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. 
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.
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:
Red Radish Kimchi
Kohlrabi Kim Chi
Warm Tofu with Spicy Garlic Soy Sesame Sauce
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
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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.
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Combine mashed garlic, scallion, sesame seeds, soy sauce, sesame oil, red pepper flakes and sugar together in a small bowl.
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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.
CSA Box #4: Vegetarian Stir-Fry Garlic Scapes with Five-Spice Pressed Tofu Recipe
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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!
Lydia, it was my first time cooking tofu as one piece but I loved the presentation…and I agree, spicy sauce is the best!
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???
Joe, the recipe is at the bottom of this post. Thanks so much for signing up for our newsletter.
How were you able to lift the tofu from the saucepan without breaking it?
I used a “spider” strainer – it’s a big webbed strainer
I am a BIG tofu lover and I definitely would love to make a meal of it served with some of these banchan!
Joanne, banchan are so fun – I love going to Korean restaurants where there’s a spread of these little plates.
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!
Kalyn, this is a nice light dish – can’t wait to see your spicy tofu recipe!
What a great looking hunk of tofu, it sounds delicious! Love the simple but vibrant flavors you added!
Thanks Georgia – this is very refreshing. The spicy sauce is a nice contrast to the smooth and silky tofu.
Love the ingredients in the sauce for warm tofu! Yum!
Thanks Kiran – very easy and light!
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!
Hi Jeanette,
Just wondering how many servings you recommend that this recipe makes? 🙂
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.
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! 🙂
Gabriella, thanks so much for finding me and trying my tofu recipe! Always nice to be in good company.
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.
Olivia, your method for creating more texture in this dish sounds great – thanks so much for sharing!
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.
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.
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!
Angie – I love cold tofu salad, so I love what you did!
I just finished this dish. IT is delicious. Thank you for sharing.
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!
Brittni – so glad you enjoyed this! Yes, it’s very budget friendly – hope you did well on your exams! 🙂
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)
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.
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?
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.