Korean braised Tofu with vegetables or "Dubu Jorim" as the Koreans call it is a one pan Asian dish with fresh veggies and crisp tofu braised in a delicious Korean style sauce with Gochugaru (Korean red pepper flakes), soy sauce, sesame oil and aromatics!
This healthy, delicious and lip smacking easy Asian vegan curry is best enjoyed on a bed of hot, freshly cooked Jasmine or Basmati rice, but is so good with noodles too!
January 31, 2022 was Chinese New Year and it reminded me of this Asian, specifically Korean dish which I had made quite a while back and has been wallowing in my drafts unnoticed!
Time to rectify that don't you think?
We love this simple dish so much, I have made it a few times already before sharing it with you.
KOREAN BRAISED TOFU AND VEGETABLES (DUBU JORIM):
Being a foodie family and me being a voracious and passionate cook, we love to dab in different cuisines and this Asian, specifically a Korean dish called “Dubu Jorim”, a side dish from Korea, is so easy to make and is vegan/vegetarian and absolutely delicious!
Dubu Jorim is basically braised "crispy on the outside yet soft on the inside chunks of tofu" in a spicy, mildly sweet and savory Asian style sauce. It goes so well with some hot steamed rice to make for a complete meal!
Traditionally made only with high protein soy bean curd called “tofu”, being huge veggie lovers who need some chunks of veggies in every Asian dish, I added some capsicum/bell peppers, carrots and celery for that additional crunch and nutrition. You can add any vegetable you like or have.
It comes together super quick and it is a quick and delicious treat for vegans, vegetarians and lazy cooks.
HOW TO MAKE THIS SUPER EASY VEGGIE DUBU JORIM:
Braising is nothing by sautéing or browning anything in a pan on high heat until lightly crisp then simmering it in a sauce mixture to drink in all the flavors of that sauce.
A similar technique is used here.
- Just pan sauté firm tofu chunks with salt and pepper in some oil until crispy and slightly charred.
- Do the same with veggies.
- Add a sauce mixture of soy sauce, toasted sesame oil, maple syrup (or any sweetener of your choice), balsamic vinegar (or mirin, a kind of fermented rice wine), preferably Gochugaru (deep red Korean red pepper flakes which adds color and smokiness or chili flakes/cayenne pepper), onions, chilies and garlic; then simmer them for just a few minutes!
- That is it! Garnish with sesame seeds, chopped green onions, cilantro or any garnish you like and enjoy with hot steamed rice (best is Jasmine rice but goes well with any rice) or even noodles if that is your thing.
Detailed step-wise instructions are below along with recipe card.
INGREDIENTS NEEDED TO MAKE THIS DELICIOUS DISH:
Tofu (soy bean curd) – you will need firm tofu or even medium firm tofu as it needs to hold its shape while pan frying. If you cannot find it, you could substitute with paneer (Indian cottage cheese) but make sure it is firm and will hold its shape while braising.
Vegetables – I have used what I had; bell peppers, carrots and celery. You can use any other like broccoli, mushrooms, cabbage, water chestnuts, bamboo shoots (canned) etc.
Sauce ingredients -
- Gochugaru (Korean chili flakes) is what is traditionally used and these are easily available in any Asian store or even online (but if you cannot find them, then you can use any fiery red chili powder or flakes like paprika, Kashmiri red chili powder etc.)
- Soy sauce
- Balsamic vinegar
- Toasted sesame seeds
- Any cooking oil or sesame oil
- Garlic
- Onions
- Maple syrup or any sweetener of your choice (like jaggery, brown sugar, raw sugar or even plain sugar)
- Green chilies/jalapeno/Serrano peppers
- Green onions.
For garnish, you can use more of the toasted sesame seeds and green onions.
SERVING SUGGESTIONS:
It goes best with hot steamed rice but if you like noodles, feel free to enjoy with some noodles instead.
It would be a perfect side dish with Schezwan Vegetable Lo Mein, Mushroom Fried Rice, Burnt Garlic Fried Rice etc. !
Use any vegetable you like or have and if you do not have tofu or paneer, make with just vegetables. That sauce is the key to this delicious Korean side dish!
If you do happen to try this easy Korean style braised tofu (with vegetables) in your home, I would be thrilled to see and hear about it!
Please leave your comments and thoughts in the box below (do not forget to rate it with a star rating) or share your version on Instagram (tagging @curryandvanilla16; #curryandvanilla16) and/or share it on my Facebook page.
Happy Cooking and Eating!
