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Warm Tofu with Spicy Garlic Soy Sesame Sauce Recipe

May 29, 2013 by Jeanette 32 Comments

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This Warm Tofu with Spicy Garlic Soy Sesame Sauce is perfect for a meatless meal or as an inexpensive protein to serve alongside other dishes at dinnertime. Warm Tofu with Spicy Soy Sesame Sauce © Jeanette's Healthy Living I have piles of recipes that I’ve collected over the years. Occasionally, I pull out a folder here and there and peruse through some of them. Each time, I toss a few and pull some aside to try out. Today’s Warm Tofu with Spicy Garlic Sauce recipe is one that was tucked way back in my file cabinet.

Although the dressing is similar to one that I’ve made over the years for cold Asian side dishes (banchan), the preparation of the tofu is interesting. A block of soft tofu is simmered over low heat, which gently heats the tofu and ensures it doesn’t fall apart. It makes a pretty presentation.

Warm Tofu with Spicy Soy Sesame Sauce © Jeanette's Healthy Living

I enjoyed the leftovers cold and they were really good. This easy tofu dish would be nice served with a variety of banchan (little cold salads that are often served with Korean meals) and a bowl of steamed rice.

Here are some banchan style recipes if you’re curious:

Kim Chi Cucumber Salad © Jeanette's Healthy Living

Spicy Cucumber Salad

KoreanSpinachSaladBanchan
Spinach Salad Banchan

Bean sprout salad © Jeanette's Healthy Living
Bean Sprout Salad Banchan

Napa Cabbage Kimchi © Jeanette's Healthy Living
Quick Napa Cabbage Kimchi

Radish Kimchi © Jeanette's Healthy Living
Red Radish Kimchi
Kohlrabi KimChi © Jeanette's Healthy Living
Kohlrabi Kim Chi

Kale Kimchi in a Jar © Jeanette's Healthy Living

Kale Kim Chi

Warm Tofu with Spicy Soy Sesame Sauce © Jeanette's Healthy Living
5 from 1 vote
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Warm Tofu with Spicy Garlic Soy Sesame Sauce

Leftovers are good cold.
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 5 minutes
Total Time 15 minutes
Servings 2
Calories 61 kcal

Ingredients

  • 1 block soft tofu ~ 16 ounce box
  • 1 large clove garlic mashed with a pinch of salt
  • 1 scallion chopped
  • 2 teaspoons toasted sesame seeds exclude for low residue diet
  • 2 tablespoons low-sodium gluten-free soy sauce
  • 2 teaspoons sesame oil
  • 1 teaspoon Korean red pepper flakes you can substitute 1/8 teaspoon regular red pepper flakes
  • 1/2 teaspoon organic sugar

Instructions

  1. Gently place tofu in a saucepan; cover with water and bring to a simmer over medium heat; reduce heat to low and simmer until warmed through, about 5 minutes.
  2. Combine mashed garlic, scallion, sesame seeds, soy sauce, sesame oil, red pepper flakes and sugar together in a small bowl.
  3. Before serving, carefully lift tofu from pan and pat dry with paper towels. Transfer to serving dish and spoon sauce on top.

Recipe Notes

Adapted from Lillian Chou on Epicurious.

Nutrition Facts
Warm Tofu with Spicy Garlic Soy Sesame Sauce
Amount Per Serving
Calories 61 Calories from Fat 45
% Daily Value*
Fat 5g8%
Saturated Fat 1g6%
Sodium 534mg23%
Potassium 29mg1%
Carbohydrates 3g1%
Fiber 1g4%
Sugar 1g1%
Protein 1g2%
Vitamin A 60IU1%
Vitamin C 1mg1%
Calcium 20mg2%
Iron 1mg6%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

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Filed Under: Asian, Beans/Legumes, Cooking For Cancer, dairy-free, gluten-free, healthy choices, Liquid/Soft Food Diet, Low Residue Diet, Pantry Recipe, vegan, vegetarian Tagged With: banchan, easy tofu dish, meatless meal, vegan main course, vegetarian main course

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Comments

  1. Lydia (The Perfect Pantry) says

    May 29, 2013 at 7:00 am

    I’ve never cooked a whole block of tofu this way. It looks lovely, and of course the spicy sauce appeals to me most of all!

    Reply
    • Jeanette says

      May 30, 2013 at 9:33 pm

      Lydia, it was my first time cooking tofu as one piece but I loved the presentation…and I agree, spicy sauce is the best!

      Reply
      • joe says

        December 9, 2014 at 1:15 pm

        I’m trying to locate the warm tofu with spicy garlic sauce recipe and not able to find it? i did sign up for your news letter too???

        Reply
        • Jeanette says

          December 9, 2014 at 6:18 pm

          Joe, the recipe is at the bottom of this post. Thanks so much for signing up for our newsletter.

          Reply
      • Tina says

        September 14, 2015 at 12:35 pm

        How were you able to lift the tofu from the saucepan without breaking it?

        Reply
        • Jeanette says

          September 14, 2015 at 9:09 pm

          I used a “spider” strainer – it’s a big webbed strainer

          Reply
  2. Joanne says

    May 29, 2013 at 8:41 am

    I am a BIG tofu lover and I definitely would love to make a meal of it served with some of these banchan!

    Reply
    • Jeanette says

      May 30, 2013 at 9:33 pm

      Joanne, banchan are so fun – I love going to Korean restaurants where there’s a spread of these little plates.

      Reply
  3. Kalyn says

    May 29, 2013 at 10:02 am

    LOVE the sound of this! And we’re channeling each other because I’m doing a spicy tofu recipe today when I cook with my nephew!

    Reply
    • Jeanette says

      May 30, 2013 at 9:34 pm

      Kalyn, this is a nice light dish – can’t wait to see your spicy tofu recipe!

      Reply
  4. Georgia @ The Comfort of Cooking says

    May 29, 2013 at 5:34 pm

    What a great looking hunk of tofu, it sounds delicious! Love the simple but vibrant flavors you added!

    Reply
    • Jeanette says

      May 30, 2013 at 9:37 pm

      Thanks Georgia – this is very refreshing. The spicy sauce is a nice contrast to the smooth and silky tofu.

      Reply
  5. Kiran @ KiranTarun.com says

    May 30, 2013 at 5:56 pm

    Love the ingredients in the sauce for warm tofu! Yum!

    Reply
    • Jeanette says

      May 30, 2013 at 10:18 pm

      Thanks Kiran – very easy and light!

      Reply
  6. Diane {Created by Diane} says

    June 4, 2013 at 2:40 pm

    om my everything look so good. My son would just LOVE the tofu, he is crazy for tofu, I’ll be putting in on the list to make and I’m sure we will all enjoy it!

    Reply
  7. Laura says

    June 5, 2013 at 1:49 am

    Hi Jeanette,
    Just wondering how many servings you recommend that this recipe makes? 🙂

    Reply
    • Jeanette says

      June 6, 2013 at 9:47 pm

      Laura – depending on if you serve this as a main course or as a side dish, I would say it serves 2 as a main course and 4 as a side dish.

      Reply
  8. Gabriella says

    December 7, 2013 at 2:52 pm

    I happened to come across this blog one day, when I had a block of silken tofu on hand and didn’t know what to do with it. I searched online for recipes, and came across this list on greatist.com called “53 HEALTHY AND FLAVORFUL RECIPES TO MAKE WITH TOFU”. The list was made by a woman named Laura Newcomer, and all of the ideas on the list were absolutely amazing! I looked through them, and eventually found your recipe. I checked it out, and that’s how I found your blog. Thank you so very much for this delicious recipe (that I finally had a chance to try today), and also thanks to Laura Newcomer for allowing people such as myself to find this blog! 🙂

    Reply
    • Jeanette says

      December 7, 2013 at 10:48 pm

      Gabriella, thanks so much for finding me and trying my tofu recipe! Always nice to be in good company.

      Reply
  9. Olivia says

    July 31, 2014 at 12:03 am

    I was in the mood for more texture so I fried the tofu in cubes first, and then served with the sauce. Very tasty! Love the simple recipe and the fact that I usually have all these ingredients on hand.

    Reply
    • Jeanette says

      July 31, 2014 at 10:05 am

      Olivia, your method for creating more texture in this dish sounds great – thanks so much for sharing!

      Reply
  10. Angie says

    August 10, 2014 at 6:10 pm

    Jeanette, I love tofu, and more importantly, I love this recipe! I’ve just made a batch of japchae for my lunch next week (my co-workers are always so jealous, but they always seem to draw the line at my kimchi (so what, I still bring it). What I’m curious about with this recipe is, can I microwave the tofu to eat warm for my lunch at work? I’ve never microwaved tofu before, and I would hate to ruin the beautiful texture. (I could literally eat this tofu with rice every single night, I love this recipe!). Thank you.

    Reply
    • Jeanette says

      August 10, 2014 at 10:35 pm

      Angie, I have never tried micowaving tofu, so I couldn’t tell you if this would work. I’d be afraid it might “explode” unless you reheated it at a lower setting. It would probably be good cold or room temperature.

      Reply
      • Angie says

        August 13, 2014 at 6:28 pm

        Jeanette, thanks so much for the reply. I went ahead, and marinated the tofu w/o cooking it, and had it cold w/the japchae… I was afraid to microwave it too, so i didn’t. It was delicious!

        Reply
        • Jeanette says

          August 14, 2014 at 4:19 am

          Angie – I love cold tofu salad, so I love what you did!

          Reply
  11. Sarita says

    October 11, 2014 at 6:30 pm

    I just finished this dish. IT is delicious. Thank you for sharing.

    Reply
  12. Brittni says

    October 10, 2015 at 10:20 pm

    5 stars
    This was really delicious, and so warm and filling. This is perfect for us college vegetarian during exam crunch time on a sad budget haha. Thanks for sharing!

    Reply
    • Jeanette says

      October 11, 2015 at 7:42 pm

      Brittni – so glad you enjoyed this! Yes, it’s very budget friendly – hope you did well on your exams! 🙂

      Reply
  13. Lilly says

    November 12, 2015 at 8:59 pm

    I tried making this, but I had firm tofu instead of soft. It tasted weird to me, so I’m not sure if it’s just an acquired taste or if it’s becose of the Tofu?(soft and firm)

    Reply
    • Jeanette says

      November 12, 2015 at 11:00 pm

      Soft or silken tofu has a very different consistency than firm tofu. If you’ve never had tofu, then it could be an acquired taste.

      Reply
  14. Amelia says

    June 13, 2016 at 8:12 am

    I’m trying to cut a lot of carbs out of my diet and I was wondering if I could sub Splenda or Stevia for the sugar in the sauce and still get the same end result. Would that work?

    Reply
    • Jeanette says

      June 13, 2016 at 5:43 pm

      Amelia – I have not tried stevia in place of the sugar in this sauce, but if you’re watching carbs, give a try. Stevia is a lot sweeter than sugar, so I would just use a tiny bit. Let me know how it turns out.

      Reply

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