact. I find using a big rubber spatula helps.
• Sprinkle the cornstarch over the seasoned tofu and once again toss until tofu is evenly coated and there's no dry cornstarch left at the bottom of the bowl.
• Arrange the tofu on your prepared baking sheet so that the pieces aren't touching. Bake for 15 minutes and give the pieces a flip. Bake for an additional 15-20 minutes, or until the tofu is as crispy as you like it! The time will vary a little depending on how thoroughly you pressed your tofu.
• While your tofu bakes, you can prepare the gochujang sauce.
• In a saucepan over medium heat, whisk together all ingredients and bring to a gentle simmer.
• Reduce heat to low and simmer, stirring often, for about 3-5 minutes, until sugar has dissolved fully and sauce has thickened slightly. Remove from heat.
• Serve crispy tofu hot out of the oven with sauce on the side, or add tofu to a mixing bowl, drizzle on desired amount of sauce, and toss to coat. Garnish as desired and serve.

GRILLED GOCHUJANG PORK WITH FRESH SESAME KIMCHI

Steps:

• In a large bowl, combine the gochugaru, vinegar, sesame oil, 1 teaspoon of the garlic, 1 teaspoon of the ginger, 1 teaspoon salt, the fish sauce and 1/2 teaspoon of the sugar; mix well. Add bok choy and scallions, and toss with your hands, working the sauce in between and all over the leaves.
• Heat a grill to medium-high or heat a stovetop griddle pan over medium-high. In a large bowl, combine the gochujang, neutral oil, soy sauce, 1 teaspoon black pepper and the remaining 2 teaspoons garlic, 1 teaspoon ginger and 1 tablespoon sugar; mix well. Very lightly season the pork with salt and pepper. Add pork and onion to the marinade and toss, gently massaging the marinade all over the meat (The meat does not need to rest in the marinade before it is grilled, but it can be marinated for up to 3 hours.)
• Grill the pork and onion, in batches if necessary, until nicely charred and caramelized around the edges, and the pork is cooked through, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer to a serving platter.
• Serve the grilled pork and onions with the fresh sesame kimchi and rice on the side.

GRILLED GOCHUJANG TOFU TACOS

Steps:

• For the sauce/marinade: Combine the soy sauce, gochujang, sugar and sesame oil in a small bowl. Whisk together until the sugar has dissolved and the sauce is smooth. You can make this a few days in advance and store it tightly covered in the refrigerator.
• For the tacos: Cut the tofu in thirds horizontally. Blot dry with paper towels then transfer to a large bowl. Add the onion, zucchini, canola oil, salt and pepper. Toss to coat well.
• Heat a large grill pan or grill over high heat for about 3 minutes. Decrease to medium heat and wipe the grill pan or grill grates with a lightly oiled towel right before cooking to remove any char and debris. (This will give you great grill marks and help the food from sticking.)
• Carefully grill the tofu, onion, and zucchini until you see char marks on one side, 2 to 3 minutes for the tofu, and about 2 minutes for the vegetables. Flip and repeat until the other side is grilled.
• Move the grilled food to a cutting board. Cut the tofu into medium dice and transfer to a large bowl. Cut the onion and zucchini into small dice and add it to the bowl. Pour in about half of the gochujang sauce (reserve the rest for serving) and toss to combine.
• Spray the tortillas lightly with nonstick spray. Grill for about 30 seconds on each side and place on a platter.
• Fill each tortilla with about 1/4 to 1/2 cup of the tofu-vegetable mix. Garnish each taco with a few teaspoons of the reserved gochujang sauce, 1 teaspoon of the Cotija, and some cilantro leaves. Serve with lime wedges.