If you love Asian food, then you got to check out these too:
Korean braised Tofu with Vegetables (Dubu Jorim)
Ingredients
- 500 gm or 1 lb tofu medium tofu
- 1 cup green bell peppers cubed
- 1 cup yellow bell peppers cubed
- 1 cup celery chopped
- 1 cup carrot sliced
- 2 tbsp cooking oil
- Salt to taste
- Black pepper powder
FOR THE SAUCE:
- 4 tbsp soy sauce
- 3 tbsp balsamic vinegar or mirin
- 2 tbsp toasted sesame oil
- 1 ½ tbsp maple syrup or jaggery/brown sugar/sugar
- 2 tbsp Gochugaru (Korean red chili flakes) (or 2 teaspoons chil flakes and 1 teaspoon Kashmiri red chili powder)
- 1 large green chili or Serrano pepper diced according to spice level needed
- ½ cup onions finely chopped (red or white)
- 2 to 3 tbsp finely chopped garlic about 4 large cloves
- 2 green onions green part, chopped
- ¾ to 1 cup water
FOR GARNISH:
- Toasted sesame seeds
- Chopped green onions
Instructions
TO PREP THE TOFU:
-
Remove tofu from pack, press some paper towels over it to dab excess moisture on all sides.
-
Cut into big sized cubes (your preference) and set aside.
TO PREP THE VEGETABLES:
-
Wash, drain and chop, slice or cube celery, bell peppers and carrots.
TO PREPARE THE SAUCE:
-
In a mixing bowl, add all the ingredients of sauce, mix well, do a taste test and adjust if needed. Set aside.
TO MAKE KOREAN BRAISED VEGETABLES WITH TOFU:
-
Heat a large wide saucepan and add 2 tbsp oil.
-
When oil is hot, add the cubed tofu, sprinkle some salt and pepper and sauté on medium high heat, stirring often until they turn light golden brown and are slightly crispy on the edges. This step is optional. You can add it directly to the final curry.
-
When tofu cubes are well sautéed, remove using a slotted spoon and set aside in a bowl.
-
In the same saucepan, if needed, add more oil (I did not) and celery; sauté on medium high, stirring often for a minute.
-
Add rest of the veggies – bell peppers and carrots; fry again, stirring continuously on high heat until slightly charred but still has a bite; about a minute or two.
-
Immediately add the sauce mixture and braised tofu, mix well and bring to a boil.
-
Lower heat, simmer for a minute or so until the sauce is slightly thick and tofu and veggies have absorbed some of the sauce. Adjust consistency if needed (by adding a bit of water; not too much).
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Garnish with finely chopped green onions, toasted sesame seeds and serve hot with a bowl of freshly cooked hot rice.
-
Enjoy!
Recipe Notes
- Adjust the amount of spices and aromatics according to personal preference.
- You can make this just with tofu (cut into large, thick chunks) too and you can substitute with any other vegetable you like or have.
- If you cannot find Gochugaru (needed for an authentic taste), you can use red chili flakes and/or red Kashmiri red chili p;owder.
STEP-WISE INSTRUCTIONS TO MAKE DUBU JORIM (KOREAN BRAISED TOFU CURRY):
TO PREP THE VEGETABLES:
Wash, drain and chop, slice or cube celery, bell peppers and carrots.
TO PREP THE TOFU:
Remove tofu from pack, press some paper towels over it to dab excess moisture on all sides.
Cut into big sized cubes (your preference) and set aside.
TO PREPARE THE SAUCE:
Gather the ingredients for that lip smacking sauce.
In a mixing bowl, add all the ingredients of sauce, mix well, do a taste test and adjust to suit your taste by adding more soy sauce, Gochugaru, garlic etc. Set aside.
TO MAKE KOREAN BRAISED VEGETABLES WITH TOFU:
Heat a large wide saucepan and add 2 tbsp. oil.
When oil is hot, add the cubed tofu, sprinkle some salt and pepper and sauté on medium high heat, stirring often until they turn light golden brown and are slightly crispy on the edges.
When tofu cubes are well sautéed, remove using a slotted spoon and set aside n a bowl.
In the same saucepan, if needed, add more oil (I did not) and celery and sauté on medium high, stirring often for a minute.
Add rest of the veggies –bell peppers and carrots and fry again, stirring continuously on high heat until slightly charred but still has a bite; about a minute or two.
Immediately add the sauce mixture and braised tofu, mix well and bring to a boil.
Lower heat, simmer for a minute or so until the sauce is slightly thick and tofu and veggies have absorbed some of the sauce but are still crunchy and just cooked; do not overcook!
Garnish with finely chopped green onions, toasted sesame seeds and serve hot with a bowl of freshly cooked hot rice.
Enjoy and Happy Cooking!
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