Tofu Gochujang

When my husband’s home, I tend to cook things we both enjoy. That unfortunately rules out : tofu and anything properly spicy.

So when he was away over lunch, I did what any mildly food-obsessed person would do: I raided the fridge, grabbed my new favourite ingredient — Korean gochujang paste — and decided to experiment.

I found a recipe online, then immediately ignored parts of it and made my own substitutions (as you do). The result is the dish you see in the picture. It definitely tastes better than it looks, but isn’t that the charm of a quick “I’m only cooking for me” lunch?

Ingredients

For the tofu:

280 block of tofu, chopped into 1-inch cubes

1 tsp dark soy sauce

1 tsp light soy sauce

Cornflour (enough to coat the tofu cubes lightly)

Salt and pepper, to taste

Oil, for frying

For the sauce:

1 large clove of garlic, finely chopped

1 inch piece of ginger, finely chopped

2 heaped tbsp gochujang paste

1 tsp Demerara sugar

1 tsp honey

1 tbsp ketchup

2 tsp rice wine vinegar

To finish:

Sesame seeds, to garnish

Steamed broccoli and plain rice, to serve

Method

Place the tofu cubes in a bowl, add the soy sauce and toss gently to coat.

Sprinkle over cornflour, salt and pepper. Toss again so every piece of tofu is lightly but evenly coated.

Heat a little oil in a wok or frying pan. Fry the tofu pieces on medium-high heat until they are golden and crisp on all sides. Remove and set aside.

In a small bowl, mix together the garlic, ginger, gochujang paste, sugar, honey, rice wine vinegar and ketchup. Stir until you have a smooth, glossy sauce.

Add a little more oil to the same wok if needed. Pour in the sauce and cook on high heat for a couple of minutes, until it starts to bubble and thicken slightly. You can also add a little water if the sauce becomes too thick.

Add the crispy tofu back into the wok and toss well so every cube is evenly coated in the spicy sauce.

Sprinkle with sesame seeds and serve immediately with plain rice and steamed broccoli.