Warm Tofu with Spicy Garlic Sauce: Diary of a Foodie : gourmet.com

Diary of a Foodie

Diary of a Foodie: Season Three: Korea: Ancient Food, Modern World

Serves8 (as part of a Korean meal)

Active time:10 min
Start to finish:20 min

March 2009

This gently simmered tofu topped with a stir-together sauce is a common banchan. It would also make a great vegetarian main course served with rice. The sauce—speckled with chopped garlic, scallion, sesame seeds, and Korean hot red-pepper flakes—couldn’t be simpler or more satisfying. You will want to eat it on everything.

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1 (14- to 18-oz) package soft tofu (not silken)
1 teaspoon chopped garlic
1/4 cup chopped scallion
2 teaspoons sesame seeds, toasted (see Tips) and crushed with side of a heavy knife
3 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon Asian sesame oil
1 teaspoon coarse Korean hot red-pepper flakes
1/2 teaspoon sugar

Carefully rinse tofu, then cover with cold water in a medium saucepan. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat, then keep warm, covered, over very low heat.
Meanwhile, mince and mash garlic to a paste with a pinch of salt. Stir together with remaining ingredients (except tofu).
Just before serving, carefully lift tofu from saucepan with a large spatula and drain on paper towels. Gently pat dry, then transfer to a small plate. Spoon some sauce over tofu and serve warm. Serve remaining sauce on the side.

Cooks’ notes:

Sauce can be made 1 day ahead and chilled. Bring to room temperature before using.
Tofu can be kept warm up to 4 hours.
We’ve also got a Web-exclusive recipe using the leftover Korean hot red-pepper flakes.

Recipe by Lillian Chou

Photograph by Roland Bello

Keywords: lillian chou,; diary of a foodie,; vegetarian,; korean,; buy this make that

